Overcoming the Valley of Death

A Design Innovation Perspective

Journal Article (2019)
Author(s)

Barend Klitsie (TU Delft - Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior)

R.A. Price (TU Delft - Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior)

C.S.H. de Lille (TU Delft - DesIgning Value in Ecosystems, The Hague University of Applied Sciences)

Research Group
Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior
Copyright
© 2019 J.B. Klitsie, R.A. Price, C.S.H. de Lille
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1111/dmj.12052
More Info
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Publication Year
2019
Language
English
Copyright
© 2019 J.B. Klitsie, R.A. Price, C.S.H. de Lille
Related content
Research Group
Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior
Issue number
1
Volume number
14
Pages (from-to)
28-41
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Abstract

In large organisations, innovation activities are often located in separate departments, centres or studios. These departments aim to produce prototypes of solutions to the problems of operational business owners. However, too often these concepts remain in the prototype stage: they never cross the valley of death to become implemented.
A design approach to innovation is presented as a solution to the problem. However, practice shows that teams that use this approach nevertheless encounter this problem due to the larger infrastructure of the organisation they are part of. This research aims to explore which factors contribute to the valley of death for design innovation. Additionally, this paper presents first insights into how design practices help to mitigate this phenomenon.
An embedded multiple case study at a large heritage airline is used to study this phenomenon. A thematic analysis of the data finds that organisational design, departmental silo’s and dissimilar innovation strategies contribute to the valley of death. The issues with resource-assignment that result from these factors are displayed. Last, materialization, user-centeredness and holistic problem-framing are indicated as practices that help to mitigate this problem.