Design thinking adoption in software development organizations: A SAP LAP analysis

Abstract

The design thinking approach (DTA) is recognized as a desirable and viable strategic plan for addressing the ever-changing dynamic needs of the customer in software products. However, the adoption of DTA in software development organizations (SDOs) remains low, which is of significant concern in developing countries such as India. DTA implementation appears complex, challenging and necessitates holistic investigation to understand the factors influencing the adoption. Consequently, the study seeks to propose a practice-based theoretical framework using the situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance (SAP-LAP) framework to advance our understanding of DTA utilization challenges in SDOs and suggest actions to improve the current scenario. The SAP LAP framework was developed using personnel semi-structured interviews with nineteen experts having more than ten years of experience from nine leading SDOs. Overall, the study identifies fifteen challenges and thirteen actions to overcome the challenges to DTA utilization in SDOs. Finally, implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.

Keywords:

• Design thinking
• innovation
• organization
• performance management
• software development
• SAP LAP analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gaurav Kabra

Gaurav Kabra is presently working as an Associate Professor in the area of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Jindal Global Business School, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. He has completed his PhD in Supply Chain Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India. He holds a B.Tech (Information Technology) and MBA from the ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Gwalior (ABV-IIITM Gwalior), India.

Hory Sankar Mukerjee

Hory Sankar Mukerjee is Sr. Principal Consultant, Education, Training and Assessment at Infosys limited. He currently handles the global enablement programs for consultants at Infosys. Apart from this he is responsible for managing the learning, upskilling, and reskilling initiatives of the organization. With more than 20 years of experience, he has been instrumental in the foundation, learning and operations of the consulting academy since the beginning.