Rana Chakrabarti 1/5
SCALING DESIGN-THNKING WITHIN SAP
15th May 2009
PART 1: DESIGN CHALLENGE Framing: How do we bridge the designer-developer gap?
Re-framing: How might we inject design-thinking into SAP's DNA? i.e. trigger healthy mutation in the SAP system. Hypothesis: Scaling design thinking within SAP is a design problem. Design thinking provides both the approach and the tools to solve this problem.
Insights: The DNA (company culture) is multi-dimensional and fractal. This means, •
Multi-dimensional: Choosing the dimension (carrier) with the deepest reach is key to triggering healthy mutation. Given the mind-body connect we need a suitable carrier to touch the mind (thought) and the body (action). Given suitable conditions it will manifest as new habits, which are a combination of both thought and action.
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Fractal: A large pattern (a new culture) is actually a small pattern (a new thought pattern) replicated exponentially via an iterated function system or a transfer function. This means each new mutation must be identical with no loss. The transfer function must ensure this.
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DNA: Healthy mutation requires a minimum numbers of positive corporate antibodies (suitable candidates) to be self-sustaining and to fend of negative corporate antibodies. Once self sustaining, the new pattern will find a symbiotic relationship with the existing organism.
Framework: To inject design-thinking sustainability into SAP's DNA we need to ensure that we choose a carrier with the deepest access to SAP’s DNA. Once injected, we need to ensure it is not rejected at the cellular (personal) level and at the systemic (SAP) level. Finally, to ensure healthy mutation we need a transfer function with exponential characteristics and sufficient numbers to handle corporate antibodies. With this framework, some obvious questions appear: 1. Carrier: What carrier should we choose to transport knowledge of design-thinking? A methodology built to make sense to engineers. Design-thinking is a series of connected spaces. Engineers are used to an orderly series of steps. Designers are trained to engage their subconscious and rely on it heavily during synthesis or generative thinking. Engineers are trained to engage logic and rely on it heavily during evaluative thinking. This document may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this document in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation.
Rana Chakrabarti 2/5
SCALING DESIGN-THNKING WITHIN SAP
15th May 2009
Design-thinking relies on alternately generative and evaluative thinking. To teach this requires a methodology which is perceived as an orderly series of steps to engage the engineer. It must of course include synthesis. 2. Rejection: At what levels might we expect rejection? Cellular Thought: If the methodology is too far from typical engineering-thinking or relies heavily on synthesis, a largely unknown process for most developers. Action: If there is no support to help integrate the methodology into “normal” work. Systemic Any new mutation will be subjected to the defensive responses of existing corporate antibodies, usually negative. This serves to build resilience into the new mutation but tests its will to survive. To survive, a minimum number of healthy antibodies are required to be replicated periodically. 3. Healthy Mutation: What might a healthy mutation look like? What might be the dynamics of the transfer function? In is final state the healthy mutation—design-thinking—will be symbiotic with the existing culture—engineering-thinking—and not obliterate it. In its growth phase it will be fractal in nature. The transfer function will create healthy antibodies capable of replicating the knowledge with near-perfect fidelity, at an exponential rate. As humans this kind of replication is possible only for experiential learning. This implies the transfer function is also experiential: design-thinking will be learnt experientially in-situ and not via trainings. To grow into a healthy mutation, a minimum number of healthy antibodies are required to overcome the offensive response of existing corporate antibodies. This is possible if the healthy antibodies are symbiotic, so that they help the existing antibodies, communal so that single antibodies are not targets and growing exponentially and experientially so that new generations of healthy antibodies are being created to far outweigh the losses, if any. 1. Do we have a methodology suited to an engineering culture? – yes, software | service Design Process is one possibility 2. Do we have a reliable transfer function? - Partially, the replication mechanism is not experiential nor exponential yet 3. Do we have the critical mass of developers to trigger healthy mutation? - Partially, only as potential and not yet as a community of practice.
This document may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this document in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation.
SCALING DESIGN-THNKING WITHIN SAP
Rana Chakrabarti 3/5
15th May 2009
PART 2: SYNTHESIS Finding the correct metaphor or analogy is usually the first step in the process of synthesis in design-thinking. An accurate metaphor or analogy provides us with a mental model with which to address the problem and see potential solutions. I suggest analogies for SAP as a system and for the growth of design-thinking within SAP. The first might help us understand the dynamics within SAP a little better. The second might help us in envisioning the dynamics of scaling within SAP. Together this should suggest possibilities on how DST might approach scaling. •
SAP as a system : Dissipative systems : "A dissipative system is characterized
by the spontaneous appearance of symmetry breaking (anisotropy) and the formation of complex, sometimes chaotic, structures where interacting particles exhibit long range correlations. " In my opinion, this describes what we're going through within SAP (anisotropy) and the possible future state (islands of stability within a larger, complex and seemingly chaotic system: a network). This also suggests a mental model for scaling designthinking o
Implications for SAP:
Certain groups will maintain long range co-relations amongst them in a larger environment of bounded chaos
The driving force making the correlation possible will create order and meaning for these groups. Design-thinking is one such force.
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Growth of design-thinking: Radial Tree with circles of influence radiating outwards from each node-- DST is ground zero and the critical mass is the last circle (possibly 3rd degree of separation). Each circle is an island of stability held together by knowledge of design-thinking. o
Implications for Design Thinking
Design-thinking will not mutate uniformly all over SAP (anisotropic). There will be islands. This is the limit of scaling.
For healthy mutation to occur, long range co-relations between the islands is essential. DST will be responsible for building & maintaining these co-relations.
DST can only coherently multiply and keep together the first circle of influence. The multipliers replicate this process outward till it becomes self-sustaining and reaches a stable symbiosis with the existing culture.
This document may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this document in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation.
SCALING DESIGN-THNKING WITHIN SAP
Rana Chakrabarti 4/5
15th May 2009
PART 3: SOLUTION DIRECTION •
Carrier o
Use a methodology crafted to make sense to engineers and designers rather than designers alone. The proposed software | service Design Process is one such possibility.
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Rejection o
Cellular : helping design-thinking take hold at a personal level
Suitable Mindset - choose candidates with T shaped profiles
Support Thinking - Introduce the methodology in a “learning by doing” mode. Initially introduce only into projects where designthinking can make a large impact.
Support Action - Get on the inside of projects, stay engaged from start to finish and explain design-thinking via doing
Bridge engineering-thinking – play the role of mediator within projects to integrate design-thinking and engineering thinking. Especially during synthesis phases.
o
Systemic : taking the edge off hostile environments within SAP
Supportive Environment – apply to white projects in early phase, yellow in growth phase and blue in maturity phase
Supportive Team Design – apply only to teams which are multidisciplinary, co-located from start to finish with equal power equations between members. Set this as pre-condition.
Symbiosis with antibodies – help solve their problems - apply design-thinking to selected, internal, high leverage problems to build symbiotic relations with corporate antibodies
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Healthy Mutation : helping design-thinking become self-sustaining o
Perfect transmission– replicate design-thinking experientially by project engagements and “learning by doing”. Use the fellowship model to select new members
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Exponential growth– own one circle. Members of the first circle of influence multiply to and keep together the next circle of influence.
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Community of Practice - Connect practitioners into a globally networked community of practice1 owned by DST. Organize communities into local chapters for fast access and support. Use the network as means to transmit and receive fast feedback and broadcast design-thinking expertise (thought leaders, state-of-the-art, marketplace).
1
Socially networked by Cube Tree. Access restricted to practitioners.
This document may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this document in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation.
Rana Chakrabarti 5/5
o
SCALING DESIGN-THNKING WITHIN SAP
15th May 2009
I suspect by the third degree of separation it will achieve critical mass and become self-sustaining
This document may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this document in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation.