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design:PARTNER
Denmark
The aim of the Danish Design Centre (DDC) was recently redefined to turn Denmark into an international centre for design development and debate. To help do this it has developed the design and innovation vehicles design: PARTNER® and design: FORUM®. In 2004 DDC initiated the development of design: PARTNER® and involved eight of Denmark’s leading companies as partners. They were all from the industry sector. With these companies DDC tested the use of design as a vehicle for innovation in the development of products, services and business processes. They also created a network among companies, enabling them to exchange experiences concerning their work with design and innovation.
On the basis of this successful pilot project, which ran between May 2004 and February 2005, the DDC now offers design:PARTNER® and design: FORUM® to a wider circle of companies. After 5 months, the project had already involved 10 companies. The mechanism is targeted at large companies that are interested in investing in the strategic use of design and who want to use design as an aid to innovation. The staff involved in the delivery of this project are the DDC Team’s Knowledge Centre in which there are engineers, MBA’s and sociologists, making a total of 6 people. Its budget is derived from external sponsors (Danish companies), the national government and participating companies.
The design: PARTNER® programme consists of three mechanisms: inspiration, networking and best practice. With this programme, the company will develop a method for working strategically and systematically with design-based innovation. It operates on an individual and a network level.
The individual level takes up an issue within the partner company and this level is concerned with understanding the design process as a route to innovation. This process begins with three workshop sessions. The company provides a resource team of four to five employees from different sectors across the organisation; it is a prerequisite that top management motivate the company’s participation. To facilitate the process DDC provides a team with strategy and design competencies that match the task at hand. The project at the individual level has to be led by the CEO and the project group consists of DDC employees, managers of the companies and other relevant design experts.
The network level of design: PARTNER® includes the following main elements: three conference events where you meet leaders of international companies, together with leading researchers within business development, innovation and design from universities around the world. The partner companies discuss the latest global knowledge about design and innovation in special workshop sessions and exclusive network events.
Design: PARTNER® is open to all the manufacturing companies in Denmark. To participate in the programme, the company applies for a partnership which is established for one year and costs DKK30,000 for up to five company employees.
Success is dependent on the degree of buy-in by the relevant CEO’s and having a cross-functional team who are prepared for change and are prepared to take risks. Barriers to success include different perceptions of design and innovation that DDC’s team try to overcome via network meetings. This mechanism for design support not only brings benefits to the DDC’s clients of inspiration and systematic focus but also new concepts, networks and knowledge.
News from
The Danish Design Centre has appointed a new CEO, Christian Scherfig, as of September 15, 2005.
As a consequence of this reorganisation of the DDC, its Director of Business activities Søren Merit has decided to terminate his employment.
This will have an impact on how the organization and the different services will function in the future. The impact that this will have is not yet defined, but it is certain that the design:PARTNER and design:FORUM programme will cease to operate. The rest of the organization and services will continue.
For further information please contact Christina Melander at the Danish Design Centre - cme@ddc.dk.
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© Design Wales 2007
