<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>One of the most fashionable management concepts currently is Design Thinking (DT). DT is sometimes advertised as <italic>the</italic> creative and innovative method for handling wicked problems. The explosion of DT in the public sector resembles the fast adoption of Total Quality Management (TQM) a few decades ago. At first sight, DT and TQM appear mutually exclusive – the former emphasizes inventiveness, which is cherished in modern governance, while the latter stresses mechanistic solutions and seems obsolete. Yet, public managers need a clearer understanding of DT and TQM and how they relate to each other. The main aim of this paper is two analyze when public managers should employ DT and when they should use TQM in creating public value. The article compares DT and TQM and finds that they are surprisingly similar. For example, they share core values like user-centeredness, stakeholder commitment, cooperation, etc. That is not to say that DT and TQM are the same, for instance their tools are different. Still, the paper argues that the two management models could well be combined – e.g. DT could assist public managers in finding new solutions to known problems and TQM could be used to institutionalize change. This insight helps managers to make informed decisions when choosing a mix of management methods that fits their purpose best.</p>
</abstract>

One of the most fashionable management concepts currently is Design Thinking (DT). DT is sometimes advertised as the creative and innovative method for handling wicked problems. The explosion of DT in the public sector resembles the fast adoption of Total Quality Management (TQM) a few decades ago. At first sight, DT and TQM appear mutually exclusive – the former emphasizes inventiveness, which is cherished in modern governance, while the latter stresses mechanistic solutions and seems obsolete. Yet, public managers need a clearer understanding of DT and TQM and how they relate to each other. The main aim of this paper is two analyze when public managers should employ DT and when they should use TQM in creating public value. The article compares DT and TQM and finds that they are surprisingly similar. For example, they share core values like user-centeredness, stakeholder commitment, cooperation, etc. That is not to say that DT and TQM are the same, for instance their tools are different. Still, the paper argues that the two management models could well be combined – e.g. DT could assist public managers in finding new solutions to known problems and TQM could be used to institutionalize change. This insight helps managers to make informed decisions when choosing a mix of management methods that fits their purpose best.

The Potential of Design Thinking and Total Quality Management in Creating Public Value

Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance

NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

One of the most fashionable management concepts currently is Design Thinking (DT). DT is sometimes advertised as the creative and innovative method for...

The Potential of Design Thinking and Total Quality Management in Creating Public Value

Published Online: May 12, 2021

Page range: 285 - 309

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nispa-2021-0011

Keywords
Design thinking, total quality management, public management, public value

© 2021 Rauno Vinni, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Potential of Design Thinking and Total Quality Management in Creating Public Value

Published Online: May 12, 2021

Page range: 285 - 309

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nispa-2021-0011

KeywordsDesign thinking, total quality management, public management, public value

© 2021 Rauno Vinni, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Design thinking, total quality management, public management, public value