THE DESIGN SCHOOL OF

THOUGHT
AIIQ/00791/2018 JOTHAM
WASSWA
AIIQ//2018 EDWIN KHALWALE
CASE STUDY EXAMPLE: NIKE(SPORTSWEAR
BRAND)
• Recently, Nike found it hard to penetrate and become
prominent amongst the skateboarding community
despite strong brand awareness being their greatest
strength. They struggled to gain the same level of
support as other brands like DC and Globe in the
skateboard industry.
• Therefore, they decided to engage skateboarders in the
design process.
• They examined what the skateboard community was
looking for during the conversation and their attitudes
towards Nike.
• They gained an overall NIKE’S ADOPTION OF
understanding of the THE DESIGN SCHOOL
skateboarding community. With OF THOUGHT
this information, they released
NIKE DUNK SB after applying
leanings from customer
engagement along with
skateboard insiders in their
design team
• After its release, NIKE achieved
massive success in the
skateboarding community
through the adoption of design
school
 We can explain The Design School in the
following ways using Nike:
• It is centered on the basis of the following processes:
Formulate  Evaluate Implement
• The design school articulates the idea of strategy as
guiding concept
• It introduces the notion of fit between strategy and
environment
• To reach a balance between internal distinctive
competence and external threat and opportunity,
carrying out SWOT analysis can strengthen this school of
thought.
Testing the Criteria of Evaluation
• Strategy formation should be a conscious, informal and
controlled process of thought. While the model has
limitations, four conditions may encourage an organization to
use the design school model, including when relevant
knowledge has been established and a situation is stable; an
organization can cope with a centrally articulated strategy;
and one person can handle all data connected to developing
strategy
• Consistency
• Consonance
• Advantage
• Feasibility
Assumptions of the design school
1. Strategy formation should be a deliberate process of
conscious thought.
2. It is the responsibility of the CEO or Top management.
3. Explicit ,Simple ,and Informal
4. Unique
5. It is complete when strategies are fully formulated
6. Only after formulation has been completed ,then can
implementation follow
Critiques of the Design School of thought
• There are several criticisms of the design school of
thought on its reliability and validity.
• Explicit evaluation of strengths and faults has a tendency
to obstruct learning.
• Structure follows strategy; you cannot design purely in
function of strategic intent, strategy may purpose but the
organization will usually dispose.
• Making strategy clear-cut promotes inflexibility; when
there is a period of uncertainty, there is a likelihood of
premature closure, when there is a rooted strategy it is
likely to breed habits
Criticisms of Design School
• Thinking and acting are separated by the distinction of
formulation and implementation. This is to imply that it
ignores the complex and subtle evolution of strategy and
that Thinking and acting can independently work but in
real sense they work in tandem.
When can we adopt this design school?
• When the environment is relatively stable and predictable
(Just as Nike did)
• When an organization is willing to conform to a centrally
articulated strategy(Nike allowed skateboarding
community to lay out their wants, and liaised with
skateboarding lovers in their design team to come up with
NIKE DUNK SB which ensured Nike penetrated deeper
into the skateboard market )

Other notable companies that are known to adopt this school

is Starbucks, Bank Of America and Nordstrom(in Tech).
Basic design school model