Training for professional designers and companies: New ‘Programme for innovation through design’
23 Feb 2021 /

Training for professional designers and companies: New ‘Programme for innovation through design’

Design is an element that is increasingly necessary in organisations, and it is not limited to a specific area or a single process. It can and should be incorporated throughout the company and, especially, in all kinds of innovation since, furthermore, professionals of this discipline have the ability to connect creativity and innovation in their daily work. This is a challenge for companies today in any sector.

New ‘Programme for innovation through design’

In the light of the challenges posed by the current context, we believe it is time to show that design offers methodologies and ways of working that can prove extremely useful for organisations. Therefore, we now present, together with innova&acción the ‘Programme for innovation through design’ (PID), a programme implemented in cooperation with the Valencia City Council and the Valencian Institute for Business Competitiveness (IVACE).

Because design and business have traditionally been kept apart, except in cases where the company operates in certain sectors or in those departments or areas that focus on products. The reason is not only that organisations compartmentalise designers in these areas, but also because they have focused traditionally on their function and not on the analysis of their competences and skills. This has led to companies and professionals failing to make the most of these skills.

Design can and should be incorporated throughout the company and, especially, in all kinds of innovation.

Who is this programme intended for?

There are two ways to participate in this programme:

  • For professional designers who wish to make the transition from the executive to the strategic plane. Those who have professional experience, are interested in the field of innovation and business, who want to make the most of their competences and skills in a differential manner and seek different environments for their development.
  • For organisations that want to activate innovation and improvement. Taking into account the incorporation of mindful decision-making methodologies, the inclusion of customers in their improvement and innovation processes, the use of projects as a way of working, and innovation through design on a daily basis.

An important aspect is that the designer can be part of the company itself. He or she can train through the programme and develop innovation in the company.

Details of the plans and participation modes can be found on the Innova&Acción website dedicated to the programme https://bluered.es/pid-innovacion-a-traves-del-diseno

Design offers methodologies and ways of working that can prove extremely useful for organisations.

For 3 months, PID participants will acquire the knowledge and skills to enable them to understand organisational challenges and conditioning factors, as well as learning how to use their competences and skills to resolve such challenges, and to communicate effectively with company mangers to influence decision-making in a relevant manner.

To this end, we will work with different methodologies focused on:

  1. Management of design for innovation
  2. Creativity
  3. Future Thinking
  4. Innovation
  5. Strategy and business
  6. Leadership
  7. Agile methodologies
  8. Processes and projects
  9. Digital transformation

The first stage of the programme will focus on a month of training (from 19 April to 14 May), followed by the development of the participant’s own project designed within the PID (from 3 May to 14 July).

In this first edition, the programme will select 15 companies to receive appropriate monitoring and tutoring.

Outstanding professionals from the field of design and innovation will form part of the PID. Thus, the teaching staff will include Olga Broto, Ricardo Estellés, Cristian Figueroa, Néstor Guerra, Oswaldo Lorenzo, Juan Pastor, Ramón Puchades and Xènia Viladàs.

Design represents the connection between technology, science and culture.

During the event for presentation of the programme, Luis Calabuig, (vice-president of the Associació València Capital del Disseny) emphasised that “From the World Design Capital we support this project because it works for society and it will be possible to trace the results even at an economic level within companies.”

For his part, Juan Pastor (academic director of the PID) has highlighted that “We need to generate differential value. In Spain innovation has often been understood exclusively as R&D&I, and we consider that innovation can at times be non-technological.”