Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This paper reveals insights from an ongoing doctoral study engaging with the principles of family owned office furniture manufacturers in Turkey. The initial findings presented in this paper relate to the engagement, commitment, and action applied in the design management process of the first case study undertaken. The aim of this study is to refer to the design value and related investments in a family business when achieving innovation. In this pilot explorative case study, the data is gathered from semi-structured interviews in order to get significant and in-depth information with a qualitative and comprehensive approach. The participants included second generation family - chairman of the board, third generation family - deputy general manager sales & marketing, non-family corporate communications and marketing director, and non-family R&D director. Then, with a thematic analysis, patterns and common themes are revealed and associated with each other. The findings show how a family business internalizes design principles and philosophies in an emerging market. As family entrepreneurs have unique decision-making processes and strategies during phases of design and innovation, the main data of this case study reveals the possible ways creating competitive advantage in a low-cost environment with a vision for design awareness by internalizing a design thinking approach in the core culture of business, and also creating initiatives and supporting projects for social, economic, and political spheres.