Taxonomy of design thinking facilitation

Although the body of research on design thinking (DT) is growing, knowledge regarding DT facilitation in innovation projects is sparse. Through explorative case studies, we explore how facilitators understand and apply DT to innovation projects. Our findings reveal that different DT facilitators take markedly polar different approaches to DT facilitation. We advance the DT literature by establishing links with the group facilitation literature and developing a taxonomy of DT facilitation anchored by two opposite approaches to DT facilitation: a method approach and a cofacilitation approach. Our findings demonstrate that different interpretations of DT can lead to different facilitation practices. This insight is valuable for innovation project owners who hire DT facilitators, the research community and facilitators themselves.