What Quality Management can Learn from Designers about Being Qualitative

• Quality Management (QM) initiatives and practices generally stress the importance of “focus on customers” and to “base decisions on facts”. However, in Western World QM practice it appears as if facts often become equivalent to numbers - “we need facts” becomes “we need to see it quantified in numbers” and “measuring is knowing”. In sharp contrast, the growing field of Design Thinking (DT) conclude that qualitative approaches are key when it comes to get closer to the citizens or customers, establish new levels of understanding, and thereby inspire new and better solutions. The purpose of this paper is to explore what quality management can learn from designers, and design thinking practice, about using more qualitative approaches for learning and in developing knowledge.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Tillförlitlighets- och kvalitetsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Reliability and Maintenance (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)