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Design and "design thinking" is gaining recognition as an important integrative concept in management practice and education. But it will fail to have a lasting impact, unless we learn from the mistakes of earlier, related ideas. For instance, "system thinking", which shares many of the conceptual foundations of "design thinking", promised to be a powerful guide to management practice, but it has never achieved the success its proponents hoped for. If systems thinking had been successful in gaining a foothold in management education over the last half of the 20th century, there would be no manage by designing movement, or calls for integrative or design thinking.

Design thinking is the new mantra. Redesigning the enterprise and our society. But will it succeed where so many other approaches have failed?

Traditional design professionals who want to apply their methodologies to organizational systems change and business strategy should be prepared for a diversity of responses from organizational managers. Some will welcome your unique perspective and experiences, your creative problem-solving and communication skills, and your willingness to work collaboratively across disciplines. However, you also need to prepare for the possibility of disdain, confusion, and resistance from others.