Design managers are called upon to enhance their competences at various levels within the corporate environment. Accordingly, this study aims to establish a competence model for design managers (CMDM). The CMDM was established through deductive content analysis of pertinent international journal articles. The study further investigates the competences perceived to be important for middle-level design managers through a survey conducted in South Korea.
Implications for Current and Future Design Managers
This kind of competence portfolio based on the CMDM may have important implications for current and future design managers. First, for current middle-level design managers, the competence portfolio can be used as a competence evaluation sheet. Initially, it is necessary to determine where one’s design function is positioned (strategic, practical, or intermediate).
Second, for future middle-level design managers, namely current designers, the competence portfolio can be used as a career path guide. Based on their functional position, individuals can anticipate which competences to cultivate in order to succeed as a middle manager.
Third, for top-level design managers, the competence portfolio and the CMDM can be used as a human resource management guide.
Implications for Design Schools
From the perspective of design academia, the CMDM and derived competence portfolio could guide decisions about what to include in a design or design management education curriculum.
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Read original paper: http://www.ijdesign.org/index.php/IJDesign/article/view/1957/700
Copyright: © 2015 Kang, Chung, & Nam. Copyright for this article is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the International Journal of Design.