IDBM Research

IIDBM Research has the overall aim to generate systemic and multidisciplinary knowledge applicable to global business development that is design and technology-intensive. The focus of IDBM research is on the cross-point of disciplines, on integrating relevant parts of existing disciplinary views and epistemologies and on developing new theoretical and empirical perspectives on the multidisciplinary interaction.

 

IDBM Research Approach

Multidisciplinary knowledge and experience, a global business context, together with design and technology form the overall research context. With close industry interaction and collaborative initiatives with global partners, these are seen to be the key elements that form the IDBM research approach and agenda. IDBM research is strongly based on empirical data and industry interaction. It nurtures an explorative, creative, and open-minded approach in order to be agile and reactive towards emerging phenomena within design and creative industries.

 

IDBM research also takes an active role in developing the international research community within design management and other multidisciplinary research contexts. It also aims to provide an open arena for discussion and development, to integrate IDBM researchers with other Aalto researchers and groups, and to offer supervision for Aalto PhD candidates.

 

IDBM Research Areas

IDBM Research is constructed around three main research areas:

 

1) Design management (DM)

Strategic knowledge (Why?)

  • View on integrated design, business & technology strategies and operations in a multicultural business environment.

  • Subtopics: strategic knowledge applied to the management of design and product development, design’s role as competitive element, the benefits of design (effectiveness and efficiency), design thinking; the philosophy of science of multidisciplinary research, design and marketing.

2) Integrated multi- and interdisciplinary processes in design, business and technology (IMP)

Process Knowledge (How?)

  • Subtopics: creative processes, multidisciplinary learning and team work, cultural knowledge and sensitivity, multidisciplinary pedagogy (teaching and learning), multidisciplinary and cultural innovation processes.

3) Design for Brand and Product Identity (DB)

Product Knowledge (What?)

  • Integrated views that are relevant for developing strong, enduring and strategically fit brand and product identities through visual and tactile design features and technical product characteristics

  • Subtopics: visual design management, design semantics, concept development, design and brand platforms.

Global Research Alliance (GRA)

IDBM aims to work in close collaboration with research groups that have relevant research within the three key research areas of IDBM and/or are engaged in similar cross-cutting activities, bridging disciplinary epistemologies and methodologies, and conducting relevant research and empirical projects

 

This network, the Global Research Alliance (GRA), will facilitate effective transfer of knowledge and resources between IDBM, the Aalto University, and the international partners. Collaboration is created on various levels (information exchange, joint research projects, joint events, researcher exchange, lecturer exchange, visiting professorships, etc.).

 

IDBM Research nurtures a flexible approach towards arising research themes (deemed relevant by the GRA, global research community, companies, society) and to boost new innovative research and educational approaches.

 

IDBM Research Projects 2009

VIP - Messenger Package: 2008-2010, funded by Tekes and companies, conducted in collaboration with VTT and PTR ry  

BogFires - Best practices of globalization in Finnish music export: 2008-2012, funded by the Academy of Finland http://bogfires.blogspot.com

Research project on design thinking & processes in multinational companies (automotive & electric industries), collaboration with Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT)

Numerous supervised doctoral & master theses

 

IDBM Research People

Research Director: Toni-Matti Karjalainen

Doctoral researchers: Daniel Graff (doctoral student at HSE, multidisciplinary teamwork),  Sanna Honkaniemi (doctoral student at Turku School of Economics, VIP project), Laura Laaksonen (doctoral student at HSE, BogFires project)

IDBM Staff: Markku Salimäki (IDBM Program Director), Mikko Koria (IDBM Development Director), Anna-Mari Saari (IDBM Coordinator)

External doctoral researchers (supervised/co-supervised by IDBM): Emma Linder, (doctoral student at TAIK, researcher at Ålesund University College, “Industrial designers in industry clusters”), Lotta Hassi (doctoral student at TKK), Juha Ainoa (doctoral student at TKK)  

Guest professors & researchers: Antti Ainamo (Professor at University of Turku, leader of BogFires project), Oscar Person (doctoral student & researcher at TU Delft, “Styling strategies”)

 

IDBM Publications 2007-2009

Journal papers

  • Falay, Zeynep; Salimäki, Markku; Ainamo, Antti & Gabrielsson, Mika (2007). Design-intensive born globals: A management case study of marketing management. Journal of Marketing Management, Vol 23, No 9-10. 877-900.
  • Gabrielsson, Mika; Gabrielsson, Peter; Al-Obaidi, Zuhair; and Salimäki, Markku (2008). Firm Response Strategies under Globalizaztion Impact in High-Tech and Knowledge-intensive Fields, The Finnish Journal of Business Economics, 1/2008.
  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Snelders, Dirk (forthcoming January 2010). Designing Visual Recognition for the Brand. Accepted to Journal of Product Innovation Management.
  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2007). It Looks Like a Toyota: Educational Approaches to Designing for Visual Brand Recognition. International Journal of Design, 1(1).

  • Koria, Mikko (2009) Managing for Innovation in large and complex recovery programmes: Tsunami Lessons from Sri Lanka. International Journal of Project Management, Vol 27, No 2. 123-130.

  • Koria, Mikko (2009) On Innovation and Capability: A Holistic View. Philosophy of Management, Vol 7, No.2

  • Koria, Mikko (2009) Building with technology, management and innovation: challenges for Vanuatu, International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, Vol 10, No 2. 190-225.
  • Person, Oscar; Schoormans, Jan; Snelders, Dirk & Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2008). Should new products look similar or different? The influence of the market environment on strategic product styling. Design Studies, Vol 29, no 1. 30-48.
  • Person, Oscar; Snelders, Dirk; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Schoormans, Jan (2007). Complementing intuition: Insights on styling as a strategic tool. Journal of Marketing Management, Vol 23, No 9-10. 901-916.

Articles in books

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Salimäki, Markku (2009). T-shaped! = tuned up to communicate through design. In Fremtid formes, Shaping Futures. Oslo: Oslo School of Architecture and Design AHO. 252-257

Conference papers

  • Graff, Daniel; Koria, Mikko & Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2009). Modelling research for cross-functional team effectiveness.  IASDR 2009. October 18-22. Seoul, South Korea.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Honkaniemi, Sanna (2009). Cut to the c(h)ase: Communicating strategic brand intent through visual package design. IASDR 2009. October 19-22 2009. Seoul, South Korea.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti; Koria, Mikko & Salimäki, Markku (2009). Educating T-shaped Design, Business and Engineering Professionals. CIRP Design Conference. March 30-31 2009. Cranfield, UK.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti; Laaksonen, Laura & Ainamo, Antti (2009). Design for b(r)and identity: Exploring visual concept building within the metal music genre. IASDR 2009. October 19-22 2009. Seoul, South Korea.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti; Laaksonen, Laura & Ainamo, Antti (2009). Occult, a Tooth, and the Canopy of the Sky: Conceptualizing Visual Meaning Creation of Heavy Metal Bands. DeSForM 2009. October 26-27 2009. Taipei, Taiwan.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Salimäki, Markku (2008). Do offerings meet requirements? Educating T-shaped professionals in strategic design management. Design Management Institute International Education Conference. April 14-15 2008. Paris, France.

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Repokari, Lauri (2007). Challenges of cross-Atlantic project collaboration in design education. 9th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. September 13-14 2007. Newcastle, UK.

  • Koria, Mikko; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Salimäki, Markku (2009). Cross-educating in design, business and engineering. 11th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. September 10 & 11 2009. Brighton, UK.

  • Laaksonen, Laura; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Ainamo, Antti (2009). Symbolic value creation: learnings from Finnish metal music. 25th EGOS Colloquium. uyly 2-4 2009. Barcelona, Spain.

  • Laaksonen, Laura; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Ainamo, Antti (2009). Understanding Cultural Exports- Finnish heavy metal music in the United States. IASDR 2009. October 19-22 2009. Seoul, South Korea.

  • Person, Oscar; Warell, Anders; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Rahe, Ulrike (2009). “It’s a Honda! for me…”: An exploratory student project on branding and PRODUCT design for the older adult population. 11th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. September 10 & 11 2009. Brighton, UK

  • Person, Oscar; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Rahe, Ulrike (2008). Teaching strategic product styling: An educational approach to the use of consumer data in designing brand recognition. 9th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. September 4-5 2008. Barcelona, Spain. The paper was given the best paper award in the conference.

  • Rusko, Elina; Heilmann, Jali; Honkaniemi, Sanna; Karjalainen, Toni-Matti & Korhonen, Virpi (2009). Integrating technology, design and marketing for future package communication. IAPRI 2009 Symposium. May 17-20 2009. Greenville, SC, USA.

Short papers

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti; Salimäki, Markku & Koria, Mikko (2009). Creative Convergence in Multidisciplinary and Multidisciplinary context. Asia Design Journal, 4 (4).

Working papers

  • Honkaniemi, Sanna (2009). Out of the Box: Communicating with consumers through package design. 8th Nordcode Seminar & Workshop. May 27-28 2009. Kolding, Denmark.  

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti; Laaksonen, Laura & Ainamo, Antti (2009). Analyzing concept building and visual communication within heavy metal music. 8th Nordcode Seminar & Workshop. May 27-28 2009. Kolding, Denmark.  

Magazine articles

  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2008). Kolumni: Tutkimuksesta, tehtaista ja betonin masentavuudesta. Avista 1/2008. 14-15.
  • Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2007). Muumimetallia Tokion melupuistossa. Inferno magazine. #52 (Dec 2007). 70-74.

 

IDBM Research Seminar 2008

IDBM organized a small international “working seminar” in Helsinki on 18-19 December 2008. In the seminar, around 40 international delegates representing a bunch of important and interesting instances within design management, innovation research, and related fields, shared ideas and information about their research projects. Thematic focus of the seminar was on the various aspects of design management and innovation research in international context, with particularly emphasis on the multidisciplinary perspective integrating design, business, technology, and other fields.

A follow-up seminar will be organized by Business & Design Lab at the Gothenburg University in Sweden in December 2009.

Presentations of the seminar: http://decode.tkk.fi/tonimatti/IDBM_Research_Seminar_Presentations/