The Role of Design Concepts in the Development of Digitalized Industrial Services

B-to-B industrial manufacturing organisations are moving the focus from designing products to services. This transition challenges the management of innovating, which is increasingly collaborative and networked. Organisations need to be able to tackle the related uncertainty in order to prepare, secure, and plan their use of resources. Design concepts are known to have various beneficial roles in product and service development in various development contexts. In this article we study how design concepts were utilised within, and between, three development projects in a Finnish company in the context of B-to-B industrial manufacturing. Eight roles for design concepts are identified in the 11-month study, and these are presented as stories concretising how design concepts functioned. Design concepts were utilised in 1) anticipating future, 2) implementing design, 3) training, 4) engaging in dialogue, 5) setting goals, 6) establishing vocabulary in organisation, 7) planning and securing resources, and 8) linking projects.