Design thinking - a review of the literature

This paper reviews critically the existing literature that is associated to Design Thinking and contributes to the limited scholarly understanding of this relatively new academic field, whilst broadening the field of Innovation. The aim of this paper is to investigate Design Thinking, and critically review the evolution of the concept to its current form. This paper will also specifically address and attempt to unify the dichotomous design thinking themes that run parallel in the fields of business, management and design. Not only does our research contribute to field of design thinking, it also adds value and supports researchers and practitioners in the fields innovation and innovation management by establishing what is anecdotal and what is scholarly. This paper will be refined and developed further leading up to the final submission of the BAM Conference, where we also to welcome feedback on specific areas