This article investigates how managers of firms awarded for their design excellence build organizational-level design-related dynamic capabilities by selecting designers with specific individual capabilities and managing how and the extent to which users of the firms’ products are actively involved in design activities. The following two types of dynamic capabilities were studied: user-centered design (UCD) and meaning innovation (MI). Data from a survey of managers of 106 Italian firms recognized for their products’ “design excellence” during the 2011–2016 period were analyzed using a structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The results suggest that managers seeking to build dynamic UCD capabilities prefer designers with holistic thinking capabilities over those with ideation and envisioning capabilities and value user involvement throughout the design process. In contrast, managers seeking to build dynamic MI capabilities search for designers with holistic thinking and envisioning capabilities and avoid ideation capabilities. They also consider the value of involving users in the design process to be limited. This study is among the first to present the results of an empirical investigation of the microfoundations of dynamic design capabilities. Limitations of the research and prospects for future work are discussed. In particular, our findings point to the need for additional studies that further specify the routines and associated competencies that managers responsible for design employ to attract, nurture, integrate and exploit the micro-level capabilities required for UCD and MI. Given that some of these microfoundations were found to be differentially important, unimportant, or even detrimental to the development of either UCD or MI, an important remaining question is the extent to which, and how, a single firm can accommodate and effectively exploit both of these dynamic design capabilities.

中文翻译：

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动态设计能力的微观基础：对“优秀”意大利设计公司的实证分析

本文调查了因卓越设计而获奖的公司的管理者如何通过选择具有特定个人能力的设计师以及管理公司产品用户积极参与设计活动的方式和程度来建立组织级设计相关的动态能力。研究了以下两种动态能力：以用户为中心的设计（UCD）和意义创新（MI）。使用结构方程模型 (PLS-SEM) 分析了对 2011-2016 年期间因其产品“卓越设计”而获得认可的 106 家意大利公司的管理人员的调查数据。结果表明，寻求建立动态 UCD 能力的管理者更喜欢具有整体思维能力的设计师，而不是那些具有构思和设想能力的设计师，并且重视用户在整个设计过程中的参与。相比之下，寻求构建动态 MI 能力的管理者寻找具有整体思维和设想能力的设计师，而避免构思能力。他们还认为让用户参与设计过程的价值是有限的。这项研究是最早展示动态设计能力微观基础的实证研究结果的研究之一。讨论了研究的局限性和未来工作的前景。特别是，我们的研究结果表明，需要进行进一步的研究，进一步明确负责设计的管理人员为吸引、培养、整合和利用 UCD 和 MI 所需的微观层面能力而采用的例程和相关能力。鉴于发现其中一些微观基础对 UCD 或 MI 的发展具有不同的重要性、不重要甚至有害，剩下的一个重要问题是，一家公司可以在多大程度上以及如何同时有效地利用这两者这些动态设计能力。