Affinity and ambiguity in designerly leadership

This paper discusses a new theory of Designerly Leadership in response to major disruptions in the ways that products and services are designed, made, and distributed. We outline an experientially derived framing of what it means to lead in a designerly fashion, particularly focusing on how leaders modulate their perceptions of affinity and develop extended methods for working with ambiguity. We then propose a series of ways that programs wanting to educate design managers for strategic roles could build and support this capacity in their graduates.