Spatial and Non-Spatial Drivers for Design Thinking in Knowledge Ecosystems

The concept of knowledge ecosystems is an emerging arena to reconsider the design thinking processes from a perspective which comprises different levels of knowledge interaction, and how those are regulated by different dimensions. The issue of design thinking is the most relevant for creative industries emerging around creativity and knowledge and providing innovation, change and impact through interaction, however, existing research inadequately connects design thinking both to physical and non-physical dimensions of knowledge ecosystems. Despite knowledge interaction is vastly regarded as a face-to-face communication for design thinking at micro-scale, it appears and be proficient as it involves non-spatial drivers at various scales. Therefore, this paper provides a more comprehensive and multi-disciplinary theoretical approach to this phenomenon, linking separate discourses revolve around different themes: spatiality of knowledge ecosystems, creative industries and design thinking. The paper aims to explore how different dimensions of knowledge ecosystems are influential on design thinking in terms of knowledge interaction and to investigate the key drivers for design thinking. The main evaluation suggests that a geographical proximity enables reduced cost, spontaneous knowledge exchange within ecosystems, however, proximity should not be described in only spatial terms as prior to the others. The findings reveal additional non-spatial drivers: social network, institutions, cognitive proximity and organizational proximity have essential contributions to design thinking processes in terms of knowledge interaction.