Design Thinking: Empowering Innovation and Transformation in Industry 4.0 - Lessons Learned from Early Adoption in SMEs

Small and Medium Enterprises [SMEs] have the potential to benefit from Industry 4.0 technologies, but their adoption has been limited, hindering their ability to fully leverage digitalization. Design Thinking has emerged as a promising approach to address the challenges faced by SMEs in adopting Industry 4.0. This paper explores the role of Design Thinking in facilitating innovation and transformation in SMEs within the context of Industry 4.0. Through literature review and case studies, key findings and lessons learned from early adopters of Design Thinking are uncovered. The study reveals a lack of interest among SMEs in embracing digital transformation in the Latin American context. The paper provides an overview of the state of the art, describes the methodology employed, presents the study’s results, and discusses the implications. It concludes by highlighting the pivotal role of Design Thinking in Industry 4.0 adoption and offering recommendations for practitioners and researchers.