In a recent workshop, I outlined how designers can apply their existing skills to strategic work. The natural follow on question is: what are these skills?

In the How Designers Build Strategy workshop, I focused on pattern recognition, story telling, visual communication, and empathy.

In Defining Design Thinking, I compiled a number of attributes that constitute a design-driven methodology for problem solving. Some of these directly stem from the skills of the designers doing the problem solving others are tied more closely to specific problem-solving methodologies.

When discussing the Creative Class, I pointed out a few distinguishing factors that distinguish people working in creative capacities. Some of these attributes also directly map to designer skill sets.

My compilation A Difference of Design outlines how design approached to problem solving, validation, patterns, teams, and more differ from traditional business-driven approaches.

In Leveraging Design’s Core Competencies (PDF), Chris Conley outlined the kinds of expertise that are at the core of design. It seems pretty clear that these core competencies are quite relevant to strategic work: The ability to understand the context or circumstances of a design problem and frame them in an insightful wayThe ability to work at a level of abstraction appropriate to the situation at handThe ability to model and visualize solutions even with imperfect information An approach to problem solving that involves the simultaneous creation and evaluation of multiple alternatives The ability to add or maintain value as pieces are integrated into a whole The ability to establish purposeful relationships among elements of a solution and between the solution and its context The ability to use form to embody ideas and to communicate their value Dick Buchanan has also assembled a compelling list:Whole/part: designers look at the whole in relation to the parts; they see the big pictureBring to life/creativity: designers have a passion for making thingsComfortable with ambiguity: openendedness; not prejudging the solution; take chances, take risks; try multiple solutionsPolysensorial aesthetics: an aesthetic of many senses; this is about the actual making: prototyping; drawing; visualizingEmotion/empathy: emotion is a way to engage with the world; passion; designers care about peopleClearly, there are lots of interesting parallels between these compilations that merit further synthesis.Tags: strategy, creative class, visual communication, communication, design vision