Bridging the Gap: The Role of Innovation in Connecting Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship Education, and Business Success
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/dm2025711Keywords:
Entrepreneurship, Education, Design Thinking, Innovation, Business SuccessAbstract
Introduction: Innovation is a critical driver of business success, especially in today’s dynamic global economy. This study investigates how design thinking (DT) and entrepreneurship education (EE) impact business success (BS) in Pakistani institutions, with a focus on the mediating role of innovation. The research highlights the synergy between DT and EE in fostering environments where students can develop innovative business ideas.
Methods: A systematic sampling approach was used, involving 260 students from various universities to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the impact of EE and DT on BS. SPSS and Smart PLS was used to analyze the data.
Results: The study’s findings emphasize innovation’s crucial role in linking entrepreneurship education and design thinking with business success. By identifying how innovation bridges these components, educational institutions can enhance their curricula to better equip students with entrepreneurial skills
Conclusions: This research provides valuable recommendations for refining educational strategies to cultivate innovative mindsets, preparing students for the challenges of the modern business world.
References
Alam, M. Z., Rafiq, M., Nasir, S., & Abdul Rehman, C. (2023). Problem-solving style as a blessing in extraversion personality and corporate entrepreneurship: evidence from automotive industry of Pakistan using Trait Activation Theory. Kybernetes, 52(11), 5427-5443.
Asad, M., Asif, M. U., Sulaiman, M. A. B. A., Satar, M. S., & Alarifi, G. (2023). Open innovation: the missing nexus between entrepreneurial orientation, total quality management, and performance of SMEs. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 79.
Arshad, M. H., Sulaiman, Y., & Yusr, M. M. (2024). Influence of innovation on the relationship between market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and SME performance in Pakistan. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6(5).
Atrup, A., Diawati, P., Syamsuri, S., Pramono, S. A., & Ausat, A. M. A. (2023). The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education and Creativity on Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention: The Perspective of Effectuation and Cognitive Flexibility Theory. Jurnal Kependidikan: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Kajian Kepustakaan di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran, 9(2), 555-569.
Anwar, M., Zaman Khan, S., & Ali Shah, S. Z. (2020). A study of the relationship between innovation and performance among NPOs in Pakistan. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(1), 26-40.
AlSokkar, A. A. M., Al-Gasawneh, J. A., Alamro, A., Binkhamis, M., AlGhizzawi, M., & Hmeidan, T. A. (2025). The Effectiveness of E-Marketing on Marketing Performance in Jordanian Telecommunications Companies: Exploring the Mediating Role of the Competitive Environment. SN Computer Science, 6(1), 1–15.
Alzghoul, A., Alhanatleh, H., Alnajdawi, S., Alghizzawi, M., & mohammad Al Htibat, A. (2024). Actual Role of Cybersecurity Awareness and Knowledge to Drive Digital Technology Adoption for Enhance Sustainable Development: Engineering Industry Setting. 2024 International Conference on Decision Aid Sciences and Applications (DASA), 1–5.
Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability, 12(20), 8438.
Bender-Salazar, R. (2023). Design thinking as an effective method for problem-setting and needfinding for entrepreneurial teams addressing wicked problems. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 24.
Baričević, M., & Luić, L. (2023). From active learning to innovative thinking: The influence of learning the design thinking process among students. Education sciences, 13(5), 455.
Bhandari, A. (2023). Design thinking: from bibliometric analysis to content analysis, current research trends, and future research directions. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(3), 3097-3152.
Bustard, J. R., Hsu, D. H., & Fergie, R. (2023). Design thinking innovation within the quadruple helix approach: a proposed framework to enhance student engagement through active learning in digital marketing pedagogy. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(3), 2463-2478.
Carella, G., Cautela, C., Melazzini, M., Pei, X., & Schmittinger, F. (2023). Design thinking for entrepreneurship: An explorative inquiry into its practical contributions. The Design Journal, 26(1), 7-31.
Crosina, E., Frey, E., Corbett, A., & Greenberg, D. (2024). From negative emotions to entrepreneurial mindset: A model of learning through experiential entrepreneurship education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 23(1), 88-127.
Christensen, B. T., Arendt, K. M., McElheron, P., & Ball, L. J. (2023). The design entrepreneur: How adaptive cognition and formal design training create entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. Design Studies, 86, 101181.
DeWaters, J., & Kotla, B. (2023, May). Using an open-ended socio-technical design challenge for entrepreneurship education in a first-year engineering course. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 8, p. 1198161). Frontiers Media SA.
Englis, B. G., & Frederiks, A. J. (2024). Using experimental designs to study entrepreneurship education: A historical overview, critical evaluation of current practices in the field, and directions for future research. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 7(1), 93-149.
Ezmigna, I., Alghizzawi, M., Alqsass, M., Abu-AlSondos, I. A., Abualfalayeh, G., & Abdeldayem, M. M. (2024a). The Positive Impact of Hiring Female Personnel in the Logistics Sector in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Approach. 2024 International Conference on Decision Aid Sciences and Applications (DASA), 1–6.
Ezmigna, I., Alghizzawi, M., Alqsass, M., Abu-AlSondos, I. A., Abualfalayeh, G., & Abdeldayem, M. M. (2024b). The Role of Influencer Marketing in Boosting Demand Forecast Accuracy for Saudi Arabian Supply Chains in the E-commerce Sector: A Qualitative Approach. 2024 International Conference on Decision Aid Sciences and Applications (DASA), 1–6.
Ewim, D. R. E. (2023). Integrating Business principles in STEM Education: fostering entrepreneurship in students and educators in the US and Nigeria. IJEBD (International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Development), 6(4), 590-605.
Gama, K., Valença, G., Alessio, P., Formiga, R., Neves, A., & Lacerda, N. (2023). The developers’ design thinking toolbox in hackathons: a study on the recurring design methods in software development marathons. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(12), 2269-2291.
Hanan, A., Shahira, A., & Ali, M. (2021). Drivers of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Among SMEs in Pakistan: Does Entrepreneurial Knowledge Matter?. Indonesian Journal of Innovation and Applied Sciences (IJIAS), 1(2), 161-176.
Iandoli, L. (2023). Annual review article: The dual mindset of design-driven entrepreneurship: The case for a pedagogy of making and artefact-centred entrepreneurship education. International Small Business Journal, 41(4), 349-370.
Jiang, C., & Pang, Y. (2023). Enhancing design thinking in engineering students with project‐based learning. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 31(4), 814-830.
Kumar, M. (2020). Entrepreneurship ecosystem and development of entrepreneurship in Pakistan. Open Journal of Business and Management, 8(4), 1734-1770.
Kurek, J., Brandli, L. L., Leite Frandoloso, M. A., Lange Salvia, A., & Mazutti, J. (2023). Sustainable business models innovation and design thinking: A bibliometric analysis and systematic review of literature. Sustainability, 15(2), 988.
Munawar, S., Yousaf, H. Q., Ahmed, M., & Rehman, S. (2023). The influence of online entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial success: An empirical study in Pakistan. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(1), 100752.
Muhammad, S. A., & Chelliah, S. (2023). Innovation, Competitive Advantage and Export Performance: A Study of Pakistani Manufacturing SMEs. International Journal of Innovative Computing, 13(1), 69-75.
Malik, A., Zia, A., Fatima, E., & Shahid, M. N. (2023). Impact of Strategic Leadership, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Organizational Innovation on Organizational Performance: Harnessing Data to Understand the Mediating Role of Knowledge Management: A Case Study of SMEs in Pakistan: Impact of Strategic Leadership, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Organizational Innovation on Organizational Performance: Harnessing Data to Understand the Mediating Role of Knowledge Management: A Case Study of SMEs in Pakistan. The Asian Bulletin of Big Data Management, 3(1), 79-96.
Martins, J. M., Shahzad, M. F., & Xu, S. (2023). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention to initiate new ventures: evidence from university students. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 63.
Nazir, M. A., Khan, R. S., & Khan, M. R. (2024). Identifying prosperity characteristics in small and medium-sized enterprises of Pakistan: Firm, strategy and characteristics of entrepreneurs. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 18(1), 21-43.
Preiksaitis, C., Dayton, J. R., Kabeer, R., Bunney, G., & Boukhman, M. (2023). Teaching principles of Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship through hackathons: Case Study and qualitative analysis. JMIR Medical Education, 9(1), e43916.
Qiu, Y., García-Aracil, A., & Isusi-Fagoaga, R. (2023). Critical issues and trends in innovation and entrepreneurship education in higher education in the post-COVID-19 era in China and Spain. Education Sciences, 13(4), 407.
Rodrigues, A. L. (2023). Entrepreneurship education pedagogical approaches in higher education. Education Sciences, 13(9), 940.
Ripollés, M., & Blesa, A. (2023). Moderators of the effect of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial action. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 29(7), 1402-1426.
Soomro, B. A., Moawad, N. F., Saraih, U. N., Abedelwahed, N. A. A., & Shah, N. (2024). Going green with the green market and green innovation: building the connection between green entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Kybernetes, 53(4), 1484-1504.
Sharabati, A.-A. A., Al-Haddad, S., Al-Khasawneh, M., Nababteh, N., Mohammad, M., & Abu Ghoush, Q. (2022). The impact of TikTok user satisfaction on continuous intention to use the application. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(3), 125.
Sharabati, A. A., Jawad, S. N., & Bontis, N. (2010). Intellectual capital and business performance in the pharmaceutical sector of Jordan. Management Decision, 48(1), 105–131.
Sitaridis, I., & Kitsios, F. (2024). Digital entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education: a review of the literature. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 30(2/3), 277-304.
Singh, R., Kumar, V., Singh, S., Dwivedi, A., & Kumar, S. (2024). Measuring the impact of digital entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial intention: the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies. Journal of Work-Applied Management, 16(1), 142-163.
Su, Y., & Liu, Z. (2023). A study of ChatGPT empowering college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship education in the context of China. International Journal of New Developments in Education, 5(13), 1-7.
Saritepeci, M., & Yildiz Durak, H. (2024). Effectiveness of artificial intelligence integration in design-based learning on design thinking mindset, creative and reflective thinking skills: An experimental study. Education and Information Technologies, 1-35.
Tran, V. H., Vu, T. N., Pham, H. T., Nguyen, T. P. T., & Duong, C. D. (2024). Closing the entrepreneurial attitude-intention-behavior gap: The direct and moderating role of entrepreneurship education. Journal of International Education in Business, 17(1), 107-132.
Vecchiarini, M., & Somià, T. (2023). Redefining entrepreneurship education in the age of artificial intelligence: An explorative analysis. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(3), 100879.
Verma, P., Kumar, V., Daim, T., & Sharma, N. K. (2023). Design thinking framework toward management control system in environmental dynamism: An innovation perspective. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71, 4955-4970.
Winkler, C., Hammoda, B., Noyes, E., & Van Gelderen, M. (2023). Entrepreneurship education at the dawn of generative artificial intelligence. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 6(4), 579-589.
Woraphiphat, I., & Roopsuwankun, P. (2023). The impact of online design thinking-based learning on entrepreneurial intention: The case of vocational college. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 10.
Wang, W., Qiu, D., Chen, X., & Yu, Z. (2023). An empirical study on the evaluation system of innovation and entrepreneurship education in applied universities. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 31(1), 100-116.
Zeb, A., & Ihsan, A. (2020, March). Innovation and the entrepreneurial performance in women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan. In Women’s Studies International Forum (Vol. 79, p. 102342). Pergamon.
Zeng, L., Ye, J. H., Wang, N., Lee, Y. S., & Yuan, J. (2023). The learning needs of art and design students in Chinese vocational colleges for entrepreneurship education: from the perspectives of theory of entrepreneurial thought and action. Sustainability, 15(3), 2366.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mahmoud Alghizzawi, Muhammad Ussama Majeed, Zahid Hussain, Sumaira Aslam, Nawaf Aljundi , Ibrahim A. Abu-AlSondos , Abd Alrahman Ratib Ezmigna (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
