Kristiana Roth, Christiane Rau, Dietfried Globocnik, Anne-Katrin Neyer
A variety of top educational institutions has adopted design thinking approach in their entrepreneurship education curriculum. However, limited empirical evidence exists about its effectiveness. This paper critically examines whether design thinking indeed results in higher learning outcome and the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship. The study was conducted in the form of a field survey. Survey responses were collected from 160 students participating in real-life companies’ projects that vary in their application level of design thinking practices. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between design thinking practices and learning outcomes in terms of acquisition of know-how and new skills. Furthermore, this relationship is fully mediated by psychological empowerment. This is one of the first studies providing empirical support for the effectiveness of design thinking in entrepreneurship education based on quantitative data. Furthermore, we deepen the understanding of the role psychological empowerment plays in design thinking, showing that it is not only a by-product but is in fact a key mechanism through which design thinking realizes its effects on learning.