Building an Innovative University Culture: How Teaching Design Thinking Resulted in Ideas for Digital Solutions

The study aimed to determine the representation of innovative culture constructs in student final papers created within the
course Disruptive Innovations and Design Thinking at University North. The research was conducted using the historical
method on graded final papers over a five-year period, from academic year 2020/2021 to 2024/2025, combined with text
analysis through keywords using digital tools. The processing and visualization of the results were performed using
business intelligence digital tools. Based on the reviewed literature, combined with the descriptions of innovative ideas
provided in the reviewed final papers written by students of an economics Master study program, it was possible to design
an informational model of innovative culture, its constructs and components. The results of the performed study have shown
a predominant representation of the digital innovative culture construct in the proposed solutions, as well as an increase in
the overall use of components related to innovative culture constructs. The scientific contribution of the research is in the
proposed informational model and its constructs, which adds to the possible indicators used for measuring innovative
culture. In regard to future research, a recommendation is given towards an increase of the research sample. This
preliminary research was carried out as part of the “Research perspectives of the Design Thinking method in the field of
interdisciplinary sciences” project, and the continuation of the research will be carried out in a new project.