Bridge Model
SECI Model

Model of is

2

Model of Prototype 3

Socialize

1

Externalize

2

Is

• The bridge model is a specific instance of the SECI model.

1

Prototype

4

Internalize

4

Combine

3

22
33
11
22
11
44
44
33
22
33
11
44

2

2

3
1

3

1

4

4

22
33
22
33

• Rotating the SECI model 90 degrees counter-clockwise aligns it with the bridge model— so that they both “begin” in the lower left corner.

vs vs
11
44
11
44

January + February 2011

thesis bridge model does not refer to iteration directly, though the authors assume readers understand the design process as iterative. However, the Kaiser/IDEO model, which is isomorphic to the analysis-synthesis bridge model, includes a loop. And Kumar’s innovation model, which is also isomorphic, does explicitly include a spiral!

The SECI model is just one part
of Nonaka’s theory of knowledge
creation, which also comprises Ba
and dialectic. Ba is a shared “place”
or context—loosely bounded and
evolving—that “enables a dialectic
process among the actors.”
“A firm can be viewed as an
organic configuration of various
Ba, where people interact with each
other and the environment based
on the knowledge they have and the
meaning they create.” This notion
is similar to the Geogeghan and
Pangaro notion that a firm is a col-
lection of conversations for under-
standing, agreeing, acting, and
learning [ 11]. Nonoka argues “knowl-
edge is created through the synthe-
sis of the contradictions between
the organization’s internal resources
and the environment.” His notion of
the dialectic spiral of synthesis of
contradictions is similar to Rittel’s
notion of designing as a process of
reframing and argumentation.

While outside the scope of this article, Nonaka’s notion of Ba and his insistence on Ba and dialectic as parts of the knowledge-creation process suggest further opportunities for applying his work to designing.

Now
Future

 

• By rotating the SECI model, we can see socialize and externalize tend to look backward at more known situations, and combine and internalize tend to look forward to less known situations.

Externalize
Combine

interactions

Socialize
Internalize

Conclusion Today, the practice of software and service design—indeed most design practice—is ad hoc, performed on an “as-needed” basis and adapted to whatever context the designers encounter. Most design work still proceeds on an industrial-age