Jan-Erik Baars

Jan-Erik Baars is a Lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, specifically within the Business School's Institute for Communication and Marketing (IKM) and CC Marketing Management program. He has been employed at the university since September 2011, initially heading the Design Management International program until January 2019, before transitioning to his current role in March 2019. In addition to his academic work, Baars serves as a Project Manager, heads the CAS Design Management program, and is actively involved in research activities.

His educational background includes industrial design studies in Wuppertal, Germany, and he completed his doctoral dissertation in 2024 at Eindhoven University of Technology on 'Strategic Design Capability in Companies.'

Baars' research focuses on the intersection of design and management, with particular emphasis on Design Management, Customer Centricity, and Organizational Maturity. His work explores how organizations can effectively integrate design thinking into business strategy to drive innovation and value creation. He has developed practical tools like the Customer Centricity Score, which measures organizational customer focus, and co-founded Customer Metrics AG in 2021 to support organizations in developing customer-centric approaches.

His publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory from practical design applications toward strategic organizational frameworks, culminating in his 2024 dissertation which synthesizes decades of industry experience into an academic framework for strengthening organizational effectiveness through strategic design capability.

Selected Awards:

• Rotterdam Design Prize (1995)
• IF Award in Gold
• Regular member of the IF Award jury

Baars maintains an active role in both academia and industry, teaching across various degree programs while consulting through his design strategy practice. His work bridges theoretical academic research with practical business applications, particularly in helping organizations develop strategic design capabilities. He is also a member of the board of directors for Vetica, an international design agency, and maintains a professional blog (designfokus.de) discussing design in business contexts.

His research projects include 'Design capability in companies,' 'Retail display solutions for the future,' and 'The Customer Centricity Score,' reflecting his commitment to developing practical frameworks that organizations can implement to enhance their design maturity and customer focus.