Purpose – As design becomes more important for business, designers and business people need to work together more. However, they tend to find the relationship difficult, challenging and less productive than either side would wish. The purpose of this paper is to help both designers and...

Purpose – This paper seeks to introduce the concept of abduction to strategists and show how abduction is an important influence on the effective design of strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper defines what is meant by abduction, and describes why abduction is a pre-condition...

Purpose – As companies try to gain a deeper understanding of consumers, they are increasingly turning to user-observation and ethnographic processes. However, because of this work is normally done in an informal manner, it tends to only have value for the small number of team members working...

Purpose – Design thinking is becoming a topic in strategic management. Questions range from “What is it?” to “How can we approach design?” This paper aims to offer a glimpse into early design education in design schools and link them with early design education in the organization. The...

Purpose – In an environment where the challenge for businesses to stay ahead of the curve calls for new ways of strategizing for future success, design holds some important clues. By broadening the definition of “design” and expanding the application of design methodologies and mindsets to...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize strategizing as a playful design practice; illustrate this view by describing a process for fostering effective strategic play; outline the benefits of the process and discuss how executives can play effectively. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose: This article explains how design thinking and practices can identify unexplored opportunities for strategic growth. Increasingly practitioners are learning about powerful ways they can work together, with design mindsets and practices improving the strategy development process in...

Purpose – This article addresses the widespread failure of organizations to turn strategy talk into action. It suggests that underlying this failure is the creation of strategy “ducks” – a term borrowed from the world of architecture for buildings intentionally built as symbols. The...