The use of design in business strategy: What’s beneath the surface?

Abstract

For a growing number of managers, a good strategy is supposedly one that is planned by heterogeneous groups in a design studio and one that manifests itself through a creative flash that can only be expressed in colorful Post-it notes. However, what does this mean exactly? Starting from this fundamental question, this article sketches the broad contours of a more theoretically grounded dialogue between the fields of design and strategy. The article highlights the examination of strategy problems as design problems, the role of paradoxes in strategy thinking, and the nature of design as a strategic meta-capability.