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The view from within : design’s voyage to get a seat at the strategy table: design’s voyage to get a seat at the strategy table

Boztepe, Suzan LU (2018) p.3037-3046
Abstract
It is often argued that design serves as an effective change agent in strategy formation. However, the question of how this actually occurs remains largely unexplored. Through case studies of five design consulting firms in Denmark, this paper examines how design gets involved in the making of strategy. The findings show that there are at least two paths to strategy-level work: First, design works its way to strategizing through repeated client engagement and trust building. That is, design consulting firms work with the same client over a long period of time, they gain trust of their clients, so the complexity and strategic importance of their deliverables gradually increase. Second, design consulting firms use human-centered approach as... (More)
It is often argued that design serves as an effective change agent in strategy formation. However, the question of how this actually occurs remains largely unexplored. Through case studies of five design consulting firms in Denmark, this paper examines how design gets involved in the making of strategy. The findings show that there are at least two paths to strategy-level work: First, design works its way to strategizing through repeated client engagement and trust building. That is, design consulting firms work with the same client over a long period of time, they gain trust of their clients, so the complexity and strategic importance of their deliverables gradually increase. Second, design consulting firms use human-centered approach as a means for reviewing the business strategy of their clients. That is, user research brings user needs, problems and opportunities into focus, which, in turn, paves the way for strategy-level discussions and solution seeking. Each path is discussed in terms of issues in design management, including, but not limited to, design activities, competence building in design firms and organizational structures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Proceedings of the Design Research Society (DRS) International Conference
pages
3037 - 3046
publisher
Design Research Society
DOI
10.21606/drs.2018.398
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
efe8e921-89ee-42c3-9f6b-312054846715
date added to LUP
2026-07-01 16:29:05
date last changed
2026-08-19 16:03:06
@inproceedings{efe8e921-89ee-42c3-9f6b-312054846715,
  abstract     = {{It is often argued that design serves as an effective change agent in strategy formation. However, the question of how this actually occurs remains largely unexplored. Through case studies of five design consulting firms in Denmark, this paper examines how design gets involved in the making of strategy. The findings show that there are at least two paths to strategy-level work: First, design works its way to strategizing through repeated client engagement and trust building. That is, design consulting firms work with the same client over a long period of time, they gain trust of their clients, so the complexity and strategic importance of their deliverables gradually increase. Second, design consulting firms use human-centered approach as a means for reviewing the business strategy of their clients. That is, user research brings user needs, problems and opportunities into focus, which, in turn, paves the way for strategy-level discussions and solution seeking. Each path is discussed in terms of issues in design management, including, but not limited to, design activities, competence building in design firms and organizational structures.}},
  author       = {{Boztepe, Suzan}},
  booktitle    = {{Proceedings of the Design Research Society (DRS) International Conference}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{3037--3046}},
  publisher    = {{Design Research Society}},
  title        = {{The view from within : design’s voyage to get a seat at the strategy table: design’s voyage to get a seat at the strategy table}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2018.398}},
  doi          = {{10.21606/drs.2018.398}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}