Design Thinking for Business Strategy Perspectives, Practices and Future Opportunities

This book moves beyond scoping DT as a toolset for creativity and instead positions it as a strategic capability embedded across business functions, enabling organizations to navigate complexity, uncertainty, and transformation in a rapidly evolving global environment. This book explores how DT can transform business strategy, operations, people capital, marketing, sustainability, and beyond. This book invites global case studies, practical frameworks, and critical insights, to equip readers with the skills to apply empathy-driven tools such as customer journey mapping, service design, and systems thinking to complex real-world problems.

Table of Contents

PART 1: FOUNDATIONS – REFRAMING DESIGN THINKING (DT) FOR BUSINESS STRATEGY

• Fundamentals of DT/ Evolution; Core Principles of DT
• Integration of DT with Business Strategy
• DT and other approaches: Analytical Decision-Making Models, Systems Thinking, Creative Thinking

PART 2: DESIGN THINKING ACROSS CORE BUSINESS FUNCTIONS

• Marketing, Branding & Customer Experience/ Customer Journeys and Experience Ecosystems/ Behavioural Insights and Emotional Design in Branding/ Service Design and Omnichannel Experience Strategy
• Product, Innovation & R&D/ Human-Centered Product Development and Rapid Experimentation/ Digital Product and Platform Innovation/ Innovation Portfolios and Design-Led Business Model Creation
• Operations, Supply Chain & Process Design/ Operational Excellence through Human-Centered Systems
• Finance, Risk & Decision Systems/ Design Thinking in Financial Decision-Making and Risk Perception/ Behavioural Finance and User-Centric Financial Products/ Designing Investment, Pricing, and Value Systems/
• Designing Employee Experience and Engagement/ Leadership Development and Training/ Organizational Culture, Change, and Creativity Systems
• Information Technology, AI & Digital Transformation/ Ethical Technology Design/ UX, Data, and Platform Thinking in Organizations
• Entrepreneurship & New Venture Design/ Opportunity Recognition through Design Thinking/ Lean Start-ups, Prototyping, and Market Validation/ Scaling Innovation and Venture Design Systems/

PART 3: DESIGN THINKING IN COMPLEX BUSINESS CONTEXTS

• Cross Culture and Crisis in Global Organizations
• Uncertainty and Strategic Resilience through Design Thinking
• Sustainability and Social Innovation/ Design Thinking for Sustainability, ESG, and Circular Economy/ Public Policy, Governance, and Social Innovation

PART 4: EMBEDDING DESIGN THINKING IN ORGANIZATIONS: CHALLENGES, LIMITATIONS & FUTURE DIRECTIONS

• Integrating DT into Strategy, Processes, and KPI
• Scaling Design Thinking Across Enterprises via Leadership Mindsets and Decision Architectures
• Measuring Impact: Innovation Metrics and Outcomes
• Organizational Resistance and Cognitive Barriers
• Limitations and Misuse of Design Thinking
• Design Thinking vs AI: Complement or Conflict
• Future of Work, Learning, and Creativity: From Design Thinking to Design-Led Strategy

Important Dates 

• Full Chapter Submission: 20/08/2026
• Notification to Authors: 20/09/2026
• Submission of revised versions: 20/10/2026
• Final Acceptance Notification: 10/11/2026
• Final Versions Due: 20/11/2026
• Submission to Emerald Publishing: 30/12/2026
• Submission Link: https://bit.ly/4w9XTvT · For any query: [email protected]
• Note: There is no submission fee

Submission Guidelines

• Font and Size: Times New Roman, 12
• Line Spacing: 1.5
• Referencing Style: APA 7th Edition
• Table caption on Top of the table
• Figure Name: Below of the Figure
• Abstract: 250 words (max)
• Word Limit: 6000 - 7000 words (including References, Tables and Figures)
• The use of generative AI tools to create, draft, or write any part of a submission is not permitted.

Nature of Submissions:

 We welcome original research using a variety of methodologies:

• High-quality qualitative (e.g., interview, observation) or quantitative (e.g., experimental, survey) of all kinds.
• Mixed/Multi methods research.
• Teaching Case Studies; Comprehensive theory development papers etc.