Exploring Business Undergraduates’ Journey and Decision-Making Processes while Immersed in Strategic Design Experience

The paper explores the delivery of a strategic design module within an undergraduate business education in UK. In light of the recent discourses to promote change in design education (Friedman, 2001; Cassim, 2013; Norman and Klemmer, 2014; Souleles, 2013), the learner’s journey and their decision-making process undertaken in the strategic design module are being investigated to highlight the potential of design process in contributing to business and management education. The paper follows participatory action research and draws on observations of learners’ engagement in a design process substantiated by insights from staff delivering on the module. The aim is to understand the nature of decisions the learners undertake in order to generate more effective learning and teaching strategies highlighting the value of strategic design. The insights gained illuminate learners recognition of the value of decisions grounded in empathy in addressing contemporary organisational challenges, whilst highlighting their avoidance of risk in decision-making and lack of perceived interconnectedness of those decisions. Thus, it is argued that the resulting awareness around decision-making can become a very useful tool in helping learners conceptualise what strategic design requires and understand their own learning experience.