The importance of design for firms׳ competitiveness: A review of the literature

•Conceptual review paper about the role of design in management science.•Discusses how a focus on design can help better comprehend consumers׳ needs.•Explores how design can shape the configuration of other business functions.•Explores how design can affect firms׳ value creation processes.•Identifies gaps and questions for future research in the innovation literature.

Scholars dedicated increasing attention towards appreciating how design has changed individuals׳ perception of new products, firms׳ understanding and formulation of strategy, or other relevant actors׳ approach to innovation and technology management. By emphasising the importance of design for the definition of consumers׳ needs, the restructuring of firms׳ organisational structures and strategies, and the evolution of firms׳ value creation processes, this review paper identifies relevant research gaps and questions that would benefit from future scholarly attention. In particular, it is suggested that such effort should address the analysis of how design consumption can help better comprehend consumers׳ needs; what are the implications of design thinking on the skill sets of design professionals; the organisational structure of firms, including the reconfiguration of other business functions, and their strategy; and whether and how design thinking can shape firms׳ value creation processes and contribute to the formalisation of design tasks.