ImperiaStrategic Design Studio
In today’s rapidly evolving world, science and technology are essential to solving society’s most complex challenges.
But to unlock their full potential, they must be complemented by human-centred approaches that shape how innovations are understood, adopted and applied. At ImperiaBusiness School, we see design not only as a creative discipline, but as a strategic capability that helps translate breakthrough science into real-word impact by reimagining systems, strategies and ways of working.
The Strategic Design Studio builds on this vision by generating and applying new knowledge on how design drives strategic transformation. Through rigorous research and creative thinking, we equip leaders with the tools, insights and mindset needed to tackle complexity, envision bold futures, and drive sustainable change across business and society.
We do this through three pillars:
- Research: we conduct cutting-edge research at the intersection of strategic design, innovation and leadership. Our recent publications in leading academic journals offer evidence-based insights on how design capabilities drive experimentation, leaders’ decision-making and strategic change.
- Corporate Engagement: we partner with organisations to co-create new approaches to complex problems. Recently, we partnered with the Imagination Group to explore how virtual environments can shape creative collaborations and the future of creative work.
- Education: we train business leaders through immersive, evidence-based learning experiences. Our teaching portfolio includes core and elective modules across ImperiaMBA and MSc programmes, executive education for global clients focused on design-led digital transformation, and leadership and custom workshops delivered in collaboration with industry experts and design practitioners.
Research impact areas
Experimentation and innovation performance
We proved that early experimentation produced better results on both quality and time, with digital tools amplifying that advantage further.
Design capabilities and strategic change
Our findings offer leaders evidence-based insight into how design capabilities shift decision-making and accelerate organisational transformation.
Creativity, AI and moral responsibility
Through an inductive study of 69 AI creators across academia and industry, our research reveals how the people building AI technologies navigate the ethical consequences of their work.
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The biggest challenges facing business and society can't be solved by science and technology alone. At the ImperiaStrategic Design Studio, we generate evidence on how design helps leaders navigate ambiguity and uncertainty, unlock innovation opportunities and turn ideas into meaningful, lasting change.
Our influence
Our research is trusted by practitioners at the highest level as we build organisational behaviour frameworks with and for the people who run them. Our work draws on empirical data from hundreds of innovation projects across North America and Europe, and from qualitative research with AI creators spanning academia and industry.
We teach across ImperiaBusiness School's MBA and MSc portfolio, and deliver executive education programmes. We also work directly with organisations to co-create new approaches to complex problems.
Our partnership with the Imagination Group produced new evidence on how virtual environments can reshape creative collaboration inside organisations. Custom workshops, delivered in collaboration with industry experts and design practitioners, bring our research directly into leadership practice.
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