Conference Agenda

The design process, which also includes the design consumption process, is significantly affected by emotions from the very start. A design consumption process is a continuum of activities and interactions that happen during the life of how people perceive, interact and experience the benefits designed products, services or experiences offer. The design entity introduces a process that spans from the first exposure to the new proposal through evaluation, acquisition, operation, and its moment of disposal, allowing us to understand that the way we endorse, consume and live the artefacts and initiatives creates an infrastructure connecting design to consumption called the user experience. While design practitioners emphasise the cognitive duality of thought and emotion, neuroscience and cognitive psychology tell us otherwise. Emotions affect every cognitive move-in process of memory perception, attention, learning, and decision-making. By considering the emotions involved in the process, designers can better understand their clients' questions and the challenges imposed by one another. Approaches such as user-centred design (UCD) or design thinking involve psychological, affective, and intellectual elements of design. Failures from 2001 to 2010 were mostly due to a lack of emotional attributes in products and services. Emotional awareness involves more than just human interaction, and it is largely overlooked in the design process. The theory presented in this paper entails the identification and significance of emotion in collaborative design management and the design process, with an evaluation of efficiency implications for performance, especially with regard to the quality of design deliverables and how well a design team works together. The study demonstrates a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and the ability to manage design teams effectively while also creating characteristic concepts.

Several furniture and design firms have recently changed their business models to offer sustainable design solutions and become a part of the circular economy. These firms embrace sustainable design and circular economy by creating new business models that provide customers with services, knowledge, and advice about sustainable and circular solutions in furniture and interior. The implication of this 'servitization' of the furniture and design firms means that an increasing part of their design and business activity must focus on developing new business model designs that integrate sustainable designs in furniture with inno-vation in business models. It also means that the traditional role of the designer in design firms in the furniture industry changes because the focus is now not on designing furniture and interiors alone in a narrow (physical) sense but also on becoming a designer of new business models (and services).

This study aims to shed light on the development of sustainable design and circular economy in the furni-ture industry: What is the value logic behind the development of sustainable design and circularity in combination with the design of innovative business models, and how does it contribute to the develop-ment of new circular business models with a focus on the servitization of the design firms (the increasing content of services in the furniture industry)? The study includes a review of the literature within the De-sign for Sustainability (DfS) tradition and a survey of selected circular economy and sustainable business models in Danish furniture and interior firms. It uses a process view of the design of business models, describing the business model design as an activity system that combines various elements (content, struc-ture, governance, and value logic) and parties that carry them out within the system (Amit & Zott, 2021).

Design for Sustainability (DfS) has developed from a relatively narrow view of sustainability in 'product design' illustrated by, e.g., Green Design and ECO design to sustainability in the design of systems that rep-resent a broader socio-technical view of development in design, innovation, business models and green transition. This literature study combines various contributions in analyzing sustainable business devel-opment and innovation in business models with a focus on service development (circular economy and servitization) of the business model design and the roles of designers and managers of design firms be-coming a kind of "designers" of new business models.

The empirical part of the study investigates design firms from the Danish furniture industry that work with the circular economy, eco-labeling, sustainable materials, recycling, so-called 'take back' systems, service and rental of all or part of their products, and sustainable business models, where the design of furniture and interior goes hand with the design of the new business model and innovations in the circular econo-my.

Although design management capabilities (DMC) have been recognized as an effective approach for enhancing an organization's dynamic capability and strategic flexibility, detailed examinations of DMC have been relatively scarce in the literature. Limited research has been conducted on DMC's specific implementation and outcomes within organizations. Therefore, more comprehensive studies are necessary to fully understand the various aspects of DMC and its implications for organizations.

Utilizing the dynamic capability framework can aid in categorizing various levels of DMC and their functions. This framework enables a deeper examination of the role of design within organizations. Through our literature review, we identified that the research process for constructing a DMC framework based on the dynamic capability framework can be broadly categorized into four steps.

This study aims to build upon previous research by employing methods from the literature. By focusing on design management, our research seeks to explore how organizations coordinate and integrate design management capabilities within their operations. Additionally, we aim to draw conclusions about the DMC framework and its implications for organizational performance.