The Impact of Design Thinking Adoption on Decision-Making via Customer-Experience Innovation in Public Commercial Banks in Sebha, Libya

Authors

  • Igrirah, Abdalmunaem Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Political Science, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya
  • Asma Ali Student at the Department of Business Administration Management, Faculty of Commerce and Political Science, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya.
  • Al-Shahati, ‏Shahid Student at the Department of Business Administration Management, Faculty of Commerce and Political Science, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37375/esj.v9i1.4004

Keywords:

Design Thinking, Decision Making, Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), Customer-Experience Innovation (CEI), Public Commercial Banks, Sebha, Libya

Abstract

This study investigates the relevance and applicability of Design Thinking (DT) adoption within the Libyan public banking sector. Design thinking adoption represents the cognitive decision and behavioral intention to accept this methodology within organizational workflows. This study identifies perceived benefits and barriers to its adoption, evaluates the influence of understanding, and applies Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) to explain the behavioral dynamics affecting adoption. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 94 banking professionals from five public commercial banks in Sebha, Libya. Furthermore, the study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the structural pathways through which DT adoption influences decision-making, specifically integrating Customer-Experience Innovation (CEI) as a critical mediating variable.

The analysis reveals that perceived benefits significantly enhance understanding of DT, which serves as the primary antecedent to adoption. Although perceived barriers strongly predict resistance, the findings indicate that neither barriers nor resistance significantly impede adoption, implying that cognitive mastery of the methodology can supersede affective opposition in high constraint environments. Additionally, the results show that DT adoption does not directly improve decision-making but does so indirectly by promoting Customer-Experience Innovation. This study contributes to the limited empirical literature on innovation adoption in post-conflict economies and establishes CEI as the principal mechanism through which methodological adoption improves decision-making.

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Published

2026-04-01

How to Cite

The Impact of Design Thinking Adoption on Decision-Making via Customer-Experience Innovation in Public Commercial Banks in Sebha, Libya. (2026). Economic Studies Journal, 9(1), 317-296. https://doi.org/10.37375/esj.v9i1.4004