Smart Digital Nudging (SDN) and Strategic Foresight in Knowledge Management

Call For Papers

Smart Digital Nudging (SDN) and Strategic Foresight in Knowledge Management

Journal Journal of Knowledge Management

Publisher Emerald Publishing

Submission Deadline 30 June 2026

About this Special Issue
In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, organizations must not only react to change but also anticipate it. This special issue explores how Smart Digital Nudging (SDN) and strategic foresight can jointly strengthen knowledge management, decision‑making, and sustainable innovation. It brings together research on how subtle, technology‑mediated interventions and future‑oriented thinking interact within knowledge systems to guide behavior, improve knowledge flows, and build organizational resilience.

Digital nudging refers to the deliberate design of digital interfaces that influence users’ judgments and behaviors in predictable ways, without restricting freedom of choice. While digital nudging has been widely studied in areas such as online marketing, e‑government, and corporate learning, its role in knowledge management—particularly in fostering knowledge sharing, collective sense‑making, and the anticipation of emerging risks and opportunities—remains underexplored.

Strategic foresight, meanwhile, is a structured approach to envisioning and preparing for possible futures. When combined with digital nudging, foresight becomes a behaviorally informed practice that not only imagines the future but also gently steers decisions and knowledge flows toward desired trajectories. This special issue invites conceptual, empirical, and practice‑oriented work that examines how digital nudging and foresight can be integrated into knowledge ecosystems to support ethical, human‑centred, and sustainable decision‑making.

Scope & Theme Areas
Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Theoretical foundations and frameworks of digital nudging in knowledge‑intensive environments.

• Empirical studies analysing types of digital nudges (e.g., defaults, social proof, feedback, warnings) that affect knowledge sharing, creation, and dissemination.

• Design and evaluation of digital nudging tools in support of foresight, strategic planning, and early warning systems in KM contexts.

• Ethical, privacy, and transparency issues in nudging interventions, balancing autonomy and manipulation in digital knowledge environments.

• Integrating AI‑powered nudges with foresight practices such as scenario planning, trend monitoring, and emerging‑issue detection.

• Sector‑specific applications (e.g., sustainability, education, healthcare) where digital nudging fosters knowledge‑based foresight and behavioral change.

• Longitudinal and real‑world studies measuring the sustained impact of nudges on foresight capabilities, knowledge use, and organizational outcomes.

• Development of ethical guidelines, design principles, and governance frameworks for digital foresight nudging systems.

• The role of digital nudging in promoting knowledge sharing, collaboration, and engagement in virtual and hybrid workplaces.

• How foresight practices shape organizational resilience, agility, and innovation in uncertain environments.

• The use of gamification and persuasive technologies as nudging mechanisms in knowledge management.

• Intersections between digital nudging, behavioral economics, and decision‑making in complex organizational settings.

• Applications of digital nudging in online learning, professional development, and knowledge transfer.

• Foresight‑driven approaches for sustainable development and grand societal challenges.

• The influence of cultural, social, and demographic factors on the effectiveness of nudging and foresight practices.

• Human–AI collaboration in nudging and foresight systems, and its implications for organizational knowledge strategies.

• Comparative studies of nudging and foresight practices across industries and national contexts.

• Methods and metrics for evaluating the effectiveness and unintended consequences of nudging interventions.

• Future directions for knowledge management at the intersection of foresight, digital ethics, and human‑centred design.

Guest Editors

• Elias G. Carayannis, George Washington University, USA

• Nikos Rigert Zotas, independent scholar, Greece

• Denise Bedford, Georgetown University, USA

• John Silson, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, USA

Key Dates

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts using the Journal of Knowledge Management submission portal.

• During submission, please select the special issue title “Smart Digital Nudging (SDN) and Strategic Foresight in Knowledge Management” from the dropdown menu under “Please select the issue you are submitting to.”

• Articles must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

• Authors must strictly follow the author guidelines of the Journal of Knowledge Management, available on the journal’s Emerald page.

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