Leadership psychologist Edgar Papke and I just dove deep into the intersection of innovation, design thinking and corporate culture, and published our analysis in a new book Innovation by Design. We found that one of the aspects of leveraging design thinking at scale is the idea of open spaces – physically and mentally. This includes […]
Read MoreThe importance of playing for building a culture of innovation.
By Joan Vinyets Rejon. ‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing’. George Bernard Shaw Reflections on play and innovation In human evolution there are many manifestations about the importance of play, because it’s what enables the individual to discover new approaches to deal with the world. In […]
Read MoreBringing design thinking into your business.
By Jeanne Liedtka. Many of us who have studied (and lived in) organizations see design thinking as just another problem solving approach that can add value to any manager’s tool kit. It may sound mysterious and fuzzy, but it is not. Especially in times as ambiguous and hard to predict as those facing businesses today, […]
Read MoreCan giving a manager too much money actually interfere with their ability to innovate?
By Jeanne Liedtka. Crazy as it sounds, there’s such a thing as having too much money to spend – or perhaps just the illusion of money to spend. Managers get tricked into doing things that they would never do if they were spending their own money. Things like starting small. Small is not beautiful in […]
Read More5 key trends in design leadership
Just wrote about 5 key trends in design leadership and design thinking for Fast Company. Design finally has a seat at the table, here’s what is next … full post here.
Read MoreWho leads design-led innovation?
I’m a big fan of design-led innovation, and who leads this amazing process is a fair question. I’d like to unpack this question with five reference points; Roberto Verganti in Milan who wrote Design-Driven Innovation, Park Advanced Design Management in Germany with research on design leadership roles, Yu-Jin Kim in Korea with research on the […]
Read MoreTen recruiting predictions for 2016 – and the role of design
General Electric, the nations largest industrial company, just announced it is moving it’s headquarters from Connecticut to Boston. Of their 360,000 G.E. employees globally, only 800 will go to the new HQ in Boston. What I find most interesting is that the New York Times reports that of the 800 going to headquarters only 200 will […]
Read MoreNovember – “Design Leadership: What’s Next?” on Fast Company
I just wrote an interesting post about the Future of Design Leadership for Fast Company, based on interviews with the heads of design at 3M, Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Pepsico, Philips and REI. Interesting!
Read MoreTen tools to help managers think creatively.
By Jeanne Liedtka. I’m a huge proponent of design thinking as an approach to helping managers think creatively. However, the phrase “design thinking” often makes people’s eyes glaze over. Sure – we know we need help to find profitable growth and innovation opportunities in this disruptive world. And we’ve gotten the point that we know […]
Read MoreProblem solving in a VUCA world – what kind of problem are you solving?
By Lisa Solomon. Before launching any new innovation initiative, the most important question to ask is not how much budget is allotted, how many resources can be allocated, or even what the deadline is. Rather, in a world marked by adaptive challenges within an an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) context, leaders need […]
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