Have you ever wondered if corporate culture can be organized onto types? I have. In a tiny nutshell, here are what is generally accepted in the HR world as the three types of corporate culture. Expertise cultures. In an expertise culture, the key motivation of employees is for the employee to become an expert, building […]
Read MoreThe need for Curious Confrontation
Since design thinking is a way of leading with creativity, it encourages embracing ambiguity, uncertainty and curiosity. One of the greatest challenges any organization or team will face lies in how it effectively manages competing interests, differing views, disagreement and conflict, all of which are natural contributors to innovation. One of the key advantages design […]
Read MoreThe Fifth Order of Design
The evolution of design that has unfolded over the past century is likely best explained by Richard Buchanan’s Four Orders of Design. Buchanan, a professor of design, management, and information systems, suggests that as an organization matures in its use of design, it tends to move from visual design and graphic communication, to industrial design […]
Read MoreHow to multiply creativity
This post is based on an analysis of some of the most extensive and advanced use design thinking on the planet. My research partner Edgar Papke and I reached out to a select group of organizations and looked under their hoods – to understand to what level they were using design thinking, how they were […]
Read MoreNew book: Innovation by Design
Coming this November, a new book by Thomas Lockwood and organization psychologist Edgar Papke: Innovation by Design. Why are some organizations more innovative than others? How can we tap into, empower, and leverage the natural innovation within our organizations that is so vital to our future success? Now more than ever, companies and institutions of […]
Read MoreWhat do design thinkers think?
Have you ever wondered which problem is the most important to solve? Do you focus on the smaller problem at hand, or the bigger problem that lies beneath? The answer is yes, to both. That’s what design thinkers do. They solve the issues before them, while taking a bite out of the bigger issues too, […]
Read MoreHow a 185 year old insurance company re-framed innovation
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 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 MoreDesigning for culture – are we designing or developing? Yes.
By Peter Norlin. Before we take the next step in the process of designing an organizational environment that will stimulate and support the emergence of a “culture of innovation,” I’d like to clarify the frame for this process. What do I mean by “frame?” In this context, I’m referring to whether we should consider the […]
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