Design Thinking for Business Innovation with Jeanne M Liedtka

Summary

Jean Lka, a faculty member at Darden Business School, introduces the 'Design Thinking for Business Innovation' course. With over 20 years of experience in helping managers and students drive growth, Jean emphasizes that creativity isn't limited to artists. In the course, students will learn a structured process and toolkit used by successful companies like Apple and IDEO. By asking key questions and experimenting, participants will tackle real-world problems creatively, blending both analytical and creative thinking. This hands-on approach is designed for anyone eager to approach challenges with innovation, regardless of their background.

Takeaways

• 😀 The course is designed to teach design thinking for business innovation, targeting not only business professionals but anyone looking to solve problems creatively.
• 😀 Jean Lka, the instructor, has over 20 years of experience at The Darden Business School working with managers and students on innovation and growth leadership.
• 😀 The course challenges the idea that only artists and designers are creative, aiming to teach a process and toolkit for creativity that anyone can learn.
• 😀 Jean shares that despite his traditional business background as an accountant, he discovered that creativity is essential in business and can be cultivated through a structured process.
• 😀 Creative firms like Apple and Ideo utilize a specific process and toolkit to foster creativity, which is the focus of the course.
• 😀 The course revolves around four main questions: 1) What’s going on today? 2) What would we like to create tomorrow? 3) What will work for the people involved? 4) What happens when we try small experiments in the market?
• 😀 Students will learn how to use both the right and left sides of the brain in problem-solving and innovation.
• 😀 The course emphasizes hands-on learning, encouraging students to engage directly with the process of design thinking rather than just reading about it or hearing lectures.
• 😀 One key part of the course is for students to identify an area of opportunity or problem in their own life (business or personal) to apply creative solutions.
• 😀 Jean highlights the importance of experimentation and small-scale testing to see what solutions truly work in real-world scenarios.
• 😀 The course aims to equip participants with tools and methods that can help them become more successful, creative, and innovative problem-solvers in their professional and personal lives.

Q & A

What is the focus of the 'Design Thinking for Business Innovation' course?

The course focuses on teaching a creative approach to problem-solving for business innovation, using a set of tools and a process that can be applied to various types of problems.

Why does the instructor believe this course is not just for people in business?

The instructor believes the course is applicable to anyone with a problem they'd like to solve creatively, not just business professionals, because the principles of design thinking can be applied to any area of life.

What was the instructor's background before becoming an educator?

The instructor started as an accountant and later earned a PhD, with a background in traditional business roles, before transitioning into teaching and research.

How did the instructor feel about creativity in business before starting research on the topic?

The instructor felt that creativity was often seen as something reserved for artists and other creative professionals, and that business people, like accountants, were not considered 'creative.' This troubled the instructor.

What did the instructor discover about successful business people and creativity?

The instructor found that successful business people are not necessarily born creative, but they apply a specific process and set of tools that can help anyone be successfully creative.

What is the purpose of the four basic questions presented in the course?

The four questions—'What’s going on today?', 'What would we like to create tomorrow?', 'What will work for the people involved?', and 'What happens when we test it?'—are used to guide the creative process in problem-solving and business innovation.

How does the course aim to help students use both sides of the brain?

The course encourages students to use both the analytical (left) and creative (right) sides of their brain by learning tools and methods that balance logic and creativity.

How does the instructor believe design thinking is best learned?

The instructor believes design thinking is best learned through practical experience, not just by lectures or reading case studies. Students must actively engage and apply the concepts themselves.

What is expected from students in terms of real-world application during the course?

Students are encouraged to identify a problem or area of opportunity, either in their business or personal life, and apply a creative approach to solving it using the design thinking framework.

What makes creative firms like Apple and IDEO successful according to the instructor?

Creative firms like Apple and IDEO are successful because they have a structured process and a toolkit that helps them apply creativity systematically to solve complex problems.