Innovative Thinking for Turbulent Business Times



Innovative Thinking for Turbulent Business Times

B55.2112.30: Course Schedule

(Note: the professor may change aspects of the course before the first class meeting)

|Week |Topic |Activity |Preparation for next class |

|1: |Design as a tool to solve unpredictable|21st Century Successful Innovations;|Articles by Roger Martin, Tim Brown, |

|What is Design Thinking? What are |problems |reverse engineering |Guterman, and Hanna |

|the relationships between thinking| |Individual and group exercises | |

|and business innovation? |Basic applications of design thinking | | |

| |to relatively simple problems | | |

|2: |Using design thinking techniques to |Brainstorming, rapid prototyping; |Selected chapters from Benyus, Biomimicry |

|Design Thinking applications: |generate multiple solutions |SCAMPER’ diverse thinking | |

|Social and traditional innovations| | |Prepare prototype for solution to problem |

| |Applying techniques as a class to a | |raised in class; can be group or |

| |common business problem | |individual |

|3: |How has the natural world opened |Observation exercises with |Selected chapters from Reynolds, |

|Biomimicry and Business |opportunities for non-harmful business |brainstorming and rapid prototyping |Presentation Zen |

|Opportunities |opportunities? |3-minute student presentations on | |

| | |select biomimicry examples | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

|4: |How can business use information from |Revision of presentations from |Mangelsdorf article; Clayton Christensen |

|Visual Thinking |neuroscience to create more effective |previous class |article (tba) |

| |presentations? | | |

| |How can new trends in visual thinking | | |

| |improve presentations? | | |

| | | | |

|5: |Understanding concepts of disruptive |Brainstorming for potential |Challenge: select one item from innovation|

|Disruptive Innovation |innovation and applying them to |disruptive innovation opportunities |blogs (list will be supplied) to introduce|

| |specific companies or organizations |in known companies |most recent thoughts on innovation |

| | |How does innovation create value? | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

|6: |Presenting proposals to panel of |Presentations |Final project: revised proposals, |

|Putting it together: new design |‘experts’ | |annotated and explained |

|proposals for business | |Group exercise: brainstorming for | |

| | |additions and new ideas for proposals| |

| | | | |

|7: |Transforming proposals to action |Alternatives for implementation |Final assignment |

|Evaluation and future plans | | | |

Course Description:

B55.2112.30: Innovative Thinking in a Turbulent Business Environment

Innovative thinking in our global business environment is no longer the task of a select group of creative strategists – every business leader today needs to understand innovation.

This course explores how businesses innovate, and how managers can rewire traditional approaches to finding and developing new opportunities. Every business, regardless of size or function, will be challenged by environmental, social, and global business issues. Learning to recognize and respond to these issues is at the center of this course.

We will examine new concepts from the most recent research on design theory and related disciplines, including visual design, neuroscience, communication, rhetoric, linguistics, and business creativity. Topics and exercises will specifically introduce and apply Design Thinking, Bio-mimicry, Visual Thinking, Disruptive Innovation, Business Ethnography and Creative Collaboration. With class discussions and hands-on exercises, this class will focus on how business people can learn to think innovatively and meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Selected readings (draft version)

Required:

Roger Martin; The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage (Harvard Business School Press, 2009)

Design Thinking; Tim Brown (Ideo CEO); Harvard Business Review, June 2008 (available online)

Course Pack of selected readings on Design Thinking, Visual Thinking, Disruptive Innovation, Bio-mimicry; will be available pre-course.

Recommended:

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature; Janine Benyus; Harper Collins; 2002

Persuasion Zen; Garr Reynolds; New Riders, 2008.

“Good Days for Disruptors”; Martha Mangelsdorf; MIT Sloan Management Review, June 2009

“Getting Down to the Business of Creativity”; Julia Hanna; HBS Working Knowledge (online); May 14 2008

“The Business of Design”; Roger Martin; Rotman Management Magazine; Winter 2004

“How to Become a Better Manager … By Thinking like a Designer”; Jimmy Guterman; MIT Sloan Management Review; Summer 2009

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