Decisions, decisions. How does a big company make good decisions to launch new products that might fatten up the bottom line and keep it innovative and growing? Senior management has a clear-eyed view of the big picture — the overall strategy — but project managers know the rich details necessary for the greatest chance at successfully initiating new products. How best can they talk to each... CONTINUE READING

As an increasingly popular approach to business innovation, the crux of design thinking is that it embraces both creativity and analytical thinking to solve problems; two sides of the design thinking coin, both are essential to the design thinking process. As such, one key to design thinking is for designers to empathize with those who see the world through what Stanford psychologist Carol... CONTINUE READING

A New Idea Like many good ideas, Darden Professor Jay Bourgeois’ new course, “Strategic Intuition and Eastern Philosophy,” seems obvious in retrospect. If MBAs are going to thrive in a global economy, they need to be aware not only of linear analytics and Western economics, but also aspects of Eastern philosophy, like letting go of desire and control — perhaps unexpected lessons at... CONTINUE READING

In 2015, Wells Fargo ranked No. 7 on Barron’s list of most respected companies, a ranking of the 100 largest publicly traded companies on Standard & Poor’s index. In the 2017 ranking, out last week, it came in dead last. How did the company lose professional respect, the trust of the public, and its reputation for sterling service, honest dealings and pride in its products? Ethical... CONTINUE READING

The proceeding follows Give It a Rest, Part 1: How to Reduce Fatigue and Raise Productivity, which details the problems stemming from overwork and the researchers’ model in more detail. Recap There’s no shortage of documentation on the problem of overwork. There are also no shortages of linkages between overwork and both workplace and personal problems. But on-the-job pressure to... CONTINUE READING

In these uncertain economic, social and political times, wicked problems — complicated issues with multiple dependent components — have led a growing number of organizations to use collaborative creativity. Human-centered design is more and more seen as an insightful approach in organizations’ problem-solving toolkits. In Designing for Growth and Solving Problems With Design Thinking: 10... CONTINUE READING