DESIGN THINKING

Foundational Experience

Innovation happens to be a ‘power’ word. Therefore, it has different nuanced meanings to different people depending on their perspectives and professional maturity. Also, there is a spectrum of innovation, from incremental to disruptive – where organizations, often, have not internalized the differences.

For me, I have been lucky to gain my design (thinking) skills from years of experience working with great designers within the Chicago design community and from a masters degree at the Institute of Design at IIT. My understanding of innovation processes is grounded in the seminal work of Clay Christensen, Gary Hamel, and Larry Keeley. They have laid much of the foundation on which I have formulated my understanding of business innovation.

More importantly, I have had the privilege to work with directly with Gary Hamel (author of the Competing for the Future) at Strategos in South Korea. I am also directly acquainted with Larry Keely’s approach (author of Ten Types of Innovation) as both a student at the Institute of Design and employee at Doblin in South Korea. It is from this foundation that my practice is built.

Human-Centered Innovation Toolkit

I co-authored (with Stacy Benjamin) a human-centered innovation manual that provided the foundation for growth for the top telecom industry in Korea.

Innovation Training Program

I developed the curriculum for and led a six-month training program that minted 30+ certified innovators. The curriculum balanced tools and techniques, business acumen, and the people-and-leadership skills that make innovation stick.