Abstract
At all levels of the New Zealand public service, people are searching for ways to achieve greater impact on social and economic outcomes. There is an increasing recognition that some of our established ways of doing things get in the way of designing and implementing policy that really makes a difference. As part of this, there is growing interest in innovative approaches being used in the private sector such as design thinking. Design thinking is a systematic approach to problem solving, which starts with customers or citizens and the ability to create a better future for them.
In this lecture, Jeanne will reach below the 'buzzwords' to describe the Darden approach to design thinking, which marries good business management approaches with a design mindset along with practical design thinking tools and techniques. She will provide some insights into her current research on how design thinking is being applied in government and the social sector.
About Professor Liedtka
(BS, Boston University; MBA, Harvard University; DBA, Boston University)
Jeanne M Liedtka is a faculty member at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business and former chief learning officer at United Technologies Corporation. At Darden, Jeanne works with both MBAs and executives in the areas of design thinking, innovation and leading growth. Her passion is exploring how organizations can engage employees at every level in thinking creatively about the design of powerful futures. Her current research focuses on design-led innovation in the government and social sector, as does her forthcoming book, Designing for the Greater Good. Her previous books include: The Catalyst; How You Can Lead Extraordinary Growth; Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers; and its accompanying field guide, The Designing for Growth Field Book: A Step by Step Guide; The Physics of Business Growth: Mindsets, System and Process; and Solving Business Problems with Design Thinking: Ten Stories of What Works.
Note: Papers, presentation slides and any other material provided by the Guest Lecturer will be made available some time after the lecture at Publications > Media & Speeches > Guest Lectures by Visiting Academics.