NEXUS NEWS
Inspiring organizational change with Design Thinking: Interview with Toni Benner
February 6, 2024
by Britney Rivers
Nexus is launching a new professional development course called Design Thinking. In this 2-day immersive learning experience with Toni Benner, you will learn how to drive innovation and foster team learning in your organization. We sat down with Toni to learn more about design thinking and the impact this approach can have on organizations.
WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?
Toni: Design thinking is a practical methodology that places people at the center of designing innovation and change. The key elements of design emphasize skills required for collaboration, creativity, and empathy. It prioritizes observing behaviors and understanding different user needs and perspectives. This problem-solving approach generates innovative solutions through inquiry, iteration, and testing.
The design thinking process helps overcome biases and promotes inclusive and open-minded ideas and progress. You will practice the human-centered design techniques individually and as a team. Anyone who aspires to introduce new ideas and perspectives into their organization can benefit from participating in this course.
HOW HAVE YOU USED DESIGN THINKING IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER?
Toni: Coming from an engineering background, I’ve been a part of the design thinking evolution for decades. Initially, I focused on bridging product development and manufacturing within automotive supply chains. However, what intrigues me about design thinking is its remarkable versatility. In the healthcare sector, this process provides the tools to improve organizational structures, enable collaboration, and drive company-wide social change.
In addition to my industry work, I have collaborated with universities to simplify their processes. I have also encouraged collaboration between departments and helped them better understand their long-term goals. Design thinking possesses a wide range of applications that multidisciplinary teams can leverage for organizational growth. The user-centered framework is useful for service industries and businesses in mergers and acquisitions, like healthcare and education.
HOW CAN ORGANIZATIONS USE DESIGN THINKING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS?
Toni: The design thinking approach acts as an anchor, guiding us through change and uncertainty. It becomes a reliable touchstone during brainstorming or collaborative sessions, empowering us to embrace diversity of thought. Design thinking combines critical thinking, leadership, and development to find customer or employee needs and create new solutions. Essentially, applying design thinking aims to bring ideas to fruition through action, tangible outcomes, and organizational change.
Collaboration lies at the heart of design thinking, acting as a catalyst for change. It invites you to reflect on where we are today. What are the opportunities or challenges in moving forward with an initiative? Who will be affected by this new change? Design thinking helps teams find answers and explore possibilities by asking questions and thinking creatively. This approach is unique because it relies on feedback loops. When we work with user-centric techniques, it’s important to recognize that there won’t be a clear-cut problem and solution.
Rather, we move through the different phases of ideation, problem-solving, and prototyping. We make sense of complex issues, analyze our current situation, and create new ideas. We also converge on testing new ideas, monitor feedback, and revisit the issues. Design thinking, in essence, becomes an ever-evolving journey towards progress and innovation.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A LEARNER CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THIS COURSE?
Toni: The key takeaway from this course is learning to approach situations through the lens of curiosity, empathy, and compassion. Design thinking equips individuals with a holistic mindset and a versatile toolkit for tackling complex challenges, whether in product development, organizational management, or social innovation. By the end of this journey, you will gain the skills to identify the challenges and opportunities in your organization. You will also learn how to collaborate with your team to solve critical problems.
Human-centered design empowers you to embrace a multitude of viewpoints and break free from conventional thinking. Design thinking means creating an environment where your team members can unleash their creative potential. This process provides a structured framework for defining and initiating organizational change. These are all crucial steps to developing a fundamental roadmap and implementing new ideas. This course will help you cultivate the mindset to harness your existing resources to drive innovation.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE DESIGN THINKING COURSE?
Toni: Are you ready to unlock the potential of design thinking? Are you ready to become a change agent in your organization? Join us on this transformative journey and embrace the future of complex problem-solving and innovation. Together we explore design thinking within different industries and leadership levels.
Learners can expect hands-on applications to practice techniques and tools to revolutionize products, services, and social connections. We experiment with complex systems, collaboration, and diversity of thought. Learners will discover how these powerful frameworks converge to drive innovation, foster positive organizational change, and unlock untapped potential.