Toronto – By applying design-inspired principles and practices to innovation and strategic planning, any organization can create bigger breakthroughs that deliver new value to all stakeholders says a new book, Design Works: How to Tackle Your Toughest Innovation Challenges Through Business Design, from Rotman/UTP Publishing, an imprint of University of Toronto Press in partnership with the Rotman School of Management.
Written by Heather Fraser, the co-founder and executive director of Rotman DesignWorks, the School's strategy and innovation lab, Design Works presents helpful tools and tips to practice Business Design, anchored in the 3 Gears of Business Design -- a framework for thinking about how to design new solutions and strategies. Compelling case studies and inspiring interviews with business leaders demonstrate the value of The 3 Gears - Empathy and Deep Human Understanding, Concept Visualization, and Strategic Business Design. This framework was first pioneered for use at Procter & Gamble in 2005. The ideas continued to be refined over the past 7 years at Rotman DesignWorks through successful Business Design courses in the Rotman MBA program as well as specialized courses for executives and organizations around the world. DesignWorks Singapore was successfully launched in 2010, in partnership with Singapore Polytechnic, to further promote the practice of Business Design as a platform for enterprise innovation and growth.
"As distinct from analysis, design holds an alluring promise. It puts forward fresh new techniques like ethnographic research and rapid prototyping. For business people, these are exciting new techniques that provide hope for new insights and fresh ideas," says Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School. "This book provides an easy-to-use guide for organizations who are eager to harness the power of Business Design."
"Business Design is a disciplined methodology and a leading-edge way of thinking. When applied to business strategy, it can help organizations drive innovation," says Fraser, who can be seen discussing business design in two new videos at http://youtu.be/zk6caog0XBQ and http://youtu.be/s9xLIx-_uXM.
Heather Fraser is co-founder and executive director of Rotman DesignWorks and an adjunct professor at the Rotman School. She is a leader in the development of Business Design practices, design-inspired student programs and customized enterprise training. She consults on Business Design initiatives for corporations, public entities, and educational institutions internationally. Prior to joining the Rotman School, she held leadership positions at Procter & Gamble, Ogilvy & Mather, and TAXI Advertising & Design.
DesignWorks is the Rotman School's strategy and innovation lab. Standing at a nexus of academic and commercial learning, DesignWorks collaborates with a network of local and international partners in the areas of education and research. It offers MBA courses as well as executive education programs to enterprising organizations across all sectors. For more information, visit www.rotmandesignworks.ca.
Founded in 1901, the University of Toronto Press is Canada's oldest scholarly press and one of the largest university presses in North America, releasing over 150 new scholarly, reference, and general-interest books each year, as well as maintaining a backlist of over 1500 titles in print. For more information, visit www.utppublishing.com.
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions. The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.