Transformative Design Strategy

Now is the Time for Socially Responsible Innovation

The interconnection of life is crystal clear right now, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We are inextricably linked with each other and with the natural world, whether we are sheltering in place in California as I am grateful to be, or on the front-lines with the sickest patients in a hospital as a dear childhood friend will be shortly. The internet and technological progress have long been hailed for making this connectivity real. And yet, the 21st century’s extraordinary technological progress has not been matched with the systemic transformation necessary for its benefits to be inclusive. Below, I showcase the system of tools I have earned as a Design MBA. These are interconnected and thereby equip me to work towards the socially responsible innovation that we need to build the “new normal.”

Design Strategy Illuminates Brighter Futures

One of the most powerful symbols of interconnection is mycelium, the root systems that enable trees to nourish each other underground, sending nutrients to those that need it with unquestioned generosity. In Design Strategy, design methodologies and business strategy fuel each other. Alone, the former might not have the strategic building blocks to build a business, and the latter lacks the creative tools to innovate. Together, “design” and “strategy” form a powerful approach to uncovering otherwise invisible solutions, most often in collaborative settings. As a Transformative Design Strategist, I innovate towards inclusive systemic progress. This approach weaves together three key roots: social responsibility by design, resilient business models, and ethically informed products and services.

Social Responsibility by Design

As the deepest layer of roots show, the foundational tool is the diverge-converge cycle of design thinking, which expands into a multitude of creative ideas and then synthesizes, over and over, to arrive at a revolutionary solution. Having built facilitation as a core capability, I choose to employ this cycle towards social benefit. As 2019–2020 co-leader of the DMBA’s consulting nonprofit Cosine Collective, I co-designed and facilitated a number of workshops tailored to the specific challenges of nonprofit leaders. My favorite was working with a board on how to better reflect their community: we were able to brainstorm all the possibilities, then synthesize a way forward, and map a path towards that goal.

Resilient Business Models

All stakeholders, from people working for hourly wages in restaurants to freelance artists to executives, can benefit from business models that are more resilient in the face of uncertainty. To innovate towards that end, I tie together conventional industry analysis and strategic foresight. I do just that in my analysis of the future of restaurants,and arrive at a robust understanding of the possibilities for the restaurant business model. I was most inspired by the #ChefsforAmerica innovation, wherein crowdsourced funds feed those who are hungry and provide a new revenue stream for restaurants. This could be how restaurants flourish in the future and simultaneously work towards greater food security for all (read more here).

Ethically Informed Products & Services

What brings these business models into our hands? Products and services. In my view, these should be innovated with an ethical approach grounded in market insights and financial modeling. For example, my DMBA Capstone (final project) team established shared values around using business as a positive force in the world. Through extensive research, we uncovered the key insight that teams need better ways to build trust and give feedback to each other. We developed a concept for an app that guides teammates through face-to-face constructive conversations, and used financial modeling to create a business plan around that concept. This service would be a transformative innovation on workplace culture initiatives, one which centers on building trust to reduce churn and increase engagement.

Empowering Practitioners to Build the Future

Design Strategy empowers its practitioners with a system of tools that are optimized to make a beneficial impact on our increasingly interconnected global society. In capable hands, it can propel the socially responsible innovation we need to build towards a prosperous and equitable system. I am honored to call myself a Transformative Design Strategist, and to believe myself capable of contributing to such systems change.