What do you think?
Rate this book
Sáng tạo: văn hóa của sự đổi mới không ngừng
Tư duy của Thời đại Công nghiệp đã tạo ra những khả năng đáng kinh ngạc, trong đó có khả năng sản xuất hàng loạt các sản phẩm chất lượng cao với mức giá phải chăng. Tuy vậy, nó cũng bẫy chúng ta vào một mớ các vấn đề mà nhà hoạch định xã hội Horst Rittel gọi là “những vấn đề nan giải” – khó khăn và khó xử lý tới mức dường như không thể giải quyết được. Không giống như các vấn đề tương đối quen thuộc được tìm thấy trong toán học, cờ tướng hay việc hạch toán chi phí, các vấn đề nan giải có xu hướng khiến người ta bị “rối” và “cuống” khi nỗ lực giải quyết chúng. Hơn thế, các giải pháp ở đây thường chẳng bao giờ có kết quả đúng hay sai, chỉ có hoặc là tốt hơn hoặc là xấu đi.
Unknown Binding
First published December 16, 2008
43 people are currently reading
1224 people want to read
About the author
Marty Neumeier
15 books305 followersMarty Neumeier is an author, designer, and brand adviser whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of design to business. His series of “whiteboard” books includes ZAG, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time,” and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, a bestselling guide to nonstop innovation. An online presentation of his first book, THE BRAND GAP, has been viewed more than 22 million times since 2003. A sequel, THE BRAND FLIP, lays out a new process for building brands in the age of social media and customer dominance. His most recent book, SCRAMBLE, is a “business thriller” about how to build a brand quickly with a new process called agile strategy. In 1996, Neumeier founded Critique magazine, the first journal about design thinking. He has worked closely with innovative companies such as Apple, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, HP, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft to help advance their brands and cultures. Today he serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency in Silicon Valley, and travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of design, brand, and innovation. He and his wife divide their time between California and southwest France.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 23, 2019
Một cuốn sách mỏng nhưng thực sự rất lôi cuốn hấp dẫn. Bằng văn phong giản dị đi thẳng vào vấn đề, câu chuyện của đổi mới và sáng tạo được trình bày rất rõ ràng và dễ hiểu. Cuốn sách thực sự thúc đẩy người đọc tiến về phía trước với tất cả vẻ đẹp mỹ thuật của người sáng tạo, đổi mới và chiến thắng.
Nếu bạn không sáng tạo, bạn sẽ ko có đổi mới.
Nếu bạn không sáng tạo, bạn sẽ ko có đổi mới.
January 25, 2011
When I saw the AIGA imprint on this book, I figured it might mean that the ideas inside wouldn't be progressive enough for me. And sure enough, I did feel that way for the most part. That's not to say it's a bad book, or that it wouldn't be completely game-changing for many readers. And not to be self-aggrandizing either, but this was a case of preaching to the converted for me (and not going nearly far enough).
The premise here is that corporations must embrace design thinking or perish in our new economic and cultural conditions. I hate to say it but, no shit.
The first half of the book interested me far more than the latter half. Here, Neumeier's style is rapid-fire and extremely engaging — you can feel the energy of a fast-talking, whiteboard-scribbling enthusiast, so excited to impart new ideas that he can barely contain himself. The prose is slightly clever and extremely concise, and peppered with quotes from expert thinkers that do well in broadening and glossing the ideas presented. I have no doubt that he is a smart, insightful and engaging man. (I just want him to take it further!)
The second half — or should I say third third — of the book enumerates 16 "levers" to facilitate change in organizations towards cultures of innovation and design thinking. It's aimed squarely at large corporations, replete with their resources, departments, old-school management styles to quash and traditional cultures to change. For a leader working in an environment like that, brilliant! They should read this book, they should underline tips on every page, internalize, embrace, implement. Go go go! But again, for me, preaching to the converted.
In the few places where Neumeier gets into "this is how we do it at my firm" I was extremely interested and anxious for more — but that may be the nature of my work and my quasi-voyeuristic curiosity about how other people do the same things I do — and what I can learn from them.
He talks up collaboration as the proper means to "designful" ends — but then he limits it a bit with "take this in-house", "outsource that". Stuck in the structures of traditional companies and business models. What if you're a company of one? What if you're a truly agile organization? What if your a consortium, a collaborative consumption company, involved in the connected world — actually in touch with your customers? He doesn't really address newer ways of thinking about business — only how to modify the old ones. Valid yes. The whole story? Not at all.
In a way, I think of this as a treatise along the lines of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" — get in with right-brain thinking, or get lost. It's a polemic about the power of creativity, in a way — an augury for those business leaders who've somehow, blinkered, not not noticed, that the creative economy is coming.
The premise here is that corporations must embrace design thinking or perish in our new economic and cultural conditions. I hate to say it but, no shit.
The first half of the book interested me far more than the latter half. Here, Neumeier's style is rapid-fire and extremely engaging — you can feel the energy of a fast-talking, whiteboard-scribbling enthusiast, so excited to impart new ideas that he can barely contain himself. The prose is slightly clever and extremely concise, and peppered with quotes from expert thinkers that do well in broadening and glossing the ideas presented. I have no doubt that he is a smart, insightful and engaging man. (I just want him to take it further!)
The second half — or should I say third third — of the book enumerates 16 "levers" to facilitate change in organizations towards cultures of innovation and design thinking. It's aimed squarely at large corporations, replete with their resources, departments, old-school management styles to quash and traditional cultures to change. For a leader working in an environment like that, brilliant! They should read this book, they should underline tips on every page, internalize, embrace, implement. Go go go! But again, for me, preaching to the converted.
In the few places where Neumeier gets into "this is how we do it at my firm" I was extremely interested and anxious for more — but that may be the nature of my work and my quasi-voyeuristic curiosity about how other people do the same things I do — and what I can learn from them.
He talks up collaboration as the proper means to "designful" ends — but then he limits it a bit with "take this in-house", "outsource that". Stuck in the structures of traditional companies and business models. What if you're a company of one? What if you're a truly agile organization? What if your a consortium, a collaborative consumption company, involved in the connected world — actually in touch with your customers? He doesn't really address newer ways of thinking about business — only how to modify the old ones. Valid yes. The whole story? Not at all.
In a way, I think of this as a treatise along the lines of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" — get in with right-brain thinking, or get lost. It's a polemic about the power of creativity, in a way — an augury for those business leaders who've somehow, blinkered, not not noticed, that the creative economy is coming.
December 28, 2011
Mr. Neumeier writes from the position of somebody:
+ who knows how to write, and
+ who has experience with what design and innovation.
The most important claim in this book for ma was a clear confidence that design management is never to be outsourced. But at the same time many of the design skills should always be outsourced. For me, very useful point.
The second important thing for me was that companies that are growing or if they want to grow, would need a Chief Design Officer or Chief Brand Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, VP of Creativity - you name it. I really couldn't agree more. I even have a presentation on the subject, its in Slovene, if you understand some, here you'll find it: http://bit.ly/90yhNC.
Then there are some other things I'm glad I found out.
+ In 1990's Samsung paid employees in Innovation Design Lab to study in their new building design six days a week for a year long. !!! Now they have a 380 company-trained designers that are helping to launch 100 products per year. In Slovenia some academics have proposed that a former textile giant Mura should have around 500 designer but I doubt that the managers were listening.
+ In the book there is an interesting approach presented to the innovation process, called stage-gate innovation. In four stages it goes from seed money to develop concept to small bet to develop strategy to medium bet to model and test, and to large bet to launch in market.
+ One question with a pretty good answer. How do you get a bunch of independent minded professionals to play nice together? By establishing sensible rules of engagement. Easy to say, harder to put in real life in my opinion.
+ And then there is a fascinating scheme what should actually CEO-s do. If the want to be visionary leaders they need to become managers of stories. The scheme goes into six categories. Really fascinating. And then there is another fascinating scheme. About deep design. It goes from Ideology, Resonance, Emotion, Reason, Perception to Vision, Identity, Culture, Products, Brands. Wow!
And three things for the end to remember:
+ What is third brain thinking? Thinking with logic and inspiration. Design thinking. Simple. Design thinkers tend to be: empathetic, intuitive, imaginative, idealistic. This is why future should be designed, not decided. Because difference and design bring together the delight.
+ Design is moving from "toasters and posters" to include processes, systems and organizations. And
+ Design will force Wall Street to change the rules of investing. Yes, I toast to that.
Is there something funny about this book? Yes. If we want to describe the creative process this is something deeper as wedding is describing sex. Was that understood? I guess not.
+ who knows how to write, and
+ who has experience with what design and innovation.
The most important claim in this book for ma was a clear confidence that design management is never to be outsourced. But at the same time many of the design skills should always be outsourced. For me, very useful point.
The second important thing for me was that companies that are growing or if they want to grow, would need a Chief Design Officer or Chief Brand Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, VP of Creativity - you name it. I really couldn't agree more. I even have a presentation on the subject, its in Slovene, if you understand some, here you'll find it: http://bit.ly/90yhNC.
Then there are some other things I'm glad I found out.
+ In 1990's Samsung paid employees in Innovation Design Lab to study in their new building design six days a week for a year long. !!! Now they have a 380 company-trained designers that are helping to launch 100 products per year. In Slovenia some academics have proposed that a former textile giant Mura should have around 500 designer but I doubt that the managers were listening.
+ In the book there is an interesting approach presented to the innovation process, called stage-gate innovation. In four stages it goes from seed money to develop concept to small bet to develop strategy to medium bet to model and test, and to large bet to launch in market.
+ One question with a pretty good answer. How do you get a bunch of independent minded professionals to play nice together? By establishing sensible rules of engagement. Easy to say, harder to put in real life in my opinion.
+ And then there is a fascinating scheme what should actually CEO-s do. If the want to be visionary leaders they need to become managers of stories. The scheme goes into six categories. Really fascinating. And then there is another fascinating scheme. About deep design. It goes from Ideology, Resonance, Emotion, Reason, Perception to Vision, Identity, Culture, Products, Brands. Wow!
And three things for the end to remember:
+ What is third brain thinking? Thinking with logic and inspiration. Design thinking. Simple. Design thinkers tend to be: empathetic, intuitive, imaginative, idealistic. This is why future should be designed, not decided. Because difference and design bring together the delight.
+ Design is moving from "toasters and posters" to include processes, systems and organizations. And
+ Design will force Wall Street to change the rules of investing. Yes, I toast to that.
Is there something funny about this book? Yes. If we want to describe the creative process this is something deeper as wedding is describing sex. Was that understood? I guess not.
February 12, 2009
How I Came To Read This Book: My boss & I have a common favourite business author in the form of Marty Neumeier. For his wedding, I preordered him the latest Neumeier tome and he was nice enough to lend it to me before he had the chance to read it.
The Plot: All of Neumeier's books are written in a whiteboard style (i.e. light on text, heavy on ideas, with graphics to drive things home) and are meant to be read in a relatively short period - such as a cross-country plane trip. The focus of this particular book is how virtually everything in business can be designed, and designed more effectively. The main thesis is that design drives innovation which powers brands which then creates loyalty and raises profits. To illustrate how companies can use design, Neumeier develops and explains 16 levers for change that can help businesses solve 'wicked problems' (the business-world equivalent of famine or AIDS) and become more competitive, not just for dollars, but for the right staff to power innovation.
The Good & The Bad: I do love Neumeier's books and style of writing, and TDC was no exception. However in general I felt like the book was more tailored towards business owners, managers, and decision makers, rather than lowly creative folk like myself. I could see how a lot of his concepts could be applied, but sometimes it took me awhile for them to sink in - a feeling I didn't get with Neumeier's first two novels. The graphics in this tome didn't seem to pack the same punch either, they felt more like crutches than being able to work on their own. Additionally, I got a bit tired of the Apple worship. We get it. Apple is god. Move on. Regardless, if you read Neumeier's other works, and you're in a position where you can have an impact on your business' overall management style & structure, I would definitely recommend this book. It may not be quite as focused or hardhitting as his previous works, but Neumeier still manages to keep me interested in seeing what he comes out with next.
The Bottom Line: A good, but not exceptional, book perfect for business managers and branding experts looking for to change the way they do things.
Anything Memorable: I'd love to explain the most memorable part of this book, but I can't :)
50-Book Challenge?: Book #5 in 2009.
The Plot: All of Neumeier's books are written in a whiteboard style (i.e. light on text, heavy on ideas, with graphics to drive things home) and are meant to be read in a relatively short period - such as a cross-country plane trip. The focus of this particular book is how virtually everything in business can be designed, and designed more effectively. The main thesis is that design drives innovation which powers brands which then creates loyalty and raises profits. To illustrate how companies can use design, Neumeier develops and explains 16 levers for change that can help businesses solve 'wicked problems' (the business-world equivalent of famine or AIDS) and become more competitive, not just for dollars, but for the right staff to power innovation.
The Good & The Bad: I do love Neumeier's books and style of writing, and TDC was no exception. However in general I felt like the book was more tailored towards business owners, managers, and decision makers, rather than lowly creative folk like myself. I could see how a lot of his concepts could be applied, but sometimes it took me awhile for them to sink in - a feeling I didn't get with Neumeier's first two novels. The graphics in this tome didn't seem to pack the same punch either, they felt more like crutches than being able to work on their own. Additionally, I got a bit tired of the Apple worship. We get it. Apple is god. Move on. Regardless, if you read Neumeier's other works, and you're in a position where you can have an impact on your business' overall management style & structure, I would definitely recommend this book. It may not be quite as focused or hardhitting as his previous works, but Neumeier still manages to keep me interested in seeing what he comes out with next.
The Bottom Line: A good, but not exceptional, book perfect for business managers and branding experts looking for to change the way they do things.
Anything Memorable: I'd love to explain the most memorable part of this book, but I can't :)
50-Book Challenge?: Book #5 in 2009.
April 10, 2018
The word "design" conjures up graphic designers or interior designers, at least in mind. This book, along with a Fast Company article about David Butler, Chief Global Design Officer for Coca-Cola, is helping me broaden that definition. Design, as Marty Neumeier asserts, is the key to innovation. A new definition of design and designers: "Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones." Simply put, design is change. A designer is imaginative, intuitive, empathetic and idealistic.
The Top 10 "wicked problems" facing organizations
1. Balancing long-term goals and short-term demands.
2. Predicting the returns on innovative concepts.
3. Innovating at the increasing speed of change.
4. Winning for the war for world-class talent.
5. Combining profitability with social responsibility.
6. Protecting margins in a commoditizing industry.
7. Multiplying success by collaborating across silos.
8. Finding unclaimed yet profitable market space.
9. Addressing the challenge of eco-sustainability.
10. Aligning strategy with customer experience.
*A wicked problem is a puzzle so persistent, pervasive or slippery that it can seem insoluble.
(What is the wicked problem facing your organization?)
The job of leadership is to help people overcome denial and cynicism so they can close the gap between the ideal and reality.
Companies don't fail because they choose the wrong course -- they fail because they can't imagine a better one.
"Who wants a a dream that's near-fetched?" -- Howard Schultz.
In a traditional company, the focus is on costs. In a designful company, the focus is on the customer.
The central problem of brand-building is getting a complex organization to execute a simple idea.
You can't decide the way forward. You have to design the way forward.
If you want to drive your stock price higher, you need to first invest in vision, culture and innovation.
The Top 10 "wicked problems" facing organizations
1. Balancing long-term goals and short-term demands.
2. Predicting the returns on innovative concepts.
3. Innovating at the increasing speed of change.
4. Winning for the war for world-class talent.
5. Combining profitability with social responsibility.
6. Protecting margins in a commoditizing industry.
7. Multiplying success by collaborating across silos.
8. Finding unclaimed yet profitable market space.
9. Addressing the challenge of eco-sustainability.
10. Aligning strategy with customer experience.
*A wicked problem is a puzzle so persistent, pervasive or slippery that it can seem insoluble.
(What is the wicked problem facing your organization?)
The job of leadership is to help people overcome denial and cynicism so they can close the gap between the ideal and reality.
Companies don't fail because they choose the wrong course -- they fail because they can't imagine a better one.
"Who wants a a dream that's near-fetched?" -- Howard Schultz.
In a traditional company, the focus is on costs. In a designful company, the focus is on the customer.
The central problem of brand-building is getting a complex organization to execute a simple idea.
You can't decide the way forward. You have to design the way forward.
If you want to drive your stock price higher, you need to first invest in vision, culture and innovation.
November 30, 2011
You just need to find a situation worth improving and then work through the creative process.
The act of moving people from an existing situation to an improved one is leading.
Inductive reasoning - observing that something works
Deductive reasoning - proving that something IS
Abductive reasoning - proving that something could be
Design - the way forward
New options must be imagined using the design process.
off the rack solutions are insufficient in an age of perpetual change.
"Looking to be wrong ... because then you know you've discovered something new"
pg 53 To be innovative, a company needs not only the head and legs of knowing and doing , but intuitive hands of making
pg 71 Aesthetics of Management
Contrast = How can we differentiate ourselves?
p115 Blue Hat is worn by the facilitator, who acts as referee and directs the use of the other hats. It represents cool objectivity.
Depth= How can we succeed on many levels?
Focus = What should we NOT do?
Harmony = How can we achieve synergy?
Integrity = How can we forge the parts into a whole?
Line = What is our trajectory over time?
Motion = What advantage can we gain from speed?
Novelty = How can we use the surprise element?
Order = How should we structure our organization?
Pattern = Where have we seen this before?
Repetition = Where are the economies of scale?
Rhythm = How can we optimize time?
Proportion = How can we keep our strategy balanced?
Scale = How big should our business be?
Shape = Where should we draw the edges?
Texture = How do the details enliven our culture?
Unity = What is the higher - order solution?
Variety = How can diversity drive innovation?
pg 112 The Greeks, including Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, believed that sound thinking came from discussion rather than dialogue - from finding flaws in the others' arguments rather than advancing a concept together.
pg 170 wicked problems
The act of moving people from an existing situation to an improved one is leading.
Inductive reasoning - observing that something works
Deductive reasoning - proving that something IS
Abductive reasoning - proving that something could be
Design - the way forward
New options must be imagined using the design process.
off the rack solutions are insufficient in an age of perpetual change.
"Looking to be wrong ... because then you know you've discovered something new"
pg 53 To be innovative, a company needs not only the head and legs of knowing and doing , but intuitive hands of making
pg 71 Aesthetics of Management
Contrast = How can we differentiate ourselves?
p115 Blue Hat is worn by the facilitator, who acts as referee and directs the use of the other hats. It represents cool objectivity.
Depth= How can we succeed on many levels?
Focus = What should we NOT do?
Harmony = How can we achieve synergy?
Integrity = How can we forge the parts into a whole?
Line = What is our trajectory over time?
Motion = What advantage can we gain from speed?
Novelty = How can we use the surprise element?
Order = How should we structure our organization?
Pattern = Where have we seen this before?
Repetition = Where are the economies of scale?
Rhythm = How can we optimize time?
Proportion = How can we keep our strategy balanced?
Scale = How big should our business be?
Shape = Where should we draw the edges?
Texture = How do the details enliven our culture?
Unity = What is the higher - order solution?
Variety = How can diversity drive innovation?
pg 112 The Greeks, including Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, believed that sound thinking came from discussion rather than dialogue - from finding flaws in the others' arguments rather than advancing a concept together.
pg 170 wicked problems
October 28, 2012
I'm a big fan of Marty Neumeier's short and pithy book The Brand Gap, but The Designful Company didn't quite live up to the quality of its predecessor.
The first half of the book is full of catchy but shallow marketing-speak about the importance of orienting companies around design practices, but it fell far short of being actually persuasive. I very much believe in the power of design as a way to make products better, faster, and cheaper, but I can't imagine any skeptical businesspeople could be persuaded by this book. It lacked tangible examples: "a design-oriented approach is important, and here are some examples demonstrating and reinforcing why."
In the book's latter half, Neumeier hit his stride and got much more specific, and his advice became more actionable and tangible, which helped not make this book a total dud. Overall, The Designful Company is a good read those interested in how design can speed up innovation while reducing risk, but I certainly wouldn't make this the only book you read on the subject.
The first half of the book is full of catchy but shallow marketing-speak about the importance of orienting companies around design practices, but it fell far short of being actually persuasive. I very much believe in the power of design as a way to make products better, faster, and cheaper, but I can't imagine any skeptical businesspeople could be persuaded by this book. It lacked tangible examples: "a design-oriented approach is important, and here are some examples demonstrating and reinforcing why."
In the book's latter half, Neumeier hit his stride and got much more specific, and his advice became more actionable and tangible, which helped not make this book a total dud. Overall, The Designful Company is a good read those interested in how design can speed up innovation while reducing risk, but I certainly wouldn't make this the only book you read on the subject.
April 8, 2009
Another short gem from Marty Neumeier, this is a great, quick read about how to design a company that itself generates innovation and design. Neumeier provides a range of ideas, from how to build a culture of innovation (sound familiar, IDEOers?) to how innovation can clearly (and measurably) impact the bottom line.
I've read The Brand Gap, but I need to pick up Zag too. I've also noted all the books Neumeier listed as recommended reading in the back of this and will be cruising through those as well.
I've read The Brand Gap, but I need to pick up Zag too. I've also noted all the books Neumeier listed as recommended reading in the back of this and will be cruising through those as well.
Read
January 16, 2016Great resource for anyone in business wanting to develop a company that continually innovates and produces at its highest potential. This book is filled with practical advise for implementing design in every aspect of a company.
March 30, 2019
Good Foundation
I would not only recommend this book to in-house creatives, marketers and managers, but also to anyone who works at a company that is talking about innovation and design thinking. There are many gems to explore and this gives a good foundation.
I would not only recommend this book to in-house creatives, marketers and managers, but also to anyone who works at a company that is talking about innovation and design thinking. There are many gems to explore and this gives a good foundation.
Read
July 12, 2011Read it. Loved it. Now to retain and practice it. (Arghhh, deadlines I hate you)
Read
September 26, 2011a great brain tune up for change agents. even if you do not agree with the forcible conclusions or assumptions, they provoke new ways to think about organizations
Read
May 18, 2025**The Designful Company: How to Build a Culture of Nonstop Innovation** by Marty Neumeier explores how organizations can transform into agile, innovative entities by adopting the principles of design thinking. The book argues that in an increasingly complex world, creativity and design must move from the fringes of business to the center of strategic decision-making. It provides a framework for embedding design into company culture and operations.
Key concepts and actionable ideas:
* Embrace design as a core business competency, not just a department. Design should influence strategy, culture, product development, and customer experience.
* Move from a culture of efficiency to a culture of innovation by accepting ambiguity, encouraging exploration, and rewarding experimentation.
* Break down silos. Encourage cross-functional collaboration and establish interdisciplinary teams that integrate design, marketing, engineering, and business.
* Hire for creativity and diversity. Build teams with complementary thinking styles—analytical, intuitive, strategic, and tactical.
* Foster a culture of "designful" thinking by training employees in visual literacy, empathy, systems thinking, and storytelling.
* Shift from command-and-control management to trust-and-track leadership. Empower employees to make design decisions closer to the user experience.
* Use prototyping and iteration as core business tools. Treat every business initiative as a prototype subject to testing and improvement.
* Design for meaning, not just function. Products and services should connect with users on emotional, cultural, and social levels.
* Create a brand ecosystem. Treat the brand as a living system where each part—product, service, environment, messaging—reinforces the overall experience.
* Make the customer the hero of the brand story. Position the company as the enabler of customer success, not the center of attention.
* Use "white space" thinking to explore untapped market opportunities. Look between existing categories and constraints to invent entirely new offerings.
* Encourage rapid decision-making by using design principles such as clarity, simplicity, and elegance to cut through complexity.
* Develop a “metaskill” of design intelligence that integrates logic, empathy, and imagination to solve problems holistically.
This book advocates for an organizational transformation where design becomes a mindset and method embedded across all levels. It provides a guide for leaders who want to foster continuous innovation and differentiate their companies through purposeful, human-centered design.
Key concepts and actionable ideas:
* Embrace design as a core business competency, not just a department. Design should influence strategy, culture, product development, and customer experience.
* Move from a culture of efficiency to a culture of innovation by accepting ambiguity, encouraging exploration, and rewarding experimentation.
* Break down silos. Encourage cross-functional collaboration and establish interdisciplinary teams that integrate design, marketing, engineering, and business.
* Hire for creativity and diversity. Build teams with complementary thinking styles—analytical, intuitive, strategic, and tactical.
* Foster a culture of "designful" thinking by training employees in visual literacy, empathy, systems thinking, and storytelling.
* Shift from command-and-control management to trust-and-track leadership. Empower employees to make design decisions closer to the user experience.
* Use prototyping and iteration as core business tools. Treat every business initiative as a prototype subject to testing and improvement.
* Design for meaning, not just function. Products and services should connect with users on emotional, cultural, and social levels.
* Create a brand ecosystem. Treat the brand as a living system where each part—product, service, environment, messaging—reinforces the overall experience.
* Make the customer the hero of the brand story. Position the company as the enabler of customer success, not the center of attention.
* Use "white space" thinking to explore untapped market opportunities. Look between existing categories and constraints to invent entirely new offerings.
* Encourage rapid decision-making by using design principles such as clarity, simplicity, and elegance to cut through complexity.
* Develop a “metaskill” of design intelligence that integrates logic, empathy, and imagination to solve problems holistically.
This book advocates for an organizational transformation where design becomes a mindset and method embedded across all levels. It provides a guide for leaders who want to foster continuous innovation and differentiate their companies through purposeful, human-centered design.
April 19, 2024
A short but very well-written guide on how to better use design thinking to drive more innovation in business. Enjoyed reading it and the first half is excellent, the second half is good but just lacking a bit of practical depth.
The first half is full of thought-provoking ideas with some very snappy sound bites, sharp thinking and excellent principles and examples. It’s a real rallying cry for the benefits of design and design thinking and how they can improve the way businesses work. Liked this a lot.
The second half is more practical oriented with 16 recommendations on how to implement the ideas from the first half of the book. This half is not as sharp though there’s still plenty of decent content in it.
In the set-up, he suggests that every business is different so the second half recommendations had to be more generalised. However, some of them are too general, high level and obvious, and don’t give much help if you were the one trying to implement these ideas.
In particular, while it acknowledges there will be people who don’t believe in bringing creativity and design into a business, its arguments and recommendations on how to handle such people are very lightweight. Not wrong necessarily, just not likely to get you very far.
It reads like it was written with C-suite or high-level leader types in mind (which is fine) but not with the people who would actually have to make this happen (Not so fine). In other words, the sort of thing that consultants do all the time, though in this case, it’s better designed and written than most.
A very good read as a source of ideas around design, innovation, and creativity in business, and an OK one in terms of how you would put them into practice. Also noted that it’s almost 15 years old, but doesn’t sound very dated, other than it probably overestimated the impact design thinking would have (it’s had an impact, just not as much as this book suggests). Worth a read if you’re into this subject.
The first half is full of thought-provoking ideas with some very snappy sound bites, sharp thinking and excellent principles and examples. It’s a real rallying cry for the benefits of design and design thinking and how they can improve the way businesses work. Liked this a lot.
The second half is more practical oriented with 16 recommendations on how to implement the ideas from the first half of the book. This half is not as sharp though there’s still plenty of decent content in it.
In the set-up, he suggests that every business is different so the second half recommendations had to be more generalised. However, some of them are too general, high level and obvious, and don’t give much help if you were the one trying to implement these ideas.
In particular, while it acknowledges there will be people who don’t believe in bringing creativity and design into a business, its arguments and recommendations on how to handle such people are very lightweight. Not wrong necessarily, just not likely to get you very far.
It reads like it was written with C-suite or high-level leader types in mind (which is fine) but not with the people who would actually have to make this happen (Not so fine). In other words, the sort of thing that consultants do all the time, though in this case, it’s better designed and written than most.
A very good read as a source of ideas around design, innovation, and creativity in business, and an OK one in terms of how you would put them into practice. Also noted that it’s almost 15 years old, but doesn’t sound very dated, other than it probably overestimated the impact design thinking would have (it’s had an impact, just not as much as this book suggests). Worth a read if you’re into this subject.
August 10, 2019
This book is a great read for anyone in the creative field of product or experience design struggling to evaluate to what extent the company or team they are part of is ‘Design-inclusive’ or for the entrepreneurs of the future trying to figure out a more modern approach of doing!
This book confirmed something that I have been thinking about for a very long time is that no matter how much a designer can influence the culture of a company, the real change happens when it is driven from top down. This book is a great piece for that! It could be used to introduce managers and leaders to learn about the importance of design-inclusiveness and design thinking. Fun read, with a lot of punches!
This book confirmed something that I have been thinking about for a very long time is that no matter how much a designer can influence the culture of a company, the real change happens when it is driven from top down. This book is a great piece for that! It could be used to introduce managers and leaders to learn about the importance of design-inclusiveness and design thinking. Fun read, with a lot of punches!
September 3, 2021
A coworker recommended this book, but he’s not on Goodreads, so I feel ok being honest.
This book feels its age - a handful of catchy phrases on how to fuel innovation and bring design further into organizations, but the examples remind you you’re reading a 2008 publication (aka, lauding JetBlue and Facebook). Not one I’d recommend to anyone in a creative field today.
This book feels its age - a handful of catchy phrases on how to fuel innovation and bring design further into organizations, but the examples remind you you’re reading a 2008 publication (aka, lauding JetBlue and Facebook). Not one I’d recommend to anyone in a creative field today.
January 30, 2023
Design is more than beauty, it can literally save the world. As a designer, I am obsessed with the idea of leveraging design to empower companies for a better world. Highly recommended for all creatives who are seeking for more.
April 22, 2022
Such a great read! I was reading it with the context of healthcare in mind and found it to have many relevant, insightful ideas. I imagine that would translate for a myriad of industries as well.
July 9, 2016
This book is targeted towards business individuals especially those who are managerial positions.
Things I liked:
- It tries to highlight the importance of design/design thinking/innovation in 21st century which I believe is very important and what lead me to read this book.
- It has a nice summary in bullet points at the end of the book that you can use later for a recap or to sprinkle on your PPTs.
- Its a short book which you can complete on a single journey.
Things I didn't like
- It is not very much persuasive and it lacks contiguous sections which connect very well.
- No real world connections or examples. It sometimes feels you are just reading a list of important points.
Things I liked:
- It tries to highlight the importance of design/design thinking/innovation in 21st century which I believe is very important and what lead me to read this book.
- It has a nice summary in bullet points at the end of the book that you can use later for a recap or to sprinkle on your PPTs.
- Its a short book which you can complete on a single journey.
Things I didn't like
- It is not very much persuasive and it lacks contiguous sections which connect very well.
- No real world connections or examples. It sometimes feels you are just reading a list of important points.
May 4, 2009
This book was really interesting, but the steps described will be hard to truly implement unless you are a very high level manager or decision maker. Even so, it reminded me the importance of being the change I'd like to see, and cultivating a group of like minded coworkers to spur change from within. Very easy reading, can be read on a modest length flight, as promised.
October 26, 2009
Different, inspiring and motivating! When you are involved in any sort of product/service creation, this is a must-read. It also helps you to understand better how some of current "old-school" companies work.
January 20, 2011
An inspiring read for company leaders looking to maximize their organization's innovation potential.
March 5, 2013
Liked it quite a lot. Many of the insights seem to be self evident, but it is important to get them pointed out.
February 3, 2014
like a collection of many good ideas, but itself is so unorganized.
Read
January 15, 2016658.4063 N493 2009
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews