Jeanne M. Liedtka

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving approach in which managers apply the mindset and methods of designers to develop innovative products, processes and business models.

The crux of design thinking is that it embraces both creativity and analytical thinking to solve problems; two sides of the design thinking coin, both are essential to the design thinking process.

Darden Professor Jeanne Liedtka offers a framework for how to use the collaborative creativity to solve problems and create business opportunities.

Even large bureaucracies like the Veterans Administration and IBM now use design thinking principals to explore the experiences of key stakeholders searching for insights into better client service.

In The Catalyst: How You Can Become an Extraordinary Growth Leader, Jeanne and her co-authors point out that even in large, established organizations, entrepreneurial skills and mindsets are helpful and, perhaps, critical for surviving in uncertain times.

This article, adapted from Professor Jeanne Liedtka and Timothy Ogilvie’s "10 Tools for Design Thinking," includes steps managers can use to identify and execute opportunities for growth and innovation.