Category Archives: Design

The Education Business Model Canvas

Mission Model Canvas

GUEST POST from Arlen Meyers

The business model canvas is one of many useful tools to design, evolve and test products and services business models. While the original model was proposed to help founders create a viable and scaleable business model, it has also helped non-profit executives, as the mission driven business model, and those looking to make a career change, using a personal business model as the Business Model You.

Personal Business Model Canvas

The construct is also useful if you are an edupreneur, trying to create and launch new educational products and services, including new courses, certificates, programs or degree offerings.

Edupreneurship rests on several foundational principles:

Having an entrepreneurial mindset
Intra- and entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies
Design thinking focused on creating stakeholder and beneficiary defined outcomes
A systems engineering approach to solving wicked problems, like how to fix outcomes disparities and their social determinants
A different business model
More respect for and attention to edupreneurial champions
Better teacher education and training
An incentive and reward system for not just tweaking a failed system , but rather, making it obsolete given the basic structural changes in the US economy
Eliminating unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy, credentialing that does not add value and administrivia
Paying more attention to and measuring student defined outcomes
Better public-private integration
K-20 integration and alignment

13. Teaching students what they need to win the 4th industrial revolution

14. Embracing cradle to career integration

15. Creating a competent diverse and equitable talent pipeline

We has seen several recent advances in edupreneurship.

Here is the boomer’s guide to teaching millenials.

The UGME steering committee recognizes that medical education programs are faced with the ubiquitous challenge of repeated calls for innovation and that, frequently, these calls do not adequately address the associated resource demands. As medical educators, we have become highly creative in identifying strategies to do more with less, but as we know, this is not a sustainable model of stewardship. In 2016 and 2017, the UGME section collaborated with the Group on Business Affairs (GBA) to explore evolving models to support and sustain UGME programming. A result of this work is the Business Model Canvas for Medical Educators. The original Business Model Canvas was proposed by Alexander Osterwalder in 2008 and has been modified over time to fit other needs. The Table of Contents will direct you to resources, including the Business Model Canvas for Medical Educators template and two examples submitted by institutions who have successfully used the template to secure funding from within their own institution.

The edupreneurship business model canvas has a few modifications to the traditional startup one:

Customer segments: The primary customer are students. However, there are many other education stakeholders, including admininstrators, alumni, donors, employers and parents. In addition, for any given subject, potential students will have different backgrounds and experience in the subject, will have different jobs they want done, and, therefore, will have different applications for what they learned, be it finding a job, getting a promotion, or adding value where they presently work.

Value proposition: For each customer segment , you have a specific value proposision. You typically describe it in the course syllabus, telling users about the intended audience, the goals of the course, the learning objectives, and the curriculum. For example, the value proposition for a course I teach to xMBA/HA students is :

This course will introduce graduate level students in healthcare administration and leadership to the principles and practice of healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship defined as the pursuit of opportunity under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous conditions with the goal of creating stakeholder defined value through the deployment of innovation using a valid, automatic, scaleable and time sensitive (VAST) business model.

Following completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. identify gaps in your health entrepreneurship competencies and develop a personal and professional development plan to address them

2. create an organizational culture of innovation, lead innovators and overcome the barriers to healthcare innovation dissemination and implementation

3. identify the multiple clinical and non-clinical ways to practice healthcare entrepreneurship

4. Create a plan to solve a problem inside or outside of your organization that meets the goals of the quintuple aim (Quality, cost, access, experience, waste/business operations)

5. Identify the startup life cycle and challenges at each stage

Channels: This describes how you will deliver your course. Will it be face to face, online or some hybrid model with elements of both?

Customer relationships: This describes how you will get, keep and grow the numbers of students who will take the course, e.g. promoting in the course catalog, attending a career or course proposal day, creating awareness on social media or using word or mouth dissemination from previous students.

Revenue model: This describes how your employer or you will generate revenue from the products. Traditionally, universisty based courses use a “butts in the seats” model, but COVID and new eductional technologies have radically changes the revenue generating possibilities, inluding advertising, freemium models, subscription models and others.

Key resources: This describes the human, physical, intellectual property and financial resources you will need to build, execute and scale your initiative. For example, do you want to copyright your materials, or , do you want to make them an open educational resource using a Creative Commons license?

Key activities: This what you need to do to perform and deliver on your value proposition, like what you will do using a learning management system, like create videos, run office hours, moderate asynchronous virtual discussions and design and grade exams and quizzes

Key partnerships: This describes who can help you, be they guest faculty, educational technology partners, corporate sponsors, e.g. if you are using project based learning techniques or online tools and resouce producers, e.g cases from the Harvard Business School collection.

Costs: This describes the tangible and intangible costs to produce your product. In most instances, your time, opportunity costs and effort will overshadow the monetary costs.

COVID has accelerated the pace of change in higher education, forcing them to create entrepreneurial universities. Teaching faculty how to use the education business model canvas should be part of faculty development to mimimize projecdt and product failure.

Here is what I learned, using the business model canvas, teaching sickcare innovation and entrepreneurship to first year medical students at the University of Colorado.

In this post , Steve Blank offers a new definition of why startups exist: a startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.

So is a new course or certificate. Use the education driven business model to make your product desireable, feasible, viable and adaptable and be sure to document your success when it comes time for your evaluation,promotion and tenure review. More likely, though, you will be including it in your failure resume, since, like the vast majority of new products, yours is likely to fail because 1) you offered a product students don’t want to buy or someone does not want to pay for, and 2) you do not have a VAST educational product business model.

Image credits: Strategyzer

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Innovative Tools for Enhancing User Research

Innovative Tools for User Research

In the digital age, a plethora of user research tools has emerged, offering user researchers unprecedented insights into consumer behavior. Among these tools, augmented reality (AR) user testing, AI-driven sentiment analysis, and real-time collaboration platforms have gained prominence. These tools facilitate deeper understanding and engagement with users, often leading to breakthroughs in product and service design.

Case Studies

Case Study 1: XYZ Inc. Leverages Augmented Reality for User Testing

XYZ Inc., a tech company focused on smart home solutions, incorporated augmented reality (AR) into their user research strategy. By utilizing AR for user testing, they allowed participants to interact with virtual prototypes of their new home-automation system in a realistic environment. This approach not only reduced the costs associated with physical prototyping but also provided users with a more intuitive experience.

Through AR, XYZ Inc. gathered valuable feedback on user interactions with interfaces, uncovering usability issues that traditional methods would have overlooked. As a result, the company was able to refine its user experience design significantly before launching the product, leading to higher customer satisfaction and adoption rates.

Case Study 2: ABC Corp. Utilizes AI-driven Sentiment Analysis

ABC Corp., a financial services firm, implemented AI-driven sentiment analysis to interpret user feedback on their mobile banking app. By integrating AI algorithms that processed thousands of feedback entries, they were able to detect not only the content but also the emotional tone of user comments.

This tool provided insights that went beyond what conventional surveys and interviews could capture. ABC Corp. discovered specific pain points related to security and navigation and identified that sentiments were particularly negative among users aged 50 and above. Armed with this knowledge, they prioritized user-friendly designs and security enhancements tailored to meet the needs of this demographic, resulting in a significant uptick in positive user feedback and app engagement.

Conclusion

The integration of innovative tools in user research is transforming the landscape of user-centered design. As illustrated by the case studies of XYZ Inc. and ABC Corp., adopting new technologies such as AR user testing and AI-driven sentiment analysis can lead to profound insights and significantly enhance product design and user satisfaction. Embracing these tools not only strengthens the research process but also places organizations at the forefront of innovation, ultimately fostering a deeper connection with the end-users.

Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Bureaucracy and Politics versus Innovation

4 Replies

Bureaucracy and Politics versus Innovation

Innovation in military hardware is really hard.

I wanted to call this article “Corruption versus Innovation” but I sailed back from the precipice to a more forgiving title to give the government and military contractors the benefit of the doubt that the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program – aka Little Crappy Ships – was not corporate welfare but merely a poorly executed military contract.

Back in 2004 the Bush administration decided it wanted to increase military spending.

One of the ways they decided to do this was to initiate a new shipbuilding program that benefited Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. The initial phase of the project called for two ships of each design to be built at an estimated cost of $220 million each. The initial phase of this suspect shipbuilding program went so poorly that congress canceled the second ship each company was scheduled to build and re-opened bidding.

The government pushed for fixed price contracting, and despite agreeing to a fixed price of $432-437 million each, the first ship set sail at a price of $637 million and the second at a whopping $704 million. This for a ship that was initially envisioned to only need a crew of forty sailors (eight officers and 32 enlisted) to operate. This was later changed to a crew of 73 sailors and 20 airmen to operate helicopters, UAV’s or other special equipment.

After beginning the LCS program in 2004, it wasn’t until 2013 that the initial LCS achieved its first deployment – to Singapore. That’s nine years from initiation to product launch. Think about how much has changed in the last nine years – we’ll come back to this point later.

The continuing poor performance of both the program (never-ending cost overruns), and the ship itself, forced the US Navy to reduce its orders from 55 of the ships to 32. Despite this reduction in the number of ships, the Navy chose to still take delivery of all 120 of the helicopters designed to pair with the ships, deeming it more expensive to cancel the contract for the excess helicopters than to go ahead and take delivery.

You can probably see now why I was going to call this article “Corruption versus Innovation” as the billions of dollars siphoned from the taxpayers to the military contractors and their shareholders pile up.

What’s worse, not only have the ships proven to be THREE TIMES more expensive to acquire than advertised, but they break down all the time and cost nearly as much to operate annually as an Arleigh-Burke Destroyer AND they have still yet to deploy their mine countermeasure and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The situation is so bad that the Navy is abandoning the program and looking to replace its little crappy ships (LCS) with a new Frigate program – the FFG (X) to be constructed by an Italian shipbuilding firm.

So, what went wrong?

Through the eyes of both a U.S. Navy Veteran, and as an innovation professional, here are my thoughts about how the U.S. Government can require its contractors to leverage more innovation best practices in their provision of services on behalf of the American people. Here are five places to start:

1. Pick the Right Time Horizon for Your Design Challenge

One of the biggest mistakes that organizations make is not consider how long it takes to develop, launch and market a new product or service without considering how an identified customer insight might change over that timeframe. For example, if it takes you two years to launch a new product and you’re developing that product based on a customer insight identified today, there is a chance that two years from now the customer may no longer value the key elements of the solution you’re designing. So, you must make sure that you’re designing against a customer insight that will still be relevant at the end of your product development and launch timeline.

Innovating for the Future Present

For more, see my article Are You Innovating for the Past or the Future?

2. Make Sure You’re Solving a Problem Worth Solving

It is really easy to latch on to a single problem and decide to solve it. But is it the right problem to solve?

Smart organizations don’t jump to problem solving too soon, but instead start with problem finding in a divergent manner before converging via problem prioritization, then diverge again in a problem deep dive and finally converge into a problem summary and a research brief focused on a carefully chosen problem worth solving.

Preparing to Solve the Right Problem

For more, see my article Picking a Problem Worth Solving From a Sea of Problems

3. Identify Potential Fatal Flaws

No idea is perfect, and so when you can identify the potential fatal flaws or the high hurdles that have to be overcome, you can challenge them, you can solve for them, you can unleash the passion of your team on trying to find a way around them.

The fatal flaws are always there, and the wise innovator doesn’t ignore them or assume that they will overcome them at some point in the future, but instead invests energy upfront into both trying to identify the fatal flaws of their idea and into identifying whether they can isolate the solutions before moving the idea forward.

For more, see my article Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fatal Flaws

4. Create an Experimentation Strategy and a Plan for Learning Fast

When it comes to innovation, it is not as important whether you fail fast or fail slow or whether you fail at all, but how fast you learn. And make no mistake, you don’t have to fail to innovate (although there are always some obstacles along the way). With the right approach to innovation you can learn quickly from failures AND successes.

The key is to pursue your innovation efforts as a discrete set of experiments designed to learn certain things and instrumenting each project phase in such a way that the desired learning is achieved.

The central question should always be:

“What do we hope to learn from this effort?”

My Experiment Canvas is a great free tool you can download from this web site to help you design and execute a series of carefully selected experiments to help you get the right learning and to help identify early on whether or not you can realistically solve for the potential fatal flaws – as early as possible – while investments are low.

For more, see my article Don’t Fail Fast – Learn Fast and download your free Experiment Canvas poster to print or to use as a background to lock down and put virtual sticky notes on top of in online whiteboarding tools like Miro, Mural, LucidSpark or Microsoft Whiteboard.

5. Design for Modularity to Reduce Obsolescence

The LCS was promised to be a modular warship capable of performing multiple missions, but the contractors have failed to deliver on this promise.

It takes a really long time to put a new ship design to sea and into service. So, if you get it wrong, like with the LCS program, it will be many more years before you can replace a faulty design with a new design.

We rarely successfully predict the future, so it is important to design in the capability to adapt solutions as they are developed to match emerging realities. Otherwise, you can end up designing a solution for a problem that goes away.

To reduce the chances of designing a new ship for a mission that may no longer be needed by the time it is put to sea, it is imperative that each ship is designed to be intentionally modular. It is imperative that each ship is designed as a platform of platforms.

The automobile industry has gotten really good at designing in this way. Different trim levels have different stereo options, for example, or a dealer can install a spoiler or a luggage rack pretty easily if a customer desires it.

Designing with modularity and upgradeability in mind to change out key components to different mission needs that may emerge over time or new technologies that may create new or enhanced capabilities, is an incredibly powerful way to extend the usefulness and lifespan of each new maritime defense hull.

Conclusion

The U.S. Navy is in a quandary about what to do with the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) it already has.

So much so that it has reached out to fleet commanders to inquire what missions the ships should be deployed against – according to Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener.

The Navy should consider opening up their queries for help even wider, perhaps to the global innovation community.

But, with that said, as a U.S. Navy veteran I think the perception of the success or failure of this program would be seen much differently if they had successfully deployed the Anti-Mine Countermeasure and Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities BEFORE the Surface Warfare capabilities.

Frigates and Destroyers are much more capable surface warfare platforms, and in hindsight the billions of dollars wasted on this program could have been much better spent for the benefit of the American people.

So, I hope that military contractors and the U.S. Government will improve their ability to deliver increased value at a decreased price as they pursue future shipbuilding programs and leverage some of the innovation best practices above.

Grabbing a copy of Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire would also be a great place to start.

Go Navy!

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (ship photo)
All other images: Braden Kelley (All Rights Reserved)

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Cross-Functional Collaboration in Design

1 Reply

Breaking Down Silos

Cross-Functional Collaboration in Design

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the traditional silos that once segmented different departments within organizations are becoming increasingly detrimental. Cross-functional collaboration is no longer optional but essential, especially in the field of design where the synthesis of diverse perspectives can spur innovation and lead to holistic solutions. Here’s a look into why breaking down silos is crucial for impactful design and how real-world examples are leading the way.

The Importance of Cross-Functional Collaboration in Design

Design is the nexus where aesthetics meet functionality, and understanding the client or customer is crucial. By involving diverse teams, organizations can ensure their designs are not only visually appealing but also technically feasible, user-oriented, and market-ready. This collaborative approach encourages creativity and helps identify unforeseen challenges early in the design process.

Case Study 1: XYZ Tech’s Product Development

Background

XYZ Tech, a leader in consumer electronics, wanted to develop an innovative smart home device. Historically, the design team and engineering teams worked independently, leading to delays and frequent iterations.

Approach

To break down the silos, XYZ Tech initiated a series of cross-functional design sprints that brought together designers, engineers, marketers, and customer service representatives. The goal was to leverage each department’s expertise from the outset.

Outcome

This integration led to a faster development cycle. By combining insights from each team, the initial prototypes were more refined, and the final product launch was accelerated by six months. In addition, the collaboration resulted in a product that not only met technical specifications but exceeded customer expectations in user experience and aesthetics.

Case Study 2: ABC Fintech’s Mobile App Revival

Background

ABC Fintech faced declining user engagement with their mobile app. Feedback indicated issues with functionality and user interface which had been designed in isolation.

Approach

To tackle this, ABC Fintech organized workshops that included members from UX design, IT, customer support, and analytics teams. This cross-functional team worked collaboratively in real-time, sharing insights and user data to inform design decisions.

Outcome

The collaboration brought vital customer insights to the forefront, leading to a redesigned app that was intuitive and responsive. Post-launch analytics showed a 40% increase in user engagement and a positive shift in user satisfaction scores.

Conclusion

Breaking down silos and fostering cross-functional collaboration are keys to fostering innovation in design. The synergy derived from diverse perspectives can lead organizations to not only design better products but also to achieve greater efficiency and customer satisfaction. As these case studies demonstrate, the collective strength of interconnected teams is a formidable force in the world of design.

“Collaboration is the essence of life. The wind, bees, and flowers work together, to spread the pollen.” – Amit Ray

Image credit: Pexels

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

The Role of Policy in Driving Accessibility

1 Reply

The Role of Policy in Driving Accessibility

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In our quest to create more inclusive societies, accessibility stands as a crucial pillar for enabling equal opportunities for all. Effective policies play an instrumental role in driving accessibility by setting standards, creating frameworks, and ensuring accountability. In this article, we’ll explore how policy can enable accessibility through two compelling case studies.

Understanding the Importance of Accessibility Policies

Accessibility policies ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to digital and physical spaces. These policies help remove barriers, promote inclusive design, and foster environments where everyone can participate fully, regardless of their abilities.

Case Study 1: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Signed into law in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) represents a landmark policy that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It’s a legally binding framework that covers various aspects of accessibility, including employment, public accommodations, transportation, and more.

The impact of the ADA has been profound. By setting clear standards for physical access to buildings, transportation, and public services, it has transformed the everyday lives of millions of Americans. Businesses across sectors have been prompted to prioritize accessibility in their design and operational practices.

Moreover, the ADA has inspired international movements and policies aimed at improving accessibility, serving as a model for other nations to follow. Its success illustrates how comprehensive legislation can drive meaningful change, both culturally and infrastructurally, enhancing accessibility for everyone.

Case Study 2: The European Accessibility Act (EAA)

In the European Union, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) was adopted in 2019 to harmonize accessibility requirements across member states. The EAA focuses on making key products and services more accessible, such as banking services, telecommunication, and e-commerce.

The policy mandates that these sectors adopt design practices that accommodate individuals with disabilities, thus ensuring their full participation in the digital and economic spheres. This approach has accelerated innovation within industries, prompting the development of new assistive technologies and inclusive design strategies.

By fostering a single market for accessible products and services, the EAA not only enhances accessibility across Europe but also promotes economic growth through inclusivity. It exemplifies how regional policy can spearhead innovation and improve accessibility on a large scale.

Conclusion

Policies like the ADA and the EAA underline the crucial role legislation plays in advancing accessibility. By setting standards and creating accountability, such policies become catalysts for both societal change and technological innovation. As we move toward a more inclusive future, it is imperative that governments, industries, and communities continue to advocate for and develop robust policies that can further improve accessibility worldwide.

Image credit: Unsplash

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

The Five Whys of Organizational Structure

Re-Designing the Operating Model

LAST UPDATED: November 12, 2025 at 12:36PM

The Five Whys of Organizational Structure

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

Leaders often embark on organizational restructuring with good intentions, aiming for agility or efficiency. Yet, most reorganizations fail not because the new chart is wrong, but because they confuse the structure (the boxes and lines on the chart) with the operating model (the mechanism by which value is created and flows through the organization). They end up playing musical chairs with reporting lines, only to find the same dysfunctions resurface within six months because, as the saying goes, structure always eats strategy for breakfast.

To implement true, sustainable change, we must apply a human-centered design approach to the organization itself. We must stop asking “What is the best structure?” and start asking “Why does our current structure fail to deliver customer value?” This requires the rigorous diagnostic tool of the Five Whys of Organizational Structure.

This process moves beyond superficial complaints and identifies the root cause of systemic friction, revealing whether the true problem is structure, process, metrics, or talent.

The Five Whys Diagnostic for Organizational Structure

The Five Whys approach, adapted from quality management, forces a deep dive into organizational friction points. Start with a symptom (e.g., “Product launches are slow”) and keep asking “Why?” until you reach the systemic cause.

Symptom: Product launches are slow.

Why 1: Why are product launches slow?Answer: Decisions on feature prioritization require sign-off from three different VP-level silos (Marketing, Engineering, Sales).
Why 2: Why do three VPs need to sign off?Answer: Because each VP controls a separate, competing budget and their compensation metrics are siloed (e.g., Sales gets paid on volume, Engineering on uptime, Marketing on lead generation). No one is measured on time-to-market.
Why 3: Why are their budgets and metrics siloed?Answer: Because the underlying financial reporting structure treats these functions as distinct cost centers, reinforcing the idea that they are running competing businesses rather than collaborative value streams.
Why 4: Why does the financial reporting structure reinforce competing cost centers?Answer: Because the entire Operating Model is designed for cost optimization and risk aversion, reflecting the stable, high-margin market we existed in 20 years ago, not the fast-paced, low-margin, high-innovation market of today.
Why 5: Why is the Operating Model still based on outdated assumptions?Answer: Because the executive team has never aligned on the **value streams** necessary to win today, and instead defers to the historical hierarchy to avoid conflict. The root cause is a failure of executive alignment and strategic imagination, not the org chart itself.

The Three Levers of Operating Model Design

Once the Five Whys reveal the systemic cause, the Human-Centered Change leader must pull the right lever. Re-designing the Operating Model means adjusting three interconnected elements—none of which is the org chart alone:

1. Value Stream Mapping (The Flow)

This replaces the traditional functional view with a flow view. Instead of organizing around departments (Marketing, IT, Operations), organization must happen around the customer’s journey and the **Value Stream** that delivers it (e.g., “Customer Acquisition,” “New Product Development,” “Service Resolution”). The structure is built around the work and the customer, not the people.

2. Metrics and Incentives (The Gravity)

As seen in the diagnostic, siloed metrics are the gravity that pulls teams apart. The new structure must be supported by shared, end-to-end metrics that measure the success of the Value Stream, not the individual function. If an IT team is measured on uptime, but the product team is measured on speed-to-market, the teams will always conflict. Aligning incentives is the force that pulls the organization together.

3. Decision Rights (The Speed)

The new model must explicitly define who has the authority to decide. Most friction comes from ambiguity, with decisions perpetually escalating upward. Adopting a decentralized model means pushing decision-making authority—and the associated accountability—down to the teams that have the most direct customer knowledge. This shifts the executive role from approver to architect of the system and monitor of guardrails, significantly boosting organizational speed.

Case Study 1: The Banking Giant and the Value Stream Shift

Challenge: Slow Digital Onboarding

A major international bank suffered from a glacial pace in launching new digital banking features. The Five Whys revealed that the root cause was the structural handoff: moving a new feature from Digital Banking (measured on UX) to IT (measured on stability) to Compliance (measured on risk avoidance). The customer suffered through slow, fragmented releases.

Operating Model Intervention:

The bank moved from a functional structure to a Value Stream Model. They created permanent, cross-functional “Customer Onboarding Pods,” each containing members from Digital Banking, IT, and Compliance. The pods were measured on one metric: time-to-launch for new features and reduction in customer abandonment rate. The executive leadership formally delegated the majority of compliance sign-offs to the senior Compliance member within the pod. This shift from sequential handoffs to parallel collaboration reduced the average time-to-market for simple features from eight weeks to two weeks, proving the power of aligning structure around the customer’s journey.

Case Study 2: The Manufacturing Firm and the Decentralized Decision Rights

Challenge: Centralized Command Crippling Local Innovation

A diversified global manufacturer experienced lagging innovation outside its headquarters. Every request for investment in local market-specific product modifications (e.g., smaller packaging for an emerging market) had to be approved by a centralized, U.S.-based committee. The Five Whys revealed that the central committee’s reluctance stemmed from a 20-year-old policy of standardizing inventory to reduce risk, even if it sacrificed growth opportunities.

Operating Model Intervention:

The firm did not eliminate the central committee, but they radically redefined its Decision Rights. The new model delegated 80% of all investment decisions under $500,000 to regional General Managers (GMs), provided the GMs adhered to three non-negotiable Guardrails (e.g., a minimum return on investment threshold, a maximum safety risk score, and a maximum working capital usage). The central committee’s role shifted from saying “yes” or “no” to designing and monitoring the guardrails. This empowered local GMs, leading to a 30% increase in locally-relevant product launches within the first year by pushing accountability and speed to the edge of the organization.

Conclusion: Structure is a Change Enabler

The Five Whys teaches us that the org chart is usually just a symptom of a deeper, systemic failure within the operating model. True organizational change starts with strategic integrity—a clear, executive-aligned decision on how value will be created, measured, and protected.

The process of re-designing the operating model is not a simple HR exercise; it is the ultimate act of Human-Centered Change. It forces us to remove the structural friction that frustrates employees and delays customer value, ultimately turning resistance into momentum.

“If your structure is slowing down your strategy, your structure is the wrong strategy. Reorganizing without redesigning your metrics and decision rights is an act of self-deception.”

Your first step to diagnosing your organization: Gather five key employees from different functional silos and collectively apply the Five Whys to the most painful, friction-filled process in your business.

Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.

Image credit: Unsplash

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2021

38 Replies

After a week of torrid voting and much passionate support, along with a lot of gut-wrenching consideration and jostling during the judging round, I am proud to announce your Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2021:

Janet Sernack
Janet Sernack is the Founder and CEO of ImagineNation™ which provides innovation consulting services to help organizations adapt, innovate and grow through disruption by challenging businesses to be, think and act differently to co-create a world where people matter & innovation is the norm.

Greg Satell
Greg Satell is a popular speaker and consultant. His first book, Mapping Innovation: A Playbook for Navigating a Disruptive Age, was selected as one of the best business books in 2017. Follow his blog at Digital Tonto or on Twitter @Digital Tonto.

Braden Kelley
Braden Kelley is a Human-Centered Experience, Innovation and Transformation consultant at HCL Technologies, a popular innovation speaker, workshop leader, and creator of the Human-Centered Change™ methodology. He is the author of Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire from John Wiley & Sons and Charting Change from Palgrave Macmillan. Follow him on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Jesse Nieminen
Jesse Nieminen is the Co-founder and Chairman at Viima, the best way to collect and develop ideas. Viima’s innovation management software is already loved by thousands of organizations all the way to the Global Fortune 500. He’s passionate about helping leaders drive innovation in their organizations and frequently writes on the topic, usually in Viima’s blog.

Robert B Tucker
Robert B. Tucker is the President of The Innovation Resource Consulting Group. He is a speaker, seminar leader and an expert in the management of innovation and assisting companies in accelerating ideas to market.

Rachel Audige
Rachel Audige is an Innovation Architect who helps organisations embed inventive thinking as well as a certified Systematic Inventive Thinking Facilitator, based in Melbourne.
Howard Tiersky
Howard Tiersky is an inspiring and passionate speaker, the Founder and CEO of FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency, innovation consultant, serial entrepreneur, and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance. IDG named him one of the “10 Digital Transformation Influencers to Follow Today”, and Enterprise Management 360 named Howard “One of the Top 10 Digital Transformation Influencers That Will Change Your World.”

Paul Sloane
Paul Sloane writes, speaks and leads workshops on creativity, innovation and leadership. He is the author of The Innovative Leader and editor of A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing, both published by Kogan-Page.

Pete Foley
A twenty-five year Procter & Gamble veteran, Pete has spent the last 8+ years applying insights from psychology and behavioral science to innovation, product design, and brand communication. He spent 17 years as a serial innovator, creating novel products, perfume delivery systems, cleaning technologies, devices and many other consumer-centric innovations, resulting in well over 100 granted or published patents. Find him at pete.mindmatters@gmail.com

Nicolas Bry
Nicolas is an International Innovation Executive, expert in corporate innovation programs, and innovation labs, designing place where good innovation thrives! He currently helps the 20 innovation managers of Orange Africa to develop their projects locally. In 2019 he wrote The Intrapreneurs’ Factory, a practical guide to leverage intrapreneurship for your company, and is the writer of the innovation blog RapidInnovation.fr.

Arlen Meyers
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org

Linda Naiman
Linda Naiman helps executives and their teams develop creativity, innovation, and leadership capabilities, through coaching, training and consulting. She brings a multi-disciplinary approach to learning and development by leveraging arts-based practices to foster creativity at work, and design thinking as a strategy for innovation.
Anthony Mills
Anthony Mills is the Founder & CEO of Legacy Innovation Group (www.legacyinnova.com), a world-leading strategic innovation consulting firm working with organizations all over the world. Anthony is also the Executive Director of GInI – Global Innovation Institute (www.gini.org), the world’s foremost certification, accreditation, and membership organization in the field of innovation. Anthony has advised leaders from around the world on how to successfully drive long-term growth and resilience through new innovation. Learn more at www.anthonymills.com. Anthony can be reached directly at anthony@anthonymills.com.

John Bessant
John Bessant has been active in research, teaching, and consulting in technology and innovation management for over 25 years. Today, he is Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Research Director, at Exeter University. In 2003, he was awarded a Fellowship with the Advanced Institute for Management Research and was also elected a Fellow of the British Academy of Management. He has acted as advisor to various national governments and international bodies including the United Nations, The World Bank, and the OECD. John has authored many books including Managing innovation and High Involvement Innovation (Wiley). Follow @johnbessant

Mike Shipulski
Mike Shipulski brings together people, culture, and tools to change engineering behavior. He writes daily on Twitter as @MikeShipulski and weekly on his blog Shipulski On Design.

Scott Anthony
Scott Anthony is a strategic advisor, writer and speaker on topics of growth and innovation. He has been based in Singapore since 2010, and currently serves at the Managing Director of Innosight’s Asia-Pacific operations.
Jeffrey Phillips
Jeffrey Phillips has over 15 years of experience leading innovation in Fortune 500 companies, federal government agencies and non-profits. He is experienced in innovation strategy, defining and implementing front end processes, tools and teams and leading innovation projects. He is the author of Relentless Innovation and OutManeuver. Jeffrey writes the popular Innovate on Purpose blog. Follow him @ovoinnovation

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney is the Author of “Beyond The Obvious”, Host of the Killer Innovations Podcast and Syndicated Radio Show, a Keynote Speaker, President & CEO CableLabs and an Innovation Mentor and Coach.
Gijs van Wulfen
Gijs van Wulfen helps organizations to structure the chaotic start of innovation as author, speaker and facilitator. He is the founder of the FORTH innovation method and author of the innovation bestseller The Innovation Expedition. He was chosen by LinkedIn as one of their first 150 Influencers. Follow Gijs @gijsvanwulfen
Kate Hammer
Kate Hammer is a joint founder of KILN, working with large-scale companies in the USA and Australia to transform their internal innovation processes. Kate works as a business storyteller. In 2012, she created StoryFORMs to help others articulate their commercial & organisational stories. Kate offers workshops & 1:1 coaching.

Phil Buckley
Phil Buckley is an award-winning author and change management strategist with over 32 large-scale change initiatives, including co-leading global change management for the $19.6 billion Kraft Foods acquisition of Cadbury. He is the author of two books: Change on the Run and Change with Confidence. You can find Phil’s podcast and monthly newsletter at www.changewithconfidence.com.

Tamara Ghandour
Tamara Ghandour of GoToLaunchStreet is a TED speaker and entrepreneur. From building and running multimillion dollar businesses, advising Fortune 500 like Disney, Procter and Gamble and RICOH on fostering innovative ideas and people. Tamara’s life is about breaking through the status quo for game-changing results, and that’s what her keynotes, online programs and assessments can do for you.

Tom Koulopoulos
Tom Koulopoulos is the author of 10 books and founder of the Delphi Group, a 25-year-old Boston-based think tank and a past Inc. 500 company that focuses on innovation and the future of business. He tweets from @tkspeaks.

Michael Graber
Michael Graber is the cofounder and managing partner at Southern Growth Studio, a Memphis-based firm that specializes in growth strategy and innovation. A published poet and musician, Graber is the creative force that complements the analytical side of the house. He speaks and publishes frequently on best practices in design thinking, business strategy, and innovation and earned an MFA from the University of Memphis.

Yoram Solomon
Dr. Yoram Solomon is the author of The Book of Trust and 12 more books, a TEDx and keynote speaker, the founder of the Innovation Culture Institute, and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship. You can follow him everywhere on @yoramsolomon.

Shilpi Kumar
Shilpi Kumar an inquisitive researcher, designer, strategist and an educator with over 15 years of experience, who truly believes that we can design a better world by understanding human behavior. I work with organizations to identify strategic opportunities and offer user-centric solutions.

Shawn Nason
Shawn Nason, founder and CEO of MOFI, lives his life with a commitment to make everyone he meets a part of his family. Armed with the gift of discernment, he has the uncanny ability to walk alongside people as they struggle to connect with their deepest passions and engage their most debilitating demons. He challenges the world around him to be fully present, get real, and knock down the barrier that separates the various compartments in their lives.
John Carter
John Carter has been a widely respected adviser to technology firms over his career. John is the author of Innovate Products Faster: Graphical Tools for Accelerating Product Development. As Founder and Principal of TCGen Inc., he has advised some of the most revered technology firms in the world.

Jeff Rubingh
Jeff Rubingh is a technology innovation expert, consultant and analyst. Focused on the intersection between technology and business, Jeff helps clients identify ground-breaking solutions that maximize ROI across existing and emerging technology disciplines.

Ludwig Melik
Ludwig Melik is CEO of Planbox, whose mission is to help organizations thrive by transforming the culture of agile work, continuous innovation, and creativity across the entire organization… Connect with him on LinkedIn or join the conversation by following Planbox on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Soren Kaplan
Soren Kaplan is the bestselling and award-winning author of Leapfrogging and The Invisible Advantage, an affiliated professor at USC’s Center for Effective Organizations, a former corporate executive, and a co-founder of UpBOARD. He has been recognized by the Thinkers50 as one of the world’s top keynote speakers and thought leaders in business strategy and innovation.

Shelly Greenway
Shelly Greenway is a front-end innovation strategist and partner at The Strategy Distillery – a brand innovation consultancy that specialises in opportunity hunting and proposition development. Their success rates are driven by their proprietary consumer co-creation IP. Follow @ChiefDistiller

Eric Eskey
Eric Eskey is a Managing Director at Strategyn, an innovation consultancy. Eric is in the business of creating the future. I aim to use the resources he has – his work, investments, voice, and imagination – to encourage innovation and defeat the hidden forces that resist it.
Mick Simonelli
Mick Simonelli is an innovator with 20+ years of implementing change and positive disruption at USAA. As a military veteran, he held transformation roles in numerous military organizations; and as a business executive, he purposely hired vets to help launch numerous innovations as the Chief Innovation Officer for a Fortune 500 company. Mick currently serves as an innovation consultant and can be found at www.micksimonelli.com Follow @MickSimonelli
Mitch Ditkoff
Mitch Ditkoff is the Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions and the author of “Awake at the Wheel”, as well as the very popular Heart of Innovation blog.
Peter Cook
Peter Cook leads Human Dynamics and The Academy of Rock, providing Keynotes, Organisational Development and Coaching. He is the author of seven books on business leadership. His three passions are science, business and music, having led innovation teams for 18 years to develop life-saving drugs including the first treatments for AIDS and the development of Human Insulin. Peter is Music and Business editor at Innovation Excellence. You can follow him on twitter @Academyofrock.
Mukesh Gupta
Mukesh Gupta is Director of Customer Advocacy, SAP India Private Limited. He also served as Executive Liaison for the SAP User group in India, and as a Global Lead in Sales & Business Development. He blogs, and shares podcasts and videos, on his site rmukeshgupta.com
Paul Hobcraft
Paul Hobcraft runs Agility Innovation, an advisory business that stimulates sound innovation practice, researches topics that relate to innovation for the future, as well as aligning innovation to organizations core capabilities. Follow @paul4innovating

Ralph Christian Ohr
Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr has extensive experience in product/innovation management for international technology-based companies. His particular interest is targeted at the intersection of organizational and human innovation capabilities. You can follow him on Twitter @Ralph_Ohr.

Randy Pennington
Randy Pennington is an award-winning author, speaker, and leading authority for helping leaders deliver positive results in a world of uncertainty and change. To learn more or to engage Randy for your organization, visit www.penningtongroup.com, email info@penningtongroup.com, or call 972-980-9857 (U.S.).

If your favorite didn’t make the list, then next year try to rally more votes for them or convince them to increase the quality and quantity of their contributions.

Our lists from the ten previous years have been tremendously popular, including:

Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2015
Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2016
Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2017
Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2018
Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2019
Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2020

Download PDF versions of the Top 40 Innovation Bloggers of 2020 and 2021 lists here:

. . .

Happy New Year everyone!

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

From Insight to Action – Leveraging User Feedback

Case Study 1: Airbnb – Revolutionizing Hospitality through User Insights

In its early stages, Airbnb was faced with the critical challenge of assuring users of the safety and reliability of their service. To tackle this, the company turned to user feedback as their guiding light. By conducting thorough interviews and feedback sessions with both hosts and guests, Airbnb discovered pain points related to trust and protection during transactions.

Leveraging these insights, Airbnb made strategic enhancements including Airbnb’s host guarantee and the introduction of a more detailed review system. This shift wasn’t merely functional; it was psychological, transforming how users perceived safety within the sharing economy. The result? A dramatic increase in both listings and bookings, showcasing the transformative power of targeted user feedback in solving critical business issues.

Case Study 2: Slack – Continuous User Engagement for Elevated Experience

Slack, the collaboration tool we know today, started as a game development company. When their game didn’t see commercial success, user feedback highlighted that their internal communication tool was more valuable than the game itself. Thus, Slack pivoted, launching a communication tool focused on enhancing team productivity.

Slack didn’t stop there; they consistently engaged with their growing user base to understand emerging needs. Feedback loops were embedded into their development process, allowing them to prioritize feature enhancements such as integrations, threaded messaging, and granular notification settings based on real user demands. This relentless pursuit of user-driven innovation helped Slack evolve rapidly and cement its place as a staple in workplace communication.

Implementing Feedback for Impact

In both of these case studies, we see clear proof of the power of user feedback in driving innovation and business success. To successfully transform insight into action, here are a few strategies:

Structured Feedback Collection: Make it easy for users to share their thoughts through surveys, interviews, or app features. Pay attention not only to what they say but also to what they do.
Prioritize Key Insights: Not all feedback is equal; prioritize insights that align with business goals and user value.
Iterate and Adapt: Use rapid iteration to test how well changes meet user needs. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement.
Close the Loop: Communicate back to the users about how their feedback has been used to make changes. This reinforces trust and encourages ongoing engagement.

Ultimately, the journey from insight to action is about committing to a mindset where user feedback is not only heard but actively drives business strategy and innovation. As we’ve seen, successful companies embed user feedback into their DNA, creating more aligned, responsive, and agile organizations.

As we continue to innovate in the realm of human-centered design, the challenge remains: how will you leverage user feedback to transform your organization?

This article explores the importance of user feedback in innovation with case studies of Airbnb and Slack, supported by actionable strategies to leverage feedback effectively.

SPECIAL BONUS: The very best change planners use a visual, collaborative approach to create their deliverables. A methodology and tools like those in Change Planning Toolkit™ can empower anyone to become great change planners themselves.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Overcoming Common Pitfalls in Human-Centered Design

1 Reply

Overcoming Common Pitfalls in Human-Centered Design

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Human-centered design (HCD) is an approach that grounds the creation of new products and services in understanding the needs, preferences, and limitations of the end-users. Despite its potential to foster innovation and create meaningful solutions, the process is fraught with pitfalls that can undermine its effectiveness. This article explores common challenges encountered in HCD and presents case studies that illustrate how organizations have overcome these obstacles to deliver successful outcomes.

Understanding User Needs: The Key to Avoiding Assumptions

One of the most prevalent pitfalls in HCD is the assumption that designers inherently know what users need. This can lead to solutions that are misaligned with user expectations and fail to address their true problems. A human-centered approach requires an empathetic understanding of the user’s world, which can only be achieved through direct engagement and observation.

Case Study: IDEO and the Redesign of a Medical Device

IDEO, a leader in human-centered design, faced a challenge when a medical device company approached them to redesign an insulin pump. The initial assumption was that users — primarily diabetic patients — primarily desired a smaller, more discreet device. However, through ethnographic research and user interviews, IDEO discovered that usability was the real concern. The pump’s interface was confusing, leading to frequent user errors.

Armed with this insight, IDEO shifted their focus from size to user-friendliness. They developed a new interface that was intuitive and easy to navigate, significantly reducing user errors. The redesigned device received widespread acclaim, illustrating the importance of challenging initial assumptions and truly understanding user needs.

Iterative Testing: Ensuring Solutions Are Refined and Effective

Another common pitfall is neglecting the iterative testing process. Human-centered design thrives on a cycle of prototyping, testing, and refining solutions based on user feedback. Skipping or underestimating this cycle can result in products that are technically sound but fail to resonate with users.

Case Study: Airbnb’s Evolving Website Experience

Airbnb, now a giant in the hospitality industry, wasn’t always the polished platform users see today. In its early days, Airbnb’s website was initially met with poor user engagement. Recognizing the need for iterative testing, the team began conducting regular sessions with users to gather feedback directly.

User testing revealed critical insights that guided several iterations of the website. Changes were made to the search functionality, listing presentations, and booking processes. Each iteration was tested and refined, leading to a more seamless and user-friendly experience. This dedication to understanding and iterating on the product from a user-centered perspective played a significant role in Airbnb’s success.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Leveraging Diverse Perspectives

HCD is inherently multidisciplinary, yet many organizations work in silos, stifling the richness of diverse perspectives. Effective HCD requires collaboration among cross-functional teams, bringing together designers, engineers, marketers, and end-users to foster innovation and creativity.

Conclusion

Overcoming pitfalls in human-centered design requires a commitment to understanding users deeply, iteratively testing and refining solutions, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. These principles ensure that products and services resonate with users and deliver tangible value. By embracing these practices, organizations can navigate the complexities of HCD and create truly innovative solutions that stand the test of time.

Image credit: Unsplash

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.