{"id":7585,"date":"2020-05-27T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=7585"},"modified":"2021-01-28T15:22:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T20:22:22","slug":"how-5-ceos-used-design-thinking-to-transform-their-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/how-5-ceos-used-design-thinking-to-transform-their-companies","title":{"rendered":"How 5 CEOs Used Design Thinking to Transform Their Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve written about how <\/span>design thinking can make you a better leader<\/span><\/a>, but what does that look like in the real-world? To find out, we took a closer look at how five influential CEOs have used design thinking to transform their companies. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those unfamiliar with design thinking, it\u2019s a concept that revolves around creative problem-solving. As influential IDEO founder and CEO Tim Brown defined it, design thinking is a \u201chuman-centered approach\u201d to innovation that uses a designer\u2019s approach to consider the needs of consumers, the potential of technology, and the realities of business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how top CEOs are leveraging design thinking. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PepsiCo Refines Its Customer Experience<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi faced skepticism when she originally ascended to the head of an organization whose top brands were losing market share. Ultimately, however, during the 12 years she served as CEO \u2013 seven years longer than the average CEO \u2013 the company\u2019s sales <\/span>grew 80 percent<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design thinking was at the core of Nooyi\u2019s tremendously successful run. She <\/span>has said<\/span><\/a> design had a voice in almost every crucial decision the company made. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she originally decided the company needed to rethink its innovation process and design experience, she started out by giving each of her direct reports an empty photo album and a camera, and asked them to take pictures of anything that represented good design.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she saw the uninspiring results \u2013 and when she realized that every time she tried to talk to her employees about design, they would want to talk only about packaging \u2013 she realized it was time to hire a designer.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s much more than packaging,\u201d Nooyi <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> the Harvard Business Review. \u201cWe had to rethink the entire experience, from conception to what\u2019s on the self to the postproduct experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an example, she pointed to the Pepsi Spire, a touch screen fountain machine the company developed. Other companies focused on adding a few new flavors or buttons, she noted, but \u201cour design guys essentially said that we\u2019re talking about a fundamentally different interaction between consumer and machine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, our teams are pushing design through the entire system, from product creation, to packaging and labelling, to how a product looks on the shelf, to how consumers interact with it,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Global Humanitarian Lab Creates the Family Tent<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Olivier Delarue, CEO and co-founder of the Global Humanitarian Lab, has <\/span>laid out a case<\/span><\/a> for the potential power of human-centered design thinking to help philanthropic organizations meet their goals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As just one example, Delarue points to the family tent. Family tents have long been considered the best shelter solution during humanitarian disasters, but they tend to last only six months to a year before needing to be replaced. Refugees are displaced on average for 17 years, creating a costly issue.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To come up with a solution to that problem, Delarue explains, they looked to design. With an investment from the IKEA Foundation, a team of Swedish designers and UNHCR staff began collaboration on what would become the <\/span>Better Shelter Unit<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The innovative units are now acting as temporary homes, medical facilities, and food distribution points across Africa, Asia, and Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nike Pushes Creativity <\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mark Parker joined Nike in 1979 as a footwear designer and product tester. Twenty-seven years later, he was named CEO. In the 12 years since, the company\u2019s revenue has <\/span>more than doubled<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s remained famously meticulous about product design, even continuing to work as a member of Nike\u2019s HTM team to create limited-edition footwear runs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s also passionate about innovation in design. The <\/span>company partnered with DreamWorks<\/span><\/a> to build a 3D digital design system to improve the product creation process.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I started at Nike as a designer I was always asked, \u2018What more can you do with shoes that hasn\u2019t already been done?\u2019\u201d Parker <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThat was over 30 years ago, and I see more potential for change and innovation \u2026 today than I did then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tapping that potential simply requires the creativity and research of the design thinking approach.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lifting up rocks to find new solutions to problems, and we\u2019re looking in places that maybe many people aren\u2019t looking,\u201d Parker added.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with artists and designers, you get different points of view, and that cross-pollination of creativity to me is really rich. It creates a fertile place for new ideas to start.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco World Inspires Its Employees<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The CEO of rapidly growing Asian developer Eco World sent a group of 30 employees to a two-day design-thinking course in Malaysia because he wanted them to rid them of a \u201cworking in silo\u201d mentality and become more collaborative and open-minded.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, he was happy with the result.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have worked with some of them for years and while they are good at what they do, some can still appear timid or do not know how to incorporate empathy into their daily lives,\u201d <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> Datuk Chang Khim Wah, Eco World president and CEO. \u201cAlthough we only sent them here for two days, I can already see the difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ford Rejuvenates Its Approach (and Michigan Central Station)<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When designer Jim Hackett became CEO of Ford, he was tasked with trying to keep the 100-plus-year-old carmaker relevant in a crowded marketplace. He said he planned to use a \u201c<\/span>design thinking<\/span><\/a>\u201d innovation and management approach, and roughly a year after he took the post, that method was already paying off.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one example, the company announced a billion-dollar-plus transformation of Ford\u2019s facilities in Michigan. As part of the project, Ford took control of the run-down Michigan Central Station, disused since the 1980s, with the ambitious plan to convert it into the crown jewel of a local revitalization that would also create a new-mobility ecosystem in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDesign thinking is about addressing a number of layers in a problem,\u201d Hackett told Business Insider, adding that the connection of smart vehicles with a shifting urban environment was a \u201crare historic opportunity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can improve the environment and get vehicles to orchestrate and harmonize.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about BrainStation’s Design Thinking courses<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These five influential CEOs are leveraging design thinking to encourage innovation and creativity. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7589,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[595],"tags":[596,260,598,119,511,597],"yoast_head":"\nHow 5 CEOs Used Design Thinking to Transform Their Companies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Adopting a design thinking approach can make you a better leader. 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