Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation: What They Can't Teach You at Business or Design School

Ever since we figured out fire, stone tools, language, and the other great innovations of early humankind, change has been upon us. That’s why they call it evolution. That the rate of change today is arguably faster than it has ever been before is probably true. Cultural theorist Paul Virilio refers to that rate—and our pursuit of a science and logic of speed—as dromology, from the Greek dromos, meaning “to race.” For him, the speed at which change is occurring is as much about a dramatic shrinkage in space as it is of time. As our technology, transportation, communication, and other ways of being in the world become increasingly fast and efficient, the old traditions around which cultures, economies, and politics have been organized are upended.

One result of that speed is disruption. And few, if any, of the old traditions have been more disrupted in recent years than big business. In response to constant cultural turbulence and its effect on their reputation, growth, and bottom line, some large companies have turned to design thinking as a way to help them make sense of disruption and sustain competitiveness.

The sources of disruption are many, but one is obvious. As technological innovation accelerates, people, communities, organizations, and objects are more interconnected than ever before. Thanks to everything Internet, our world has shrunk and we are now very close. As a ...