When I work with executives in large companies, the most common feedback I hear is that they don’t have time for design thinking. Going through the process of observing customers, brainstorming ideas, building prototypes, then going back to customers to see how they respond initially sounds like an unreasonable request when teams face short deadlines and pressure to be first to market.

Study shows design thinking projects deliver 300% ROI

Design thinking is often touted as a great way to generate creativity and inspire innovation. But did you know this approach has been proven to deliver significant financial results?

As an organization development practitioner, I’m always looking for new approaches to inspire the leaders I work with, and to help them find ways to engage their teams to be more innovative. When I discovered design thinking four years ago, I was excited. Design thinking is an optimistic, human-centered approach to problem solving, that when combined with other leadership and team development processes, can transform a team’s culture and performance.

Meet Keith Laplante a master facilitator helping transform organizations by teaching executives how to be customer-centric

Keith Laplante spent his twenties playing bass in a touring rock band, but today he has the spotlight all to himself. Laplante is one of ExperiencePoint’s master facilitators and a favorite workshop leader for some of ExperiencePoint’s largest global clients. Keith’s success has been built on his ability to transform corporate cultures by spearheading innovative process improvements and inspiring even the most stubborn stakeholders to embrace new methods of problem solving that focus on customer needs.

Creativity drives innovation. So how can managers urge their teams to let their creative juices flow? A design thinking workshop is a great place to start, but if you need to nudge them in a more creative direction today, our star facilitators offer this advice: