Unlocking Innovation thru DEI: The Power of Productive Disagreements in Design

Feb 27

Now will explore the value of productive disagreements and, therefore, the value of all kinds of diversity in design. We'll also dive into the importance of creating an environment for innovation, the power of friction, and design maturity in organizations.

Creating an Environment for Innovation

To transform the usual business culture, we need to focus on innovation, which requires workshops and friction. But how do we establish that friction and collective power? One way is through diversity. Human-centered innovation and workflows require teams that do not always agree. As a manager, creating a team that disagrees and still functions productively can be challenging, but it's crucial to ensure that conflict stays productive and disagreements do not become personal.

Design Maturity in Organizations

Studies by McKinsey show that companies with higher levels of design maturity in their business practices have better results for shareholders. The top scorers had 32% higher revenue growth and 56% higher growth over the entire period. This demonstrates the value of design and the importance of improving disagreements to make them productive.

Improving Disagreements

As we move forward on this journey, we must remember that it is not the "me show." We must take other views on board and ensure that we have conversations that are not always comfortable but valuable. Disagreements refine ideas and make them better. We must work through disagreements to create a more productive and innovative industry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the value of productive disagreements in design is significant. It is essential to establish an environment for innovation, create diverse teams that do not always agree, and work through disagreements to refine ideas. By doing so, we can create a more productive and innovative industry.

Reflections:

Creating an environment for innovation is critical, and we can learn from Tim Brown's book, "Change by Design," which emphasizes transforming a business-as-usual culture into one focused on innovation and driven by design. To enable innovation in human-centered workflows, business design, and the design of integrated industries, we must create safe spaces for experimentation to explore new models of ocean business innovation.

Diversity of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives is also crucial to creating extraordinary solutions. It's easy to work with people who agree with us and confirm our beliefs, but working with people who disagree with us is more important. We learn when we disagree, and only then can we refine our ideas through discussion and testing. Doing so productively with a diverse team makes us more likely to reach breakthroughs.

Once we have a great team together, we need to start prototyping, hypothesizing, and testing as soon as possible to clarify thoughts and assumptions and create a cycle of improvement early on.

To drive growth through design innovation, we must evolve many of the assets and capabilities already in place and adopt significantly different and new working methods.

Let's continue this journey towards a better industry, using productive disagreements to drive innovation and create value for our stakeholders.