COURSE NUMBER: MBA290D.1

This course is cross listed with the College of Engineering

COURSE TITLE: Design as Strategic Management Issue

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2

INSTRUCTOR: Jon Pittman

E-MAIL ADDRESS: pittman@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Monday, 2:00-4:00 PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: The class will consist of lectures, group discussions, interactive exercises, a group design project, and several short assignments – to put the ideas into practice.

REQUIRED READINGS:

We will use two books chosen to expose students to design methods and theory. Students will be expected to read each book. There will also be short reading assignments and cases on the course reader and internet. Readings will be discussed in class. Supplemental readings will be provided for students who wish to delve deeper into the topics discussed in class

Required readings:

The Universal Traveler. A Soft-Systems guide to creativity, problem-solving, and the process of reaching goals. Koberg and Bagnell, Updated Classic Edition, Crisp

Change By Design. How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. Tim Brown. Harper Business.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

30% class participation
30% group design project
40% individual assignments

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

Companies are increasingly looking to design as a source of competitive advantage.  In a world made increasingly competitive through globalization and technological advancement, design is a differentiator that creates customer value and competitive separation.  In fact, innovation is the only sustainable form of competitive advantage. Design is the process of systematically creating successful innovations. Many think design is only about form – the creation of beautiful objects - but good design balances form, function, and performance.  Further, the kind of thinking that is applied to the design of products can also be applied to services, processes, customer experiences, and business models.

The purpose of this course is to help students learn to systematically create innovative solutions to business problems. The course will explore the relationship between business strategy and design. Students will learn:

*the competitive value of design and innovation

*how to evaluate the quality and value of design

*how to understand unarticulated customer needs

*design thinking skills, processes, and tools

*how to apply systematic and holistic design thinking to business problems

This course complements the MOT core curriculum New Product Development (NPD).   Whereas the NPD course focuses on specifically product development, this course applies design thinking and methods to a broader business context.

Through readings and cases, students will learn how design thinking is applied to a variety of business problems. They will develop design skills through a series of short exercises. They will have the opportunity to work with a team on a project to comprehensively apply design thinking to a business problem and create a solution in the form of a product, service, customer experience, or business model.

Students who successfully complete the course will possess a deep understanding of the role of design as a competitive weapon, a set of design thinking skills and methods, and a tangible result from their team design project. They will be prepared to address business challenges in a creative way and will possess unique skills that will be increasingly valuable in a competitive world.

MODIFICATIONS TO COURSE FROM ITS MOST RECENT OFFERING:

This course previously focused primarily on branding and the design aspects of marketing. It has been redesigned and broadened to more directly tie design to business strategy and competitiveness. The course is now focused on the link between design and strategy and uses design thinking to address a broad range of business challenges. This is the second year this redesigned course has been offered. This year will feature more interactive exercises and class discussions of readings. Students will be expected to blog their impressions of selected reading assignments.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Jon Pittman is the VP of Market Development at Autodesk, Inc.  He has over 25 years of experience in corporate strategy in software companies that serve designers from various disciplines such as architecture, engineering, and media. He was educated and licensed as an architect. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture and MBA from the University of Cincinnati and an MS in Computer Graphics from Cornell.  He has taught at Art Center College of Design and Cornell University. He has extensive international experience and passionately believes that design can both make the world a better place and help business to succeed competitively.