Erin Cho of Parsons, The School of Design Strategies at The New School in New York, says that businesses today need to get creative if they want to survive. And she says that it is not a matter of choice.
"Innovation is no longer an option in business," she declares. "Today's marketplace is fiercely competitive, and companies must invest in creativity to thrive. That opens up career opportunities for those who can bring together diverse perspectives, facilitate collaborations, and come up with effective solutions."
Erin Cho of Parsons is an associate professor of strategic design and management at Parsons. She says that she has always understood the importance of combining different ideas and points of view, and that her past experiences have prepared her for the challenges of today's marketplace.
"My background is unique," she says. "I trained in design and focused on business for my PhD. In my career, I delved into supply chain management, consumer behavior, design management, social enterprise, and brand development. Early on, I understood the value of merging different ideas and perspectives."
Virtually all companies invest in some kind of creativity training programs or on creative consultants, but too often, the results are not satisfactory. Erin Cho of Parsons says that design thinking is fundamentally transforming the way businesses develop solutions.
Every day, says Erin Cho of Parsons, companies are coming up with new and unconventional approaches to producing goods and delivering services to satisfy customer demands. But innovation can be a risky business. Many firms, she says, expend significant resources on new projects only to see them fail within three to six months.
At Parsons, the New School for Design, Erin Cho of Parsons is working to make fundamental changes to the way her students develop solutions. "We constantly challenge students to figure out the right way to innovate, and that means developing intuition, creativity, empathy, and a sharp business mind."
Some business schools are integrating design thinking into their undergraduate and graduate programs, says Erin Cho of Parsons. But the results have not lived up to expectations. "In the end, these schools can't offer a deep understanding of design. That is the hallmark of Parsons."
About: Erin Cho of Parsons urges businesses to innovate
Categories: Business, innovation, creativity, design thinking
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