Kansas City’s spectacular new Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts was the venue for a unique collaboration between Olin Business School and Washington University’s College of Architecture called: “design thinking & innovation.”
The engaging Olin Business School Thought Leadership seminar was presented by Samuel Chun, assistant dean of executive programs and senior lecturer in management practices and Bruce Lindsey, dean, college of architecture and E. Desmond Lee professor for Community Collaboration, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
The design thinking approach hinges on an individual’s ability to express solutions to key problems and opportunities. Professors Chun and Lindsey explored and discussed simple tools to accelerate visualization and enhance one’s abilities to express creativity, communicate new ideas, and spur motivation.
The 60-minute discussion on Wednesday, April 24 engaged the audience of nearly 200 in a sketching exercise to introduce the concept of design thinking and an understanding of improvisation as a tool to innovate. Importantly, the fundamentals of both are roots from which design thinking & innovation can grow.
Special thanks to Hawthorn Bank and the Kansas City Area Development Council for their partnership in this thought provoking morning which gave attendees strategies they could apply to business situations immediately.
One guest shared, “What a great morning. I’m leaving with several tools I can put to use in the office today!”
Stay tuned for information on “design thinking & innovation” events in St. Louis and Denver!
Photo Credit: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO, view from the southwest. Designed by Moshe safdie. Photo by Tim Hursley. All rights reserved by kauffmancenter
