Open: NCIIA 14th Annual Conference

Success in business requires innovation. Today's model calls for a more intuitive integration of creativity throughout the decision making process: the application of design thinking to business. There is a great opportunity for design to improve one's ability to increase a firm's value offerings. While goods are traditionally embedded with value, there is currently a paradigm shift occurring in marketing and goods are being viewed as operant resources that produce effects for customers. Thus, the good really becomes a service provider. While design is still critically important in product development, it is becoming more important in how marketers design strategy successfully. This presentation will look at how to integrate design thinking into the business model, debating the pros and cons of design thinking integration, and the importance of teaching innovative thinking in academia.