Demonstrating the Application of Design Thinking Methodology in MBA Fieldwork Consulting
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The document discusses applying design thinking methodology to MBA fieldwork consulting projects. It provides an overview of design thinking and the design thinking process. It then summarizes a fieldwork consulting project where MBA students used design thinking to help a Parent Teacher Association address the problem of increasing tardiness at an elementary school after busing was eliminated. The students empathized with stakeholders, defined the problem, ideated solutions, created and tested a prototype traffic flow solution, and benchmarked other university fieldwork programs.
Demonstrating the Application of Design Thinking Methodology in MBA Fieldwork Consulting
- 1. Demonstrating the Application of Design Thinking Methodology in MBA Fieldwork Consulting Tara Peters, Ph.D. Associate Professor Northwood University DeVos Graduate School of Management @ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2016
- 2. Overview •Understand empirical rationale for fieldwork •Explore Design Thinking Methodology (DTM) •Review application of DTM to MBA fieldwork consulting projects
- 3. Why Fieldwork? Fieldwork is an empirically-based pedagogy business school faculty can incorporate into their courses to facilitate student development of competencies that will enable our graduates to meet the evolving needs of business. @ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2016
- 4. Why Fieldwork? One of the ways in which scholars theorize is by conducting rigorous, high-quality fieldwork. Collecting original data in real organizations makes fieldwork different not only from desk research in general but also from working with computer simulations, laboratory experiments, and secondary databases. Fieldwork is challenging and rewarding because it occurs outside controlled settings; employs a more idiographic, open-ended research mode (McCall, 2006); and has no prespecified algorithms for producing it (Gephart, 2004)—it is “a journey that may involve almost as many steps backward as forward” (Edmondson & McManus, 2007: 1173) (As cited in Michailova, S, Piekkari, R, Plakoyiannaki, E. Ritvala, T., Mihailova, I., & Salmi, A., 2014). @ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2016
- 5. Why Fieldwork? In Rethinking the MBA, authors argue business schools “will need to continue to experiment with, and commit more broadly to new pedagogies. Many of these new techniques involve hands-on exercises and experiential learning.” (Datar, S.M, Gavin, D.A. & Cullen, P.G. 2010, p. 9).
- 6. IDEO: The Deep Dive IDEO Video
- 11. Design Thinking @ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2016 “Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” —Tim Brown, CEO & president
- 13. Design Thinking Process @ACBSPAccredited #ACBSP2016
- 14. Fieldwork Project Overview Organization: Blue Haze Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA) How/Why Chosen: The PTA needed a non-cost professional group to help evaluate and resolve its issue/problem, and we needed a design challenge fieldwork project for a grade. Issue/Problem: Blue Haze Elementary tardy students percentages increased significantly after district busing was eliminated and parents were forced to drop-off and pick-up students. The administration asked the PTA to recommend a strategy to reduce or eliminate excessive tardiness.
- 15. Empathy How does the problem impact the end-user? Reduced federal and state funding support. Class interruptions. Administrative burden.
- 16. Define Who is the end-user and why were they chosen? Blue Hayes Elementary Administration o Students o Parents o Teachers o Support staff o Administrators
- 17. Ideate What were some of the options considered? Private busing, car pooling, tougher consequences for excessive tardiness. Surveys to parents, teachers, support staff and administrators.
- 18. Ideate Actions performed. Sent out surveys. Survey findings revealed a strong correlation between tardiness and increased traffic congestion at the school. Observed current traffic flow conditions over multiple periods. Rejected private busing, car pooling, and tougher consequences for excessive tardiness after determining that traffic flow observations support survey findings. Shared survey findings, observation results, and solution/recommendation (prototype) with the PTA.
- 19. Pre-Prototype
- 20. Prototype
- 21. Test • Performed a limited prototype test using the South Work Centers only (Kindergarten—KG and First Grade—FG ). • PTA reported no tardy KG or FGs during the one week test period compared to 20 KGs and 16 FGs the week prior. • Expanded the prototype to the entire school and tardy results were the following:
- 22. Test Results Current Month Kindergarten: 2 First Grade: 4 Second Grade: 3 Third Grade: 0 Fourth Grade: 2 Prior Month Kindergarten 67 First Grade 48 Second Grade 84 Third Grade: 61 Fourth Grade: 39
- 23. Benchmarking Northwood University – MBA Fieldwork Consulting Harvard Business School – FIELD Method Rutgers Business School – Team Consulting University of California Riverside – Fieldwork in Management Tuck School of Business – Global Consulting Project
- 24. Q&A
- 25. Contact Information Tara Peters, Ph.D. Phone: 469.272.5663 Email: peterst1@northwood.edu Address: 1114 Northwood University Cedar Hill, TX 75104