Week 2

 Complete discussion board, discussion board replies, and all assignments for the week according to rubrics 

Innovation is the key to business growth and competitive advantage.  As such, we must create conditions in which innovation can strive in organizations.  A starting point is to explore the different drivers that provide opportunities to enhance innovation.  According to Ruyle, The Real Drivers of Innovation are experts. Why do you agree or disagree with Ruyle’s assertion? Identify the internal and external drivers of innovation for your current organization or a past organization.  Analyze their effectiveness in driving innovation in your organization. Use examples to support your assertion.

In response to your peers, compare and contrast your organization’s drivers of innovation with theirs and explore the effectiveness of their organization drivers.

Due: Sunday, 11:59 pm EST of Unit 2

Points: 100

Overview:

Design thinking in business and other settings supports the work of organizational

managers pursuing creative outcomes to solve problems. In this assignment you will

write a paper to explore a design thinking scenario to deepen your understanding of

design thinking as a tool supporting the process of resolving challenging organizational

issues.

Instructions:

• Review the following from the unit Readings and Resources:

o Chapter 1 of the e-book, Dispelling the Moses Myth.

o The table of contents and Chapter 1 of Solving Problems with Design

Thinking: Ten Stories of What Works.

• Select one of the 10 chapters from Solving Problems with Design Thinking: Ten

Stories of What Works.

• Summarize the scenario in the chapter you selected.

• Address the following:

o Part 1: What ways did the process described reflect the D4G design thinking

approach of four basic questions?

o Part 2: Address any two (2) of the following:

1. Evidence of a focus on discovery over solutions.

2. Evidence of how problem solving and solutions boundaries were

expanded.

3. Evidence of enthusiasm in engaging partners in the work efforts.

4. Evidence of commitment to real-world experiments rather than conducting

analysis and using historical data.

Requirements:

• APA formatted Word document.

• Length of a maximum of 3 pages, excluding title and reference pages.

BUS 505– Organizational Creativity

Solving Problems with Design Thinking

• At least one reference in addition to course resources.

Be sure to read the criteria by which your work will be evaluated before you write

and again after you write.

Evaluation Rubric for Unit 2 Assignment

CRITERIA Deficient Needs
Improvement

Proficient Exemplary

(0-14 Points) (15-19 Points) (20-24 Points) (25 Points)

Presentation
of Scenario

Presentation
of the story
lacks
organization
and focus
needed to
support
analysis
activity.

Presentation of
the story lacks
clarity and
conciseness.
Details or facts
identifying
organizational
issue(s) are
limited.

Presentation of
the facts and
details of the
story selected
and
organizational
issue(s) is
provided,
some details
are
extraneous.

Clear and
concise
summary of
facts and
details of the
story selected
and
organizational
issue(s).

(0-14 Points) (15-19 Points) (20-24 Points) (25 Points)

Analysis &
application of
principles of
design
thinking,
Question 1

Paper fails to
present
relevant
information
that supports
design
principles

applications;
no response is
apparent for
either
question.

Design thinking
principles are
noted but not
applied or
aligned with
paper findings;
response to one
question is
attempted,
explanation is
limited.

Design
thinking
principles are
applied and
aligned in
support of
paper findings;
response to
both questions
is provided
and
appropriate.

Paper
demonstrates
application of
design thinking
principles
including the
D4G Tool;
response to
both questions
is clear and
convincing.

(0-14 Points) (15-19 Points) (20-24 Points) (25 Points)

Analysis &
application of
principles for
design
thinking,
Question 2

Paper fails to
present
relevant
information
that supports
design
principles

Paper provides a
response
supporting
application of
design thinking
principles
providing

Paper provides
an clear
response
supporting
application of
design thinking
principles

Paper
provides a
clear and
convincing
application of
design thinking
principles

applications
providing
evidence for
any of the four
areas
identified for a
response

evidence for less
than two of four
areas identified
for a response.

providing
evidence for
two of four
areas
identified for a
response

providing
evidence in
three or four
areas
identified for a
response

(0 points) (5 points)

Resources Only course
resources
referenced or
no resources
referenced.

n/a n/a At least one
resource in
addition to
course
resources.

Paper
Length

More than 3
pages

n/a n/a No more than
3 pages

(0-8 points) (9-11 points) (12-14 points) (15 points)

Clear and
Professional
Writing and
APA Format

Errors impede
professional
presentation;
guidelines not
followed.

Significant errors
that do not
impede
professional
presentation.

Few errors that
do not impede
professional
presentation.

Writing and
format is clear,
professional,
APA
compliant, and
error free.

Based on what you read in the unit, what are some best practices for virtual team collaboration? Explain how and why the application of these best practices are important to the work you will do during your upcoming virtual team assignment.

Response 1

Phu

In the “The real drives of innovation” article, Ruyle (2014) says that “innovation requires expertise. There are some elements of expertise driving innovation, such as experts’ passion towards their discipline, their vast amount of experience, their changing the way problems are solved, self-awareness, etc. I fully agree with Ruyle’s assertation. 

Expertise, or specialized knowledge and skill in a particular field, can certainly drive innovation. Experts have a deep understanding of the current state of their field, as well as its limitations and potential for improvement. This allows them to identify problems and opportunities that others may not be able to see, and to develop new solutions and technologies that address these issues. Additionally, experts often have the technical skills and resources needed to turn their ideas into reality, and they may be able to collaborate with other experts to combine different areas of expertise and drive innovation in new and unexpected ways.

My organization, the US Army, has a long history of innovation. The Army has been at the forefront of technological advancements, particularly in the areas of weaponry, transportation, and communication. In recent years, the Army has focused on innovation in some areas, for example, cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, medical advancement, energy. This is achievable because expertise is crucial to the US Army’s mission and operations. The Army relies on experts in a wide range of fields, including engineering, medicine, logistics, intelligence, to develop and implement the technologies and strategies needed to carry out our mission.

Response 2

David

Initially, I didn’t understand what Ruyle meant by “the real driver of innovation is experts” (p.36, 2014). However, once I went over the elements explaining the reasoning behind it, I agreed. The most essential element described is that “It’s not just that experts have more experience, there’s a qualitative difference in their experience. They practice differently. It’s more focused, more intentional, and more mindful” (Ruyle, p.36, 2014). There is no replacement for experience because the value of time cannot be measured and the opportunity to learn from a moment can be endless. Despite the economic status, demographic, gender etc., I believe someone who has lived longer than others will always have some type of knowledge to offer to someone who has lived less. That same concept applies directly to industries as well. 

 But I would not say that it is the only factor for innovation. I believe the environment where these ideas are created and applied is very important as well. When ideas can be free of economic consequences and bounced off of others who may differ, innovation can reach its highest potential. According to Denning, “Corporations that function most effectively are ones that harbor people with both breadth and depth. Breadth and depth, though, are relative. The value of one is worthless without the other” (2017). 

As mentioned before, I am an Active Duty Soldier. Innovation within our organization is driven by external factors. This is due to our procedures being regulated to be conducted in a certain manner. However, through decentralized leadership, decisions made within the regulations are encouraged to complete objectives. I do believe that to be effective, as I discuss in the last unit how sometimes restrictions can assist us with creative thinking and applying innovative solutions to problems.

Response 3

Andrea

According to the article titled “The Real Drivers of Innovation” by Kim Ruyle, Experts can see anomalies that others don’t. They see similarities others miss. They see connections that are invisible to non-experts. They see patterns. Furthermore, those patterns and connections are the basis of innovation. Innovation comes from the connections experts see between patterns. The first step to becoming intentional about innovation is to understand experts and the nature of expertise. Experts are passionate about their discipline. Experts are focused, obsessive, and single-minded in a nearly incomprehensible way to the non-expert. They are driven to study, think, experiment, and develop their unique point of view resulting from their work. An expert’s motives are different. They are achievement-oriented, but the way they define achievement is different from others. More than anything else, they are motivated by being an expert. They love to have answers that others don’t. They love to be in demand for what they know (Ruyle, 2014).

Internal innovation means change within an organization. This might be a small or large change, something structural within a team, a change in the production process to increase efficiency, or something financial regarding your budget. External innovation means improving a product or service, for example, directly impacting the customer (Thenhaus, 2014). From my time working in the registrar’s office, I would say the internal driver of innovation within the office was the head registrar, who oversaw the other employees. This is because he was able to hire and terminate someone’s position. I would say the external driver of innovation within the office was everyone working there. This is because if a student came to the office due to an issue accessing something, an employee from the office would work with another department to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.