ESG Seminar – Disruptive Innovation - How to Use Design-Thinking & AI to Inspire Staff to Change for Survival

The Executive Study Group (ESG) seminar – Disruptive Innovation “How to use Design Thinking & AI to Inspire Staff to Change for Survival” was held by the ESG, Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy Limited (APIFS) and the Cyberport Hong Kong on 6 Sep 2019.  The seminar was held in Cyberport Smart-Space 8 @Tsuen Wan in this time.  I would like to summarize the seminar for sharing below.  I also met my junior classmate in BCH Dept., CityU Ms. Fay Lo (LPG Health Safety Security & Environment Manager, DSG Energy) and we took a photo for memory.

In the beginning, Dr. Mark Lee briefed some background of ESG and Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy (APIFS) and quoted Global Competitiveness report 2018 from World Economic Forum.

Dr. Mark Lee said the new criteria added two pillars for innovation ecosystem included Business Dynamism and Innovation Capacity.  Singapore and Hong Kong is good in Business Dynamism but weak in Innovation Capacity among Four Asia Dragons.  

Then we did the exercise to select two factors most important to Hong Kong businesses’ innovation and one least important.  I selected Customer Relationship and Risk-Taking Culture were the most important factors and Financial Resources was the least.  Another participant who is startup and shared that Customer Relationship and Financial Resource were the most important but the least was Advanced Technologies.

Then Dr. Lee quoted Mr. Tim Brown (Chair of IDEO) to explain that Design is “creation of products” but Design Thinking (DT) is “relationship between people and products”. Then upgrade to a platform for “relationship between people and people”.  

And then Dr. Lee explained why it is so difficult to find the hidden insights even though use focus group.  People replied after thinking but they may not even know they have.  Design Thinker should help people to articulate the latent needs.  He quoted Mr. Tim Brown (Chair of IDEO) again that “The mission of design thinking is to translate observations into insights and insights into products and services that will improve lives.”

After that Dr. Lee compared the traditional thinking (including Market Data, Product Analysis and Focus Group) and design thinking (including Observations, Insights and Empathy).  He said traditional thinking for innovation is still important but not enough.  He raised a case that driver bought milk shake because of a boring trip with hunger (People/driver & Product/milk shake relationship).  

Dr. Mark Lee discussed Quantitative Data and AI which could not help about insight.  It can only analyzed the situation but may not be found human feel such as boring.  Then he quoted Prof. Theodore Levitt (Harvard Business School) famous statement that “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill.  They want a quarter-inch hole!” (Remark: It is also employed in i4.0 Job-to-be-done.)

In second part, Dr. Lee focused on observation.  He suggested the target did not limit to mainstream customers.  We could learn from unusual customers for inspirations.  Then he quoted Prof. Clayton M. Christensen (Harvard Business School) that “This should trigger an action item on every marketer’s to-do list: Turn off the computer, get out of office, and observe.”

Last part was Empathy that translated the unspoken words that the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation.  He quote Tim Brown again that empathy is bridges of insight and feel the world through their emotions. 

After that Dr. Mark Lee discussed the co-development by creators and customers and used a new term Un-Focus Group that to identify unique individual needs. (Co-Design: Consumers = Creators) He also mentioned big data provided hints for more insights.

Finally, he quoted Peter Drucker (Father of Management) that the purpose of business is to create a customer.  Marketing and Innovation produce result.  Dr. Lee interpreted that Design Thinking was Marketing and transferring insight to product was Innovation.  

Reference:

Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy Limited (亞太策略研究所有限公司) – www.apifs.org

ESG facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/esg08

Cyberport Smart-Space 8 - https://www.cyberport.hk/en/smart-space-8