1120 Assessment 1A: Self-assessment and life goal

In the modern world that is constantly evolving, innovation is a crucial skill for any
entity to stand out. From the Week 1 video, to be innovative is more about creating values
and new approaches to put a creative idea into realistic implementation, not just about
innovating something grandiose, thus I find my skillset correlates deeply to this
perception. Having a diverse range of interests teaches me that while creativity can be
innate, one ought to put in work to become adept in the innovation process. Hence, the
Double Diamond framework is an effective tool to align the creative ability with actual
problems to help deliver optimal solutions, which would bring me much comfort and
assistance. My discomfort with this framework, though, is that it can be too rigid and might
only be suitable for solving superficial problems. The convergent and divergent stages
are mapped by the Double diamond and appear to be a linear process (Gustafsson,
2019). There will always be interventions that need to be planned and developed in the
new era of complex issues to bring about change. Nonetheless, as an innovation process,
The Double diamond encourages the growth of one idea at a time, interprets the situation
from chaos to simplicity, and provides rapid solutions.

While the Double diamond framework does not articulate an iterative technique
(Gustafsson, 2019), collaboration can act as a mediate nonlinear cycle and a flexible
approach to the innovation process. The collaborative management of ideas in a group
of like-minded peers in terms of work ethics and diverse backgrounds in cultures can
enable the group to create fresh ideas that emerge via multiple perspectives and
guarantee that they reach the correct target. This approach may also hold teammates
more accountable and recognize those that are more active or experienced in the
innovation process, to track and encourage creative activity and foster a more open and
social culture in group work. Collaboration improves the formation, distribution, and
conducting of ideas (Hansen, 2009), and maintains a culture that encourages discovery
and innovation, which has a positive influence on organizational performance. In other
words, effective collaboration can help people improve their ability to innovate. My role,
although has not been finalized in the team contract, would be a monitor and a researcher

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based on my strengths and experience, as can be seen in Appendix A. As our group's
leadership strategy is "team leader only", I would be responsible for keeping the group on
track, getting all members involved, obtaining the raw materials, and reporting back to the
group and the team leader.

Overall, my life purpose is to make a positive impact on society and to be better

than myself yesterday. One of my specific life goals is to become proficient in my chosen
career path as an entrepreneur. Specifically, the reason for this goal stems from my
current interests in entrepreneurship and investment after having internships at some
leading investment firms in Vietnam and having an opportunity to be mentored by the
brightest minds in the field. "Gazing forward will not allow you to link the dots; only looking
backwards will allow you to do so. As a result, you must have faith that the dots will
interconnect in the future.”, Steve Jobs' quote from 2005 Commencement Address at
Stanford is the most thought-provoking advice to me from my current boss. That is to say,
while my life goals may change over time, the determination to perform my best in
whatever job I have will help me find out my so-called ultimate life objective later on.
Intangible skills such as the ability to innovate, collaborate, communicate, and think
critically are needed to achieve any goal, and those are what I anticipate cultivating in this
course. To meet the needs of a fast-changing economy, these skill sets are necessary
for every workforce.

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References:
Gustafsson, D., 2019. Analysing the Double diamond design process through
research & implementation. Master of Arts. Aalto University.

Hansen, M., 2009. Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid The Traps Create Units And
Reap Big Results. Massachusets: Harvard Business Press.