1

Overview

2
Critical Thinking
Observable traits
1. Defines the subject matter,
identifies key concepts and
maps their relationships
2. Identifies and considers
OTHER theoretical
perspectives that are
important to the analysis of
the issue
3. Identifies and assesses the
quality of supporting
data/evidence and provides
additional data/evidence
related to the issue
4. Identifies and considers key
assumptions and the
influence of the context on
the issue
5. Provides a conclusion that
discusses implications of the
article and gives an informed,
overall evaluation
Weightage 1-4 Poor
(%)
20% Does not define the subject matter
or identify the key concepts; fails
to map the concepts in a logical
manner
20% Deals only with a single perspective
and fails to discuss other possible
perspectives, especially those salient
to the issue
20% Fails to examine the validity of the
information provided or provide
justification for rejecting arguments
provided. Confuses associations and
correlations with cause and effect
20% Does not consider the assumptions
of the author and does not
examine the contexts
20% Fails to provide a conclusion, or
provides a conclusion that is
inconsistently tied to earlier
discussion
5-7 Average
Defines the subject matter well,
identifies nearly all the key concepts
and maps their relationships with one
another somewhat logically
Develops a better understanding of the
issue by discussing other perspectives
drawn from outside sources
Examines some of the evidence and
source of evidence; questions its
accuracy, precision, relevance, and
completeness. Observes cause and
effect and addresses existing or
potential consequences
Identifies and questions the validity of
some assumptions made by the author
and analyzes the issue with some sense
of scope and context
Provides a conclusion that discusses some
implications of the article and gives a good
synthesis of the main points discussed
8-10 Good
Defines the subject matter very well,
identifies all the key concepts and maps
their relationships with one another
logically
Develops a comprehensive
understanding of the issue by discussing
other perspectives drawn from outside
sources
Examines the evidence and source of
evidence; questions its accuracy,
precision, relevance, and completeness.
Observes cause and effect and
addresses existing or potential
consequences
Identifies and questions the validity of
assumptions made by the author and
analyzes the issue with a clear sense of
scope and context
Provides a conclusion that logically
discusses implications of the article, and
gives an informed and well thought-out
overall evaluation
3
Critical Thinking

Cryer, b., McCraty, R., & Childre, D. (2003). Pull the plug on stress. Harvard Business Review. July, 102-107.
4
Critical Thinking

In your own team, discuss this article

and then apply the five observable
traits of critical thinking to develop a
critique of this article.

5
Design Thinking

6
Design Thinking

“What makes design thinking a social

technology is its ability to counteract the
biases of innovators and change the way
they engage in the innovation process.”

7
Design Thinking

An innovation process must produce:

1. Superior solutions
• Asking more interesting questions to discover more
original ideas
• Using user-driven criteria
• Bringing diverse voices into the process
2. Lower risks and costs of change
• Building a portfolio of options
• Letting go of bad ideas
3. Employee buy-in
• Involving employees in the process
• Managing the trade-offs
Design Thinking
Problem
Innovators can be trapped in
their own expertise, mental
model, and experience
Innovators can be overwhelmed
by the volume and messiness of
qualitative data
Design Thinking Benefits
Immersion experience: Identifying hidden needs of users
• Immersing innovators in
users’ experience
• Shifting innovators’ mind-set
toward a better
understanding of users
Sense-making: Guarding against biased
• Making sense of data by interpretation by getting people
organizing it into themes and to share their insights and to
patterns challenge one another’s
• Pointing the innovator toward viewpoints
new insights and possibilities
9
Design Thinking
Problem
Innovators are divided by
differences in team members’
perspectives
Innovators are confronted by too
many disparate but familiar ideas
Design Thinking
Alignment:
• Getting innovators to translate
insights into design criteria
• Moving an innovation team
toward convergence around
what really matters to users
Emergence of novel ideas:
• Helping innovators generate
fresh ideas through a focused
inquiry
• Shifting team members toward
a limited but diverse set of
potential new solutions
Benefits
• Focusing on possibilities and
not constraints
• Establishing a spirit of inquiry
• Focusing on design criteria will
give novel ideas a fighting
chance against safer
incremental ones
Allowing participants to share
ideas with one another and to
build on these ideas creatively—
not about negotiating
compromises
10
Design Thinking
Problem
Innovators are constrained by
existing biases about what
does and does not work
Innovators do not have a
shared understanding of new
ideas and they are often
unable to get good feedback
from users
Design Thinking Benefits
Articulation: Framing discussion as an inquiry
• Challenging innovators’ implicit into what would have to be true
assumptions for an idea to be feasible.
• Overcoming biases, such as over
optimism, confirmation bias,
and fixation on first solutions,
etc.
Pre-experiences: Getting people to imagine a
Getting users to try out rough potential user experience vividly
prototypes (i.e., low-cost artifacts through pre-experience so that
with the essential features of they can provide more accurate
proposed solutions) so that assessments of the novelty’s
innovators get accurate feedback at value.
low cost and understand the true
11
value of their potential solutions
Design Thinking
Problem Design Thinking
Innovators are afraid of change Learning in action:
and ambiguity surrounding the • Using experiments to engage
new future staff and users
• Helping them build a shared
commitment and confidence
in the new product or
strategy
Benefits
Reducing employees’ and
customers’ fear of change by
Assessing new ideas and
identifying changes with
experiments
12
Design Thinking
Design Thinking

The Three Spaces:

Space 1: Inspiration
Space 2: Ideation
Space 3: Implementation

14
Design Thinking

Space 1: Inspiration
• Search for problems or
opportunities
• Identify possible changes to come
• Observe the current situation
• Examine existing constraints
• Seek inspiration from different
disciplines or fields
• Give special attention to “extreme”
users
15
Design Thinking

Space 2: Ideation
• Sketch your ideas
• Create frameworks to integrate different
ideas
• Apply integrative thinking (e.g., edible spoon)
• Focus on users; tell their stories
• Create prototype to test your ideas
• Tell more stories
• Communicate as much as possible
• Create more prototypes to test

16
Design Thinking

Space 3: Implementation
• Execute your vision – engineer the
experience
• Design an effective communication
strategy to persuade others
• Make your business case

17
Assessment Rubrics: Design Thinking

18
Design Thinking

In your own team, discuss how you would go

through the 3 spaces to redesign the vending
machine
 Inspirational Assertive Communication

Ames, D. R., & Flynn, F. J. (2007). What breaks a leader: The curvilinear relation between assertiveness and leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(2): 307-324.(Note: In contrast to prior work that focused on linear
effects, the authors argue that individuals seen either as markedly low in assertiveness or as high in assertiveness are generally appraised as less effective leaders. The authors linked the curvilinear effects of assertiveness to underlying
trade-offs between social outcomes (a high level of assertiveness worsens relationships) and instrumental outcomes (a low level of assertiveness limits goal achievement).
Inspirational Assertive Communication

1. Share valuable knowledge and 3. Aligns verbal with nonverbal

insights communication; uses props and
visual aids

2. Speaks in a conversational style; 4. Connects insights to the relevant OB

speaks assertively concepts or frameworks
Inspirational Assertive Communication

In your own team, discuss how you

would showcase the FOUR observable
traits of Inspirational Assertive
Communication if you were to present
the insights from the article below:
This Robot Artist Just Became the First to
Stage a Solo Exhibition.

What does that say about creativity?

https://time.com/5607191/robot-artist-ai-da-artificial-intelligence-creativity/
Inspirational Assertive Communication

Speaks in a conversational style

A speech is not a conversation.
However, a good speech contains elements of conversation:
• First hand stories, dramatized with vivid details
• Opinions or conclusions, drawn from real life experience

A speech delivered well, is presented in a conversational

style, which differs from everyday conversation in its
specificity and economy.
Inspirational Assertive Communication

Assertiveness
Warning Against Plagiarism

** Warning against plagiarism **

The penalties for any form of plagiarism, i.e., copying of others' work, are
severe. Written work that you submit must be your own. You must identify
and list in the reference section any source of information used in completing
your work.

If you copy the words verbatim from a reference work, you must place these
words in quotation marks and cite the source. If you paraphrase the words
from a reference, then indicate the source. Submitted work must be your own
effort and it must not duplicate (in whole or in part) the work of others.
 Policy on the Use of Generative AI

** Policy on the use of Generative AI **

You are permitted to use generative AI in your research. However, it is mandatory for you to check the accuracy of the
information provided by the generative AI you use by citing the actual sources of that information. No generative AI tool
may be cited as your sources of that information. If you have employed any generative AI in your research, you must
furnish a declaration at the end of your submission that acknowledges such usage, i.e., “I declare that I did use generative
AI in my research for this submission.”

The written assignment should demonstrate your own analysis based on the requirements of the assignments. You are
not permitted to use generative AI tools to complete your assignments. Turnitin will be used to check for ChatGPT/AI
generated text as plagiarism. Please ensure each assignment that you submit is truly your own work. Academic
disciplinary action will be taken if you are found to use ChatGPT/AI returns verbatim to complete your course
assignments. If you have any doubt about this policy, please contact your course instructor.