Design Continuum

• Design Education
• 01. Roger Martin: The Opposable Mind
• 02. Support Design Education video
• 03. Design Squad on WGBH
• 04. Designworks at Rotman
• 05. Continuing Education
• 06. IDDS at MIT

Q: Can you describe to us in a few sentences what integrative thinking is and why it is so powerful?

A: Integrative Thinking is the ability to constructively face the tension of opposing models and, instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generating a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new model.

The new model contains elements of the individual models but is superior to each.

This means that Integrative Thinkers are model creators not model takers. Because of this, they are disproportionately able to come up with breakthrough ways of doing things.  They emerge as the admired and revered innovators.

Q: Why is the design world such an important force in all this?

A: The best of design education and design practice is about the creation of options or models that don’t now exist.  This is an essential part of Integrative Thinking.  This is why I have taken a deep dive into design and design thinking with the help of great designers-- including the folks at Continuum. 

In The Opposable Mind, you talk about the Frankenstein approach to design as a negative thing that happens when integrative thinking is not employed …a bunch of disjointed, disassociated parts and details being plunked onto an object.

Q: How and why can a full service consultancy like Continuum or Ideo or Fuse help big companies avoid the Frankenstein pitfall as they design services and products for consumers?

A: It is in the “architecture” step in the Integrative Thinking process – that is, keeping the whole in mind while working on the individual parts.  I think this is a very important role for a firm like Continuum to play.  Lots of experts on the client side will be as capable as the Continuum person to work on specific piece-parts of the whole.  But typically the ability to see and keep in mind the whole is not what it needs to be--- and the design consultant can add great value in this respect. 

Q: Are there exercises or behaviors one can employ to keep integrative thinking skills sharp?

A: The most important single thing to do is use your Opposable Mind. 

What does this entail?

It means that whenever you face a decision between two options, don’t think that your job is to choose; think that your job is to create a better option. 

Q: What are the best ways consultancies can coach clients on how to think in a more integrative way?

A: First and foremost, the consultants need to model Integrative Thinking.  If they don’t model it, there is no reason to believe that the clients will see it as legitimate.  And the most important way to model it is to take all options seriously, even if they oppose yours. Taking all options seriously will signal that you don’t see one objective reality but rather see all models as constructions that need to be understood, compared and used to construct better options.  As you lead in this form of thinking, clients will learn in action.

Q: How do you recommend we respond to clients who feel that this way of thinking is too time consuming, too expensive, too risky?

A: Clients won’t accept an abstract argument.  The only way clients will have a positive view about Integrative Thinking is if it is clearly demonstrated to them through work on their problems that it is time well spent, money well spent and not risky. 

I would introduce them to the thinking approach by helping them tackle a thorny intractable problem that has shown itself to be impervious to their conventional thinking.  Without such a forcing mechanism, clients won’t buy something as abstract to them as Integrative Thinking will appear to be at first blush.

Q: What can we (all) do in the future to assure it continues to receive its due attention?

A: Succeed using it.  In the world of business nothing succeeds like success. As Integrative Thinking succeeds, its adoption will spread.