In a podcast appearance, Dean Boynton discusses what innovation looks like, in companies and on campus
Where does innovation fit in a management curriculum? How has the Carroll School of Management and its faculty used innovation and design principles to raise their game and get ready to teach amid COVID? And what鈥檚 next for higher education as a whole? John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton covered these questions and more as a guest on , a podcast produced by the Boston-based innovation design firm .
Boynton spoke (virtually, of course) with EPAM Continuum鈥檚 Head of Client Engagement, Toby Bottorf. As the conversation reveals, the two know each other well. Bottorf was at Continuum in 2015, when the firm helped Boston College choreograph conversations that led to the redesign of its undergraduate core curriculum, and Boynton has been a friend of the firm for some time. But that doesn鈥檛 stop the dean from giving Bottorf his candid take on what successful innovation looks like, in corporations and colleges alike. (Hint: it鈥檚 a bit like baseball.)
You can listen to 聽here, or click through to catch some of Dean Boynton鈥檚 most quotable moments in the episode, linked below:
Design Thinking in the Boardroom and in the Classroom
鈥淚t may not be new, and the latest, but it鈥檚 still fundamental,鈥� said Dean Boynton, explaining why in many arenas of innovation as well as in management education at the Carroll School.
Investing Time at the Outset
The design thinking process demands time at the front end for customer-centered research. While 鈥渇ailing fast鈥� has its place in the early stages of innovation, Boynton cautions against : 鈥淎t some point, you鈥檙e going to have to slow down and think things through. And you need to spend time with customers . . . . You鈥檝e got to immerse yourself in that context to understand what the product or service should really do.鈥�
Learning, Redesigned
The Carroll School when planning for fall reopening, including prototyping new hybrid teaching models. Through this, 鈥渨e found things we needed to improve, we designed new solutions, we prototyped it over and over,鈥� Boynton said.聽
Creating a Culture of Innovation
The Carroll School was able to use these tools of innovation because had established a shared mindset and readiness to collaborate across offices and departments. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 flip a switch and say, 鈥極K, let鈥檚 innovate together, let鈥檚 be collaborative,鈥欌�� said Boynton. 鈥淵ou gotta have the right culture in place.鈥�
The Health of Higher Ed
鈥淭his is not new to COVID.鈥� Boynton tackles the question of amid the coronavirus pandemic head-on, saying some institutions of higher ed were already facing 鈥渁 demographic cliff.鈥�