Design Your Thinking

Creative problem-solving is at the heart of innovation, and some of the world's most innovative companies are very systematic in following this approach. Most people would assume that creativity and discipline can't coexist, and that only when resources are replete and the talent best-in-class can one be creative. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, creativity thrives amid constraints and calls for great discipline.

Pioneered by IDEO and Stanford d.school, design thinking is one such approach that draws inspiration from the realm of product design. However, it shouldn't be narrowly associated with the world of start-ups and technology or thought of as something limited to product development. The method is increasingly being used in a wider context and can help us address a vast array of problems.

This book attempts to offer a practitioner's perspective on how the tenets, methods and discipline of design thinking can be applied across a range of domains, including to everyday problems, and help us become expert problem-solvers through the use of the appropriate toolsets, skill sets and mindsets.

Pavan Soni is an innovation evangelist by profession and a teacher by passion. He is the founder of Inflexion Point, a strategy and innovation consultancy. Apart from being a visiting faculty at IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow, Pavan has had consulting and mentoring engagements with leading companies, like Reliance, Tata Group, ITC, Flipkart, Accenture and Asian Paints. He specializes in the subjects of design thinking, strategic acumen and innovation culture.

Pavan is a mentor for NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore and Founder Institute, and a columnist with Entrepreneur magazine, Mint, Inc42, People Matters and YourStory. In 2016, he became the only Indian to have been shortlisted for the prestigious FT & McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize in the 'Best Business Book of the Year' category. He has also been invited five times to speak at TEDx.

Pavan did his electronics and communications engineering from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur, where he was the branch topper, and studied industrial engineering at NITIE Mumbai. He received his PhD from IIM Bangalore in corporate strategy and policy. For more on his work, visit www.pavansoni.com.