Cross-Functional Collaboration

As part of my ongoing effort to bring awareness to the design thinking framework, I wanted to address the importance of collaboration and its interdependency with design thinking while executing a successful project plan. My team's current iteration serves as a support resource to initiative owners. Strategies for stakeholder engagement and developing minimum viable prototypes (MVP) have been a collaborative experience working with leadership and stakeholders alike.

In turn, our support of new initiatives and their respective owners has been a collaborative approach with project stakeholders and contributions from resources across a broad spectrum of departments and perspectives. This multifaceted cross-function provides insights into new directions and possibilities that may not be possible in siloed development. Expanding the range of ideas through these unique perspectives can better serve our learners, ideating resolutions to existing problems and driving insights into previously unknown directions. The Innovation Lab’s use of design thinking and an inclusive stakeholder approach enables:

• Cross-functional teams to solve problems with shared objectives, including improved user experiences and learner success.

• Provide neutral spaces for ideas to emerge from varied perspectives.

• Remain agile - providing opportunities for designing iteration and optimizing implemented solutions.

Even with the best-laid incubation plans, without the contributions of a collective group, the incubation and any resulting innovation may be less impactful without buy-in and participation by the required student, staff, and faculty resources.

Inspiration & Further Reading

IDEO. To unlock innovation, guide your team through creative collaboration. IDEO U. (n.d.).

Vitaske, Kate. (2015, January 13). Innovation and Collaboration: It's Not An Either-Or Proposition. Forbes.