Manage by Designing
Did You Know?
...that Manage by Designing founders, Fred Collopy and Richard Boland are members of the Weatherhead faculty? Learn more about their research and the concept at http://design.case.edu/
Weatherhead recognizes that the art of design is increasingly important to the practice of management. Our world needs leaders who observe with fresh eyes, conceive and model new possibilities, experiment with alternatives, implement and refine best ideas, and continue to question existing conditions in search of betterment for individuals, organizations, and society.
As a result, Weatherhead is spearheading the concept Manage by Designing — the integration of design thinking, design skills, and design experiences — into its MBA curriculum. Our students learn to sketch new alternatives, see through problem situations, overcome traditional boundaries, prototype ideas, and iterate in productive ways.
Design skills and methods enable managers to respond to complex situations creatively, holistically, and productively. Weatherhead graduates approach problems with the belief that they can do better than what has been done before. We teach that "best practices" are not good enough, and that it is possible to improve on familiar solutions in surprising and valuable ways. Our graduates blend critical and creative skills. They are able to recognize and avoid default solutions, and replace the trap of "either...or" thinking with the possibility of "both...and" thinking. It is this unique design attitude that distinguishes Weatherhead graduates, enabling them to create value.
Weatherhead is in the heart of Cleveland’s art and cultural district, a collaborative environment for design learning. Within one square mile, students can interact with colleagues who are immersed in all aspects of design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Case Western Reserve University’s schools and colleges.
These world-class assets have helped influence the decision to implement Manage by Designing into Weatherhead’s culture, curricula, and research. We bring drawing instructors, theatrical directors, and others with skills in the art and design disciplines into our classrooms with the charge to teach perspectives that can be applied to organizational life.
Learn more about Manage by Designing at http://design.case.edu.
