Navigating Innovation in Times of Transformation

ESMT Berlin

Innovation

About Programme

Do you want to drive continuous innovation for your organization while staying up to speed with constant change?

This interactive, hands-on workshop can show you the practical, tangible steps to making a lasting impact – while also granting you a double certificate from ESMT Berlin and HPI d-school.

A collaboration between ESMT Berlin and HPI d-school (Hasso Plattner Institute), Navigating Innovation in Times of Transformation teaches participants to employ change leadership strategies, while also equipping them with a core design thinking mindset that powers confident decision-making.

Participants explore practical ways to combine transformation, innovation, and leadership, helping them advance user-centered growth in fast-changing and uncertain environments.

Learn to develop innovative, customer-centric solutions through real-world leadership challenges, team-based prototyping, and user interviews.

Gain practical experience applying design thinking along the full value chain – from empathy and ideation to testing, refining, and pitching.

Discover change leadership strategies that can help build alliances, overcome organizational resistance, and create internal momentum for new initiatives.

Understand how to foster a culture of innovation and effectively communicate change stories to stakeholders.

Make more confident decisions during times of upheaval by strengthening your entrepreneurial toolkit.

Participants benefit from the unique expertise of both institutions: the HPI d-school brings deep knowledge in design thinking and innovation culture, while ESMT Berlin provides actionable insights on change management and organizational transformation.

The program culminates in a double certificate from both ESMT Berlin and HPI d-school.

Please note, this program was formerly titled Design Thinking & Corporate Change.

Programme Content

Day 1

ESMT Berlin

Corporate transformation – or why ideas are not good enough

Transition from innovation to adaptive leadership along a real-world case

Tools and strategies for implementing new practices in complex organizations

Stakeholder engagement

Overcoming internal resistance

Introduction to the design thinking mindset and methodology

Working in interdisciplinary teams on a real-life corporate challenge

Reflection on own cases

Evening networking session with happy hour

Day 2

HPI d-school, Potsdam

Discover & empathize

Conducting interviews with users to explore their needs and perspectives

Developing initial ideas

Developing early-stage prototypes

Making better and quicker decisions in uncertain environments

Fostering innovation culture in established firms

Evening networking session with happy hour

Day 3

HPI d-school, Potsdam

Test & implement

Refining and testing prototypes with users

Overcoming inner barriers for change

Embracing ambidexterity

Action planning

Programme Objective

The changing landscape of innovation: customer centricity as the driving factor.

Applying design thinking methods to a real challenge from the business world.

Conducting interviews with customers and stakeholders.

Tools for implementing organizational change: discussion of potential hurdles and pitfalls.

Communication techniques and best practices of stakeholder management.

Communicating change stories and dealing with resistance.

Gaining insights from users of products and services.

Understanding how to foster an innovation culture and make impactful leadership decisions in uncertain environments.

Programme Audience

You are a manager, team lead, or executive working to advance customer-centric transformation in your organization.

You are an innovation leader or changemaker looking for fresh approaches to organizational development.

You aim to improve and support collaboration and innovation across departments.

Programme Benefits

Explore the principles of design thinking and understand the major steps involved when applying it practically.

Learn how to consider the needs of internal and external customers, gain empathy for them, conduct interviews, apply creativity methods, and prototype and test solutions.

Enhance your ability to trigger user-centered innovation in the managerial practices of your organization.

Receive practical, action-oriented advice on how to establish networks of like-minded people while refining your communication skills to convince your peers across hierarchies.

Discover how to balance open-ended exploration with the structure needed to move ideas toward implementation.

Learn change leadership and how to drive innovation by recognizing and managing organizational hurdles such as inertia, competing priorities, or resistance.

Testimonials

"I highly recommend this course to enhance your skills in design thinking and change management."

Anastasia Zencika

Chief Marketing Officer, ECOMMPAY

"The HPI Academy, together with ESMT, manages to set up a unique training concept through the combination of professionalism and close cooperation with the corporate world."

Alkan Dogan

Innovation Manager, Simmons and Simonns

Testimonial Source

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Contact us for the further details

Speak with an Advisor

Pedagogy (case method, experiential learning, coaching, simulations)
Brochure

Prashansa Uttam

Programme Advisor

+91 9403890085[email protected]Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm IST

ESMT Berlin

Executive Education Office

+49 30 21231 1490

[email protected]

https://esmt.berlin

Berlin, Germany

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