The “Design Thinking” Workshop has become an integral part of the SDAC Workshop Series. The Workshop Series goes beyond the classes taught in the framework of the Master’s program “Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures” and provides the students with insights from practitioners and selected scholars. It introduces the students to new fields of applied research and the frontier of scientific development in intercultural communication and decision-making.
Design is more than an aesthetic gimmick! At the beginning of the workshop, Professor Oliver Szasz, Design Thinking scholar and practitioner at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Munich, introduced the students to the theory and power of design by giving examples from various fields such as fashion, graphic design and architecture. Even in fields like software design, business management or public policy a design approach can contribute to innovative problem solutions, because its techniques make use of the skills and creativity of people beyond disciplinary boundaries.
Subsequent to the lecture, students of the Elite Graduate Program "Standards of Decision-Making across Cultures" were given the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge. In small groups, they were asked to develop projects to improve intercultural communication and understanding. Crafting ideas with LEGO bricks helped the students to not only apply their knowledge and experience but, most importantly, it triggered their imagination and creativity. The main rule “Dare to be wild!” and the informal atmosphere enabled the participants to think “outside the box” and to discover new talents. The workshop concluded with a presentation of the students’ projects which may contribute to the creation of new “start-up companies”.
