How Might We Bring Change To An Industry Giant With A Heavy Legacy? With Usha Raghavachari, D-Ford Global Innovation Lab Director & Luis Zunzunegui, IDEO Executive Director
Dec 7, 2021
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Usha Raghavachari, D-Ford Global Innovation Lab Director, and Luis Zunzunegui, IDEO Executive Director, discuss the challenges of bringing change to a legacy company like Ford. They highlight the importance of design thinking, collaboration, and prototyping in their work. They also emphasize the need for a more horizontal, multidisciplinary approach and the transformation towards hardware-software and services. They express concerns for team health, industry challenges, and the desire to democratize human-centered design.
Creating a culture of innovation through design thinking is crucial for transforming a company.
Ford aims to drive successful transformation by fostering a culture of inclusivity, continuous learning, and collaboration.
Deep dives
Creating the Right Conditions for Change and Growth
Creating a culture where teams feel safe to experiment, grow, and learn is a crucial challenge in transforming a company. This requires enabling tools and processes that foster innovation. Design thinking is seen as a powerful approach to solve complex, multifaceted, and inherently human problems. It encourages asking big questions to find big solutions.
The Journey of D Ford Lab
D Ford Lab, Ford's human-centered design team, has evolved from a small startup-like operation to a larger global team. They bring together customer obsession, creativity, and a disruptive mindset to tackle industry giants like Ford and help shape the future of the company. D Ford serves as a testbed for cultural and process changes and collaborates closely with the broader Ford organization, breaking down traditional top-down hierarchies.
Driving Change in a Rapidly Evolving Industry
The automotive industry is experiencing unprecedented disruption due to factors like electrification, automation, and artificial intelligence. Ford, as an industry leader for over a century, aims to transform its business model to adapt to these changes. Human-centered design plays a significant role in helping Ford think through the challenges, create disruptive ideas, and bring them to market. The goal is to build a sustainable electrified and connected future while delivering exceptional experiences across hardware, software, and services.
Creating a Culture of Innovation and Inclusivity
To drive successful transformation, Ford recognizes the importance of talent, culture, and inclusivity. By bringing in diverse expertise and perspectives from within and outside the company, Ford aims to create an environment where taking risks and continuous learning are encouraged. The goal is to democratize innovation, empower employees at all levels, and enable them to contribute to the company's future. Ford is also focused on fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and scrappiness, where making and prototyping are valued as key components of the design process.