IT Management Slideshow: Learn to Think Like a Design Genius

You may consider yourself as more of a business manager than a brilliant designer. But guess what? You don't need to be a software whiz to incorporate useful principles of design-project excellence into your day-to-day job as CIO. In the book Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers " (Columbia University Press/available now), authors Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie reveal how these principles can guide organizations to success. The authors contend that too many business leaders consider design thinking as some kind of magical mystery that only companies such as Apple and Google can harness. Rather, they argue, innovation stems from exploration and collaboration that can benefit everyday end users in small but notable ways. There are two sections in the book that offer particular interesting insights for CIOs: One about the myths of business leadership, and another focused on the significance of value-chain mapping to unleash design thinking across your organization. You'll find highlights from both sections below. Liedtka is a member of the Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship area at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Ogilvie is CEO of Peer Insight, an innovation-strategy consultancy for clients such as Bank of America, GE, HP, Pfizer and Starwood Hotels.