Design Thinking and Corporate Change
Gain practical skills and a double-certificate from ESMT Berlin and HPI d-school
Run in collaboration with ESMT Berlin and the HPI d-school (Hasso Plattner Institute), this highly interactive, hands-on workshop equips participants with the mindset, methods, and tools of Design Thinking to drive meaningful, user-centered innovation and navigate corporate change.
- Learn to develop innovative, customer-centric solutions through real-world challenges, team-based prototyping, and user interviews
- Gain practical experience applying Design Thinking along the full value chain—from empathy and ideation to testing and pitching
- Discover strategies to overcome organizational resistance and build internal momentum for change initiatives
- Understand how to foster a culture of innovation and effectively communicate change stories to stakeholders
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 partners.
Key facts
Your profile
- You are a manager or executive eager to learn and implement new processes and tools of customer-centricity, both within your organizations as well as when you are in contact with their external customers and users of their products and services.
Program highlights
- ESMT’s Design Thinking course allows you to explore the principles of Design Thinking and understand the major steps involved when applying it practically.
- Learn how the needs of internal and external customers should be considered, how to gain empathy for them, conduct interviews, implement creativity methods, prototype and test.
- Enhance your ability to trigger user-centered innovation in the managerial practices of your firm.
- Receive practical advice on how to establish networks of like-minded people and refine your communication skills to convince your peers across hierarchies.
Topics
- 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 in established firms
Downloads
Design Thinking and Corporate Change
Next dates
Our partner: HPI d-school
The HPI d-school at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam is one of Europe’s leading innovation hubs. Inspired by Stanford's d.school, it is dedicated to advancing human-centered problem-solving through cutting-edge research, education, and training. Known for its interdisciplinary approach, the HPI d-school empowers professionals, students, and researchers to tackle complex challenges and shape the future at the intersection of human needs and technology.
Bianca Schmitz
Ulf Schäfer
Andrea Rhinow
Selina Mayer
What participants are saying about the Design Thinking and Corporate Change workshop?
I highly recommend this course to enhance your skills in design thinking and change management.
Attending the Design Thinking and Change Management course at ESMT was an incredibly inspiring experience. The practical approach, where we immediately applied the knowledge with a real company, made the learning process engaging and memorable. Ulf Schäfer's presentation on change management was a highlight, inspiring me to implement the practices in my job and even make a career change. I enrolled in the Executive MBA program at ESMT and relocated to Berlin, a life-changing decision.
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.
The smooth organization and innovative implementation of the workshops is noticeable and so is the involvement of important collaboration partners. In my opinion, this kind of involvement is essential as it gives workshop participants the opportunity to not only develop their skills within a “vacuum”, but to build them up and actually test them using practical use cases.
Earn Your Postgraduate Diploma
This program can be taken as part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Management curriculum.
Need more information?
Contact our program advisors:
- Fill out our Request Information form
- Phone: +49 30 21231 1490
- Email: bd@esmt.org
