The Design of Business

Roger Martin, Dean at the Rotman School of management, clarified something very important. He discussed what the world of design is about and what the world of business is about and the intersection between the two, Reliability Vs. Validity.

Reliability =

• Production of consistent replicable outcomes
• Substantiation based on past data
• Use of limited number of objective variables
• Minimization of judgment
  
• Avoidance of the possibility of bias

Validity =

• Production of outcome that meets objective
• Substantiation based on future events
• Use of broad number of diverse variables
• Integration of judgment
• Acknowledgment of reality of bias

Designer should:

1. Take "Design-unfriendliness" as a Design Challenge
2. Empathize with the "Design-unfriendly elements"
3. Speak the language of reliability
4. Use analogies and Stories
5. Bite Off as Little a Piece as Possible to generate proof

Businesses should:

1. Take inattention to Reliability as a Management Challenge
2. Empathize with the "reliability-unfriendly Elements"
3. Speak the language of validity
4. Share Data and Reasoning, not conclusions
5. Bite off as Big a Piece as Possible to Give Innovation a Chance

(Source: Presentation- The Design of Business by Roger Martin, May 17, 2007 )