IDEO is a global award-winning design firm. Every year teams ofpeople including psychologists, mechanical engineers, biologists,and industrial designers work on projects ranging from Apple'sfirst computer mouse to heart defibrillators to the Neat Squeezetoothpaste tube.
IDEO's corporate philosophy is that teamwork improves innovationand creativity. Group brainstorming is used to spark a lot of newideas at once. Project teams share and improve ideas by leveragingmembers' skills and solving problems together. The company believesthat the diversity of interdisciplinary teams allows higherquality, faster innovation.
Regardless of the project, IDEO teams use the same process.First they identify similar products and experiences, then theyobserve people using them. The teams then visualize, evaluate,refine, and implement innovative solutions to their clients'problems drawing from their research and observations. IDEO teammembers lack status or formal titles, and every team member isgiven equal respect.
How does teamwork influence innovation at IDEO?
How does diversity influence the effectiveness of teamwork atIDEO?
What characteristics would you look for in staffing a projectteam at IDEO?
