Experimenting with the design, pedagogy and practice of business design at one b-school

Authors

  • Angèle M. Beausoleil University of British Columbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54337/jbm.v12i1.8405

Abstract

This paper examines the posturing, positioning and practice of Business Design (BD) at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, exploring its evolution since the late 1990s to today. It outlines BD’s introduction as a design thinking-lite approach to strategy innovation and its evolution to an experimental design-driven innovation pedagogy for MBA students. A triangulated theoretical foundation combines design principles, innovation theory and management education with the aim to teach and study BD as an innovation management learning construct. The resulting Business Design Method is examined with early findings of its impact, however offers more of a provocation rather than proof of a successful design curriculum for b-schools.

Author Biography

Angèle M. Beausoleil, University of British Columbia

Dr. Angèle Beausoleil is an assistant professor of teaching, focused on entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. She completed her PhD in Innovation Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia in 2016, following a 25-year professional career as a strategist, marketing and innovation executive for creative consultancies, technology companies, international consumer packaged brands, and non-profit companies. A recovering entrepreneur and serial innovator, she leads research on educating and advising global to hyper-local organizations on design-driven business models and market-driven products and services. As an award-winning teacher, she is passionate about developing future innovators and customer-centred intrapreneurs/entrepreneurs. Prior to joining UBC Sauder, Professor Beausoleil taught business design and innovation management at UofT's Rotman School of Management, and is a visiting lecturer at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

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Published

02-05-2024

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2024): The Design of Business Models

Section

Special Issue: The Design of Business Models

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