Power exists in all of our relationships, and it shapes the roles we play in each others’ lives. However, it’s not distributed evenly. Sometimes, it can be gained through expertise, knowledge, or skills—but other times, it’s tied into social and cultural factors like race, identity, and wealth. With this in mind, it’s helpful to reframe the purpose of power in our lives. It’s about more than just personal status and privilege; it’s also a responsibility and a tool we can use to help effect positive, meaningful change.

We often have lofty ambitions for things we want to do differently, but don’t know how to get started in realizing those goals. At IDEO, we start with a beacon—a small, tangible win that builds the momentum you need to move from a little change to a big transformation. Here are a few steps for creating your own.

Regardless of role, work can suck sometimes. Laszlo Bock, CEO and Co-Founder of Humu, a company that aims to make work better by encouraging people towards better habits and unlocking their potential, is focused on changing that. He’s dedicated the last decade of his career to bridging the gap between what we wish work was and what it actually is. In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, he shares insights and tips on how we can make work better by sending small behavioral nudges to cultivate more empathy, equity, and resilience in the office.

Didier Elzinga, CEO and Founder of culture analytics platform Culture Amp, joined us on the Creative Confidence Series to talk about applying design thinking mindsets to culture and people operations, turning culture insights into actions, and making change happen from wherever you sit.

What do you want to change? Even if you know in your bones that change in your organization or your network is desperately needed, it can be hard to put into words what it is exactly that needs to shift...and why. Defining this change and the desired outcome you seek is the first step toward building a plan that will deliver lasting change. Bryan Walker, IDEO partner and managing director and head of the Design for Change studio, says that before embarking on a change journey, you need to write a change statement to guide your work.

In this episode of our Creative Confidence Series, hear from Bryan Walker, a Partner and Managing Director at IDEO who leads IDEO’s Design for Change studio. He shares what’s different about IDEO’s human-centered approach to change and lessons from his work with clients across the world to inspire change—from culture shifts to growing innovation capabilities—in organizations big and small.

In our latest Creative Confidence Series chat, David Aycan, IDEO Products Managing Director, and IDEO U Dean Suzanne Gibbs Howard sat down to discuss how to effectively design for and implement change and ways to measure the impact of creativity in an organization.

In our latest Creative Confidence Series Chat, Suzanne Gibbs Howard, Dean of IDEO U, chatted with Mathew Chow, Director of Organizational Design at IDEO San Francisco, about prototyping organizational change.

Facing change isn’t always easy—especially when it’s a competitor taking market share, a start-up suddenly disrupting the space, or a product becoming obsolete. IDEO partners with clients spanning a wide range of industries to develop the organizational structures, culture, and behaviors that drive their success, and ultimately to build creative capabilities within these companies so they can continue to innovate and adapt.

How do you build the capacity for continuous innovation within a company? Bryan Walker developed a curiosity for this challenge, designing for change, as he was trying to figure out how to help organizations get new ideas out in the world. As a partner at IDEO, he leads the IDEO Design for Change studio and is an instructor in the upcoming IDEO U course, Designing for Change.



It happens to the best of us. You’ve got a great idea and you’re excited to make it happen. But when you introduce this brilliant gem to the organization—wham! Up go the roadblocks. Obstacles to innovation can creep up when you least expect them.