Master of Science in Integrative Studies - Organizational Design Thinking

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The integrative studies degree with a focus area in organizational design thinking combines courses in applied communication studies with courses from instructional technology. Through this course work, you will learn to apply design thinking methodology at the nexus of communication, technology, and organizational training. Your coursework will teach you how to effectively redefine organizational problems, ideate to envision possibilities, facilitate processes to bring those ideations to fruition, and test your solutions to ensure meaningful results. And, what’s more, you will learn to do all of these within a design process that helps you create a culture of empathy among all stakeholders. Design thinking is an innovative methodology for creatively uncovering and solving problems. This problem-solving methodology can be applied in many ways and across multiple settings. Design thinking can be used to improve processes, develop organizational structures, and create new products and services. The heart of a design thinking methodology is developing user-centered empathy through systematic activities. Thus, design thinking is not about linearly applying algorithms. Rather, it’s about developing sensitivities to a problem’s context and considering the strengths and weaknesses of various technological and communicative solutions. Design thinking is partially an art, partially a science, and fully a human-centered activity that depends upon a theoretically-informed practice to best ensure reliable decisions in real-world situations.