Innovating Through Design Thinking: Facilitation and Design Leadership

Innovation & Business Improvement
Leadership & Management

Next Intake: 11 Feb 2025 (Tue)

Advanced
SkillsFuture
Short Courses
This module is part of Innovating Through Design Thinking

Next course starts on

11 Feb 2025 (Tue) See Full Schedule

Fee

SGD4,360* (as low as SGD508 after maximum funding) Learn More

Duration

4 days
Weekdays (9am - 5pm)

Level

Advanced

Who Should Attend

DT/ UX practitioners who have at least 3 years of experience in running design thinking practice within their organisations

PREREQUISITES

Applicants trained in design thinking are required to attend Innovating through Design Thinking: The Advanced Applications
Applicants with no prior training in design thinking are required to attend the following courses:
(i) Innovating through Design Thinking: The Fundamentals; and
(ii) Innovating through Design Thinking: The Advanced Applications

Overview

Facilitation is key in running successful DT workshop sessions, which are meant to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to work on specific challenges. Creating a space and an environment where people feel confident and can be creative is the key responsibility of the facilitator.

Design Thinking is the latest competitive advantage for businesses across a wide range of industries: tech, education, retail and even aerospace. Design Thinking (DT) has received extensive coverage in major publications like Harvard Business Review and the New York Times. Many companies are incorporating design thinking into their operations to meet the changing needs of customers. Large corporations, like OCBC Bank and Deloitte, are building in-house design teams that can both design and teach others throughout the organisation to design. It was found that for design thinking to function best inside an organisation, a new role of “Design Facilitator” is needed.

If you are already trained in DT and would like to develop yourself further to become an effective DT facilitator, join us for this train-the-trainer programme to deepen your understanding of the steps of DT and mindsets and build the skills necessary to facilitate a DT workshop on your own within your organisation.

Learning Objectives

This programme aims to equip Design thinking/ UX professionals with essential soft skills such as understanding business context, positioning design thinking, influencing people to drive positive change in their organisations.

The course consists of hands-on practice of facilitation skills and lectures on change management theory, storytelling and design leadership. At the end of the programme, participants will be equipped with a new lens to tackle the business challenge while advocating human-centricity; and developing individual action plans to become a powerful change agent in their organisation.

Topic/Structure

Topic 1: Facilitate to inject design thinking

Learn principles and methods of effective, engaging facilitation
Learn power of asking questions to mobilise people
Identify own strength and nurture originality in facilitation

Topic 2: Design strategy and the way we work

Use design thinking to develop concrete and inspiring business strategies
Surface conditions that would need to be true to craft a winning strategy
Design engaging physical, hybrid and visual ways of working

Topic 3: Simplify to drive innovation

Understand why simplicity is key in driving successful change
Learn the principles and methods of simplicity
Increase sensitivity towards experience design

Topic 4: Scale innovation capabilities

Develop strategies on how to drive cultural change
Design elements to scale innovation capabilities
Present the final project to bringing all the learnings and application together

Assessment

As part of the requirement for SkillsFuture Singapore, there will be an assessment conducted at the end of the course. The mode of assessment, which is up to the trainer’s discretion, may be an online quiz, a presentation or based on classroom exercises.

Participants are required to attain a minimum of 75% attendance and pass the associated assessment in order to receive a digital Certificate of Completion and Facilitator Certificate in Design Thinking issued by Singapore Management University.

Calculate Programme Fee

Fee Table

COMPANY-SPONSORED

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

SELF-SPONSORED

SME

NON-SME

Singapore Citizen < 40 years old

Permanent Resident

LTVP+

$1,308

(After SSG Funding 70%)

$508

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$1,308

(After SSG Funding 70%)

Singapore Citizen ≥ 40 years old

$508

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

$508

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$508

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

International Participant

$4,360

(No Funding)

$4,360

(No Funding)

$4,360

(No Funding)

All prices include 9% GST

Please note that the programme fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA)
PSEA can be utilised for subsidised programmes eligible for SkillsFuture Credit support. Click here to find out more.

Self Sponsored

SkillsFuture Credit: Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use their SkillsFuture Credits to pay for the course fees. The credits may be used on top of existing course fee funding.

This is only applicable to self-sponsored participants. Application to utilise SkillsFuture Credits can be submitted when making payment for the course via the SMU Academy TMS Portal, and can only be made within 60 days of course start date.

Please click here for more information on the SkillsFuture Credit. For help in submitting an SFC claim, you may wish to refer to our step-by-step guide on claiming SkillsFuture Credits (Individual).
Workfare Skills Support Scheme: From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme has been enhanced. Please click here for more details.

Company Sponsored

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
Trainees must not be a full-time national serviceman
Trainees will be able to enjoy ETSS funding only if the company's SME's status has been approved. To verify your SME's status, please click here.

Please click here for more information on ETSS.

Absentee Payroll

Companies who sponsor their employees for the course may apply for Absentee Payroll here. For more information, please refer to:

AP Guide (Non-SME Companies)
Declaration Guide (SME Companies)

Intake Information

Course	Dates
INTAKE 17	11 - 12 Feb 2025 (Online) 22 Feb & 24 Feb 2025 (In-Person) [Open for Registration]

*Online registration will close 5 calendar days before the course start date

Trainers

Jin Kang Møller

Affiliate Faculty, Executive Education Design Leadership, Design Thinking and Customer Experience

Singapore Management University

Testimonials

I am glad that I enrolled into the Design Thinking course and embarked on the Professional Pathway. I learned so much from Jin and the other participants. The programme has given me the tools to transform the way I work. It has also helped me apply my company values and submit an idea in our annual innovation awards - an idea that is being implemented at my organisation now.

Robert Steven Chitty

DVP

Prudential Singapore

The skills mastered from the Innovation through Design Thinking programme has been instrumental in creating a framework to develop new services in our organisation. Very few top universities have developed Design Thinking courses with the depth of knowledge and expertise as SMU Academy has done. The practical assignments and hands-on approach of this course makes it ideal for professionals who want to make a difference in their company.

Miguel Pereira Tanco

CEO

ZOOMOOV Pte Ltd

I had a very positive experience at the design thinking programme with Jin at SMU Academy, which equipped me with skills and methods that I can apply in the workplace to innovation, strategy, and change management. Jin is an engaging teacher and our hands-on experience of managing and facilitating design thinking projects as part of the lesson plan really brought theoretical concepts to life. I also liked that we gave and received feedback from each other, and this has helped me to better understand my strengths and areas which I can develop further.

Cynthia Lim

Head of Strategic Planning

Avon

The journey of Design Thinking with SMU has been amazing, and provided me with the opportunity to meet people from different fields. We came together as a team of strangers and grew to become a group of family-like community. We shared ideas and stories among ourselves. Design Thinking has opened up many avenues for growth and discoveries, where shared experiences and processes diverged into many possible outcomes. I feel that the courses have been informative, packed with actionable takeaways to help learners achieve real results that are aligned to best practices. It is a pleasure to acquire many practical skills and transformational experiences through this Design Thinking journey.

Ruquyah Gandhi

CEO

MERANK GLOBAL SINGAPORE

I was drawn to the Design Thinking Certification Pathway by SMU Academy because it encompasses Design Facilitation, Leadership and Innovation, and Creative Thinking and Aesthetics as a holistic approach. The programme has equipped me with a deeper understanding on the range of tools and methodology I can use to explore human-centric pain points and business problems from a place of empathy. In addition, Jin Kang Møller is an outstanding facilitator and mentor. Thank you, Jin, for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Overall, the learning experience with SMU Academy was well-paced, interactive and engaging.

Bryant Tang

Manager, Experience Design

IHH Healthcare