The last 20 years have been a period of radical disruption and transformation in knowledge work. The "why, what, and how" of new value creation and delivery in knowledge-intensive work is shifting and the power has moved from the center to the edges. In his talk, Evans will explore the emergence of new methods of exploration, abductive ideation, and empirical validation that is changing how value creation happens. The very idea first introduced by Buckminster Fuller, when he said that everything was becoming ephemeralized—doing "more and more with less and less until eventually you can do everything with nothing"—or more recently when Marc Andreessen said, "software is eating the world," has had a direct impact on information-seeking and information-synthesizing behaviors. Evans will unpack how many of these models and methods are really the exaptation of Lean, Systems Thinking, and Design Thinking principles, transplanted from the world of manufacturing into the ephemeral world of knowledge work and knowledge management. He'll finish by showing how these models can frame the challenges posed by sense-making (experiential) change in knowledge work.
Will Evans explores the convergence of practice and theory using Lean Systems, Design Thinking, Theory of Constraints, and Service Design with global enterprises from NYC to Berlin to Singapore. As Chief Design Officer, he works with a select group of clients undergoing Lean and Agile transformations across the entire organization. Will earned his Jonah® from AGI, and serves on the Board of Advisors for Rutgers CX (Customer Experience) Program. Formerly, he was Design Thinker-In-Residence at NYU Stern.