Critical thinking for sustainable business solutions

This course is part of Sustainable Business Strategy for Future Leaders Specialization

Instructor: Haider Ali

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Understand how the creative ideation process functions to generate a broad range of relevant outcomes to your challenge domain and systems map.
Converge on a selection of the most impactful ideas to take forward for implementation and (in)validation.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

9 assignments

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Sustainable Business Strategy for Future Leaders Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

This course will help you to discover how to flip your logical thinking and reasoning mind to enable you to generate a wide range of innovative ideas. Using techniques such as the SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put, Eliminate, Reverse) method to assist in generating ideas, you will assess when to apply the different thinking modes appropriately in the ideation process.

You’ll apply critical reflective thinking to avoid personal biases and unintended consequences when you develop potential solutions. You will also analyse proto-concepts critically to ensure their suitability and the likelihood of positive impact. Via text-based resources and task books, you’ll gain comprehensive understanding and benefit from in-depth reference points as you formulate your ideas and plans.

This week, you will dive into the process of creative thinking to solve systemic challenges. You will learn how to generate a broad range of ideas to address your defined sustainability issues.

What's included

8 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

8 readings Total 44 minutes

Welcome to the course 4 minutes
Course requirements 6 minutes
Engaging with your tasks 7 minutes
Introducing ideation for systemic challenges 5 minutes
What is ideation? 7 minutes
Divergent and convergent thinking modes 6 minutes
Ideation rounds illustrated 7 minutes
Week 1 summary 2 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

How much do you know already? 30 minutes
Week 1 assignment 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Your task: Introduce yourself 10 minutes

This week, you will learn how to converge your ideas into concrete concepts to take forward and test throughout the rest of the course.

What's included

11 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

11 readings Total 64 minutes

Introduction to Week 2 3 minutes
Rules and techniques for effective ideation 2 minutes
Using hybrid brainstorming 7 minutes
Ideation rounds 5 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 1 – Pre-mortem 7 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 2 – Worst idea technique 7 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 3 – Round robin 7 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 4 – Reverse brainstorming 7 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 5 – Creative opposites 9 minutes
Your task: Ideation technique 6 – Sustainability ideation cards 7 minutes
Week 2 summary 3 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

Week 2 self-assessment 30 minutes
Week 2 assignment 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 70 minutes

Sharing your Ideation technique output 70 minutes

This week, you will converge your thinking to make decisions about which ideas to take forward or to leave behind.

What's included

5 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt

5 readings Total 92 minutes

Welcome to Week 3 4 minutes
Converging on final concepts 15 minutes
Creating a sustainability concept card 30 minutes
Your task: Understanding sustainability concept consequences 40 minutes
Week 3 summary 3 minutes

3 assignments Total 90 minutes

Week 3 self-assessment 30 minutes
Week 3 self-assessment 30 minutes
Week 3 assignment 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 6 minutes

Sharing your refinement task outputs 6 minutes

This week, you will refine the ideas you are considering taking forward and reflect on how this will affect your draft systems map from course 2 in the Coursera Specialization 'Sustainability for business success'.

What's included

4 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

4 readings Total 53 minutes

Welcome to Week 4 2 minutes
Concept refinement technique – the SCAMPER method 40 minutes
Your likely concept impacts 1 minute
Conclusion and next steps 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

Week 4 self-assessment 30 minutes
Course graded assignment 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 30 minutes

Understanding how your concept impacts your systems map 20 minutes
Your task: Reflect on the course 10 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Haider Ali

The Open University

4 Courses 1,218 learners

Offered by

The Open University

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.