Tom Kelley

General Manager , IDEO and Author of the bestseller, Creative Confidence

General manager of IDEO, the widely admired design and development firm. Seasoned innovation practitioner with proven techniques for fostering a culture of creativity and developing processes for continuous innovation. Author of three outstanding books, Creative ConfidenceThe Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation.

Tom Kelley practices innovation every day. His ability to foster a culture of creativity in the companies he works with has made him one of the most beloved figures in innovation.

Tom’s newest book, Creative Confidence, is an out-of-the-box success; in its first week, it was already among the best-selling business books in the country, leading the field in motivational leadership and problem-solving.

Creative Confidence is a guide to recognizing and unleashing the creative potential in every employee. Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the “creative types” — artists, writers, the design team. But every one of us has the potential to be creative; creativity is a mindset that anyone can cultivate, not a personality trait you either have or you don’t. And in a marketplace where competitiveness is defined by innovation, the more creativity you unlock across the board, the more likely you are to succeed. Creative Confidence was co-written with Tom’s brother David Kelley, the founder of IDEO and creator of the Stanford d.school, and the book draws on both brothers’ extensive work through these institutions with many of the world’s top companies.

This is just the latest step in Tom’s highly respected career as a leader in innovation management and design. Under his management, IDEO has won more admiration and awards than any other design firm in the last decade. At the heart of IDEO’s success is the Creative Confidence philosophy: everyone can contribute creatively to a project if innovation is part of an organization’s way of life.

Tom’s earlier books include The Art of Innovation, which describes IDEO’s “deep dive” approach to successful product creation, focusing on brainstorming and teamwork as invaluable tools. The Ten Faces of Innovation shares ten unique strategies for making sure that good ideas make it to market.

Tom was named the first-ever Executive Fellow by the dean of the Haas Business School, University of California Berkeley, and received the 2009 Kellogg Award for Distinguished Leadership from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Session Info

Tuesday, June 19 11:00 am – 11:45 am Room 205BC

Designing Innovation with Creative Confidence

Innovation has become an essential skill for all organizations in our global economy, and Tom Kelley will show how creative methodologies like design thinking can contribute to innovation success. Drawing on his leadership experience at IDEO and the research from his New York Times bestseller, Creative Confidence, Tom’s presentation will cover approaches design teams can use to apply in pursuit of their innovation goals.

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