Mindset Reset: A Conversation with Adriana Dolnyckyj of DesignThinkers Group Canada

If there’s one thing the pandemic is teaching us, it’s that things are in a constant state of change. And while times are tough, people all over the globe are showing us, with their creativity and resilience, that we’ll get through them.

Whether you’re a leader in business or anyone who wants to spark change in your community, there’s never been a better time to learn about Design Thinking, an iterative process that helps solve complex problems in creative ways through empathy and by questioning assumptions, collaborative ideation, rapid prototyping and testing.

Adriana Dolnyckyj of DesignThinkers Group Canada.

This month, Business & Arts NL, with DesignThinkers Group Canada, will launch an interactive, four-part series that will break it all down by exploring mindsets that are essential to the Design Thinking methodology. The series kicks off on September 22 with Empathy: The Compassionate Mindset, and continues with Critical Thinking: The Observer’s Mindset (September 24), Curiosity: The Explorer’s Mindset (September 29,) and Adoption: The Inventor’s Mindset (October 1). The series will be hosted online, so participants can take it all in from the comfort of their home, office, or wherever they may be.

“These are really helpful, useful tools every day. And actually, because of the pandemic, 'every day' isn't kind of every day anymore. I think this pandemic has revealed huge weaknesses and some strengths, even, within our systems. But it's also accelerated some of the trends and societal breakdowns that have already existed,” says Adriana Dolnyckyj, Founding Partner and Chief Experience Strategist with DesignThinkers Group Canada, who is one of the series’ featured coaches.

"Design Thinking helps us deal with highly complex problems in ambiguous circumstances…we believe these mindsets are crucial to help people strengthen their natural ability to adapt through disruption, which is what we have to do now.”

While Design Thinking often tackles big challenges, the goal of the upcoming series is to break things down into smaller, more manageable pieces to help participants learn how to approach their daily tasks, important meetings or organizational culture in new ways. The series, Dolnyckyj says, will give participants tools and practices that they can apply straight away.

"The idea is to make habits of these mindsets. For example, we're going to be talking about empathy. So we want to show you empathic brain habits that you can use every day,” she says.

"So, with each session, you're going to get…at least one or two tools that you can take and use immediately and apply to whatever you're facing, be it in your community, at home, or at work.”

Each session in the series will be 1.5-2 hours long and will allow time afterwards for participants to continue the conversation and discuss what they’ve learned.

"We really support the learn by doing approach. The idea is that you're not just going to be sitting and taking information in, but we'll have really fun, interactive exercises so that you can get a sense of what we're talking about,” Dolnyckyj adds.

“The idea is to get to know one another, have some fun and give you something really useful you can start using right away.”

To learn more about the upcoming series, or to register, click here. Each session is a stand-alone offering. Participants are encouraged to complete the full program, or can choose to register for one or more individual sessions.