Business visionaries SIT for pilot prototype at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub
Fifth Third joins UC to fuse SIT+AI methodologies for change
In a world where chaos often dictates problem-solving, the 1819 Learning Lab at the University of Cincinnati is rewriting the rules.
Business leaders are no longer shying away from complexity; instead, they are embracing it, thanks to a unique, interactive research-based methodology workshop that marries systematic inventive thinking (SIT) with the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
Top innovators from Fifth Third Bank, marketing faculty from UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business and the expertise of Matt Sias from InnovationAcceleration.ai all gathered for a progressive pilot SIT+AI prototype workshop in UC's 1819 Learning Lab.
Drew Boyd, maestro of SIT and a marketing professor at UC’s Lindner College of Business, unraveled the mystery behind SIT's creative problem-solving strategy, “It's all about systematically applying thinking patterns to existing products, services or processes, challenging assumptions and shattering mental models to birth innovative solutions.”
Using a temperature-indicating color-changing baby bottle as an example, Boyd demonstrated how employing SIT strategies, such as the solution-to-problem process, considered contrary to common beliefs about innovation, can spark novel ideas by questioning the fundamental principles underpinning them.
SIT methodology flaunts five thinking patterns
UC's 1819 Learning Lab leaders, Fifth Third business leaders and AI tech leaders create ground-breaking problem-solving strategies with Drew Boyd, (standing) UC marketing professor and founder of the SIT program, during UC's SIT+AI pilot prototype workshop in the 1819 Learning Lab. Photo/Melanie Schefft
- Subtraction: Removing a component or feature from a product or system to create something new.
- Division: Dividing a product or its components and rearranging them in a novel way.
- Multiplication: Copying a component and altering it in some way to create variety or added functionality.
- Task unification: Assigning a new task to an existing component in a system.
- Attribute dependency: Creating dependencies between system attributes of a system to generate innovative solutions.
Sias, facilitating the AI side of the workshop, emphasized the benefits of leveraging AI to accelerate the process of generating and refining ideas by merging them it with the SIT framework. “Together, we're making significant strides in augmenting and accelerating human creativity and innovation combining SIT with the speed of AI.”
Bottom line, this is a freaking winner. I can see where this is going, and I’d like to be a part of it in any capacity you’ll let me.
Nate Sowder Fifth Third business leader and 1819 Innovation Hub corporate partner
Key strategies
- Data-driven insights: AI analyzes vast data instantly, revealing patterns and areas for improvement. SIT then transforms these insights into creative ideas.
- Human-AI collaboration: Combining AI's analytical prowess with human creativity yields holistic and effective problem solving. AI aids ideation, while humans contribute intuition, empathy and creativity.
- Cross-industry collaboration: Unveiling closed worlds that might otherwise remain hidden fosters opportunities for innovation.
Fifth Third business leaders Cordario Collier and Zhané Broomfield discuss new strategies for merging AI with SIT creative methods. Photo/Melanie Schefft
The synergy of SIT+AI proved to be a game-changer. AI's data-driven insights, coupled with SIT's creative ideation, formed a dynamic duo capable of revolutionizing problem-solving.
“As we help our corporate partners learn and develop better innovation, this is an example of how we have connected the brightest minds at UC and the local startup community to help serve our partner, Fifth Third Bank,” said RJ Sargent, executive director of Learning Services in UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub.
Nate Sowder from Fifth Third Bank praised the workshop's potential, envisioning a future where SIT+AI could predict future financial hardships based on consumer financial history, steering clear of conventional transactional approaches.
Fifth Third business leaders Nate Sowder (center), Adam Wolf, (left) and Matt Sias (right) create swift business solutions by merging SIT+AI problem-solving strategies. Photo/Melanie Schefft
The workshop participants discovered how AI can rapidly test and iterate SIT-generated ideas, refining them based on real-world feedback and data. The result? A fusion of structured problem-solving and swift analytical capabilities, leading to a culture of innovative and creative solutions.
Sowder, echoing the sentiment of many participants, enthusiastically declared, "Bottom line, this is a freaking winner. I can see where this is going, and I’d like to be a part of it in any capacity you’ll let me."
To learn more or to join a future SIT+AI Learning Lab session, email 1819LearningLab@uc.edu
Featured image at top: Members of UC's pilot SIT+AI prototype workshop include (from left) UC's RJ Sargent, executive director of Learning Services; Fifth Third leaders Nate Sowder and Cordario Collier; UC's Drew Boyd, marketing professor and founder of the SIT program; Fifth Third's Zhané Broomfield and Adam Wolf; UC's Rebecca Revalee-Rudolph; and Matt Sias, founder of InnovationAcceleration.ai, in front of UC's Learning Lab. Photo/Rebecca Revalee-Rudolph
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