Creating Infectious Action, Kindling Gregarious Behavior (CIA-KGB) is offered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (we call it the d.school), a new institute intended to advance multidisciplinary innovation, make Stanford a key center in the design world, and strengthen the connection between the university and industry.

This small and intense project-based class is built around two team efforts to “spread” positive behavior, which will be bolstered by exposure to, and coaching from, industry experts and academics. The first project will be an initiative done with Mozilla, the second a project focused on building the user base of a social venture called Global Giving that runs an online marketplace connecting donors with social entrepreneurs globally.

Learning how to become a better design thinker will be a major focus of this course. Students will apply the “build to think” philosophy of the d.school and create prototypes of everything from viral marketing campaigns to entire businesses. While there will substantial helpings of theory delivered throughout the quarter, this is a course for people who want to get their hands dirty, to get out in the world and do things.

Not to be outdone, Hitesh points out another class offered at Berkeley (see syllabus):

An increasing number of firms of all types have come to the realization that one of the most valuable assets they have (or one of the assets they are most sorely lacking) is creativity – both at an individual level and at an organizational level. Despite this recognition, little attention has been paid to the subject of creativity in MBA programs. Most courses focus on the evaluation of ideas, not the generation of creative ideas. However, professionals across sectors face the challenge of making their products and services more relevant to an increasingly well-informed customer base. How to stay ahead of the curve in anticipating and understanding consumer needs and demand? Being innovative in one’s approach to marketing – among other business processes – can help create and sustain competitive advantage.

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