Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation

At A Glance

Title: Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation

Target Audience: Business leaders, innovators, AI strategists, product managers, and transformation consultants

Topic: Business model innovation, design thinking, prototyping, co-creation, and strategic decision-making in volatile markets

In Detail:

In a world where disruption is the new normal, “Design a Better Business“ by Patrick Van Der Pijl, Justin Lokitz, and Lisa Kay Solomon stands out as more than just a guide to strategy and innovation—it’s a playbook for rethinking how businesses operate, adapt, and thrive. With its emphasis on prototyping, co-creation, and designing around uncertainty, the book offers a fresh perspective for companies looking to not just survive but lead in volatile markets.

What makes this book particularly compelling is how its core principles apply broadly—whether you’re launching a new product, overhauling a business model, or embarking on a data and AI-driven transformation. For organizations like Datentreiber, which specialize in guiding businesses through these transformations, the book’s themes serve as a strong reinforcement of the value of agility, collaboration, and user-centric design.

Why This Book Matters in Today’s Business Landscape

The authors emphasize that innovation is not an isolated event—it’s a continuous process of testing, learning, and evolving. Through a series of engaging case studies, practical tools like the Business Model Canvas, and thought-provoking frameworks, the book champions:

• Rapid Prototyping – Test ideas early and often to gather insights before scaling.
• Design Thinking – Centering innovation around customer needs and real-world problems.
• Co-Creation – Bringing diverse stakeholders together to ensure new solutions align across the business.
• Embracing Uncertainty – Building strategies that thrive even in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments.

At its heart, “Design a Better Business” urges leaders to stop treating change as a threat and instead design organizations that are adaptable by nature.

Key Takeaways from the Book (and Their Relevance to Data & AI Business Design)

1. Prototyping is Essential for Innovation
A central theme of the book is the importance of prototyping ideas and solutions. Prototyping helps de-risk innovation by allowing businesses to test concepts incrementally, refining them based on feedback before committing significant resources.

In the context of data & AI-driven initiatives, prototyping also plays a crucial role. Datentreiber incorporates Data & AI Product Design Sprints to prototype AI products after a solid strategy is developed. This ensures that AI solutions are not only feasible but also closely aligned with real-world needs.

2. Designing for Uncertainty
The book acknowledges that certainty is a myth in today’s fast-changing markets. Businesses must develop strategies that allow them to adapt quickly, much like analytics and AI systems that continuously evolve based on new data inputs.

This concept aligns with the continuous improvement mindset that Datentreiber fosters through its transformation process. By running parallel streams—developing AI solutions while restructuring the organization’s Technology, Organization, and People (TOP)—businesses create the flexibility needed to scale AI without disruption.

3. Co-Creation Drives Sustainable Change
“Design a Better Business” highlights co-creation as an essential driver of sustainable innovation. Engaging internal teams, customers, and partners early in the process leads to solutions that are more viable, desirable, and feasible.

This mirrors how Datentreiber’s workshops engage cross-functional teams throughout the journey—from strategy development to full-scale implementation. This continuous engagement ensures that data & AI products reflect the needs of the business and its stakeholders at every stage.

4. Visualizing Complexity Through Canvases
One of the book’s standout contributions is its focus on visual tools like the Business Model Canvas to simplify complex strategies. Visual thinking helps teams align faster and communicate more effectively.

Similarly, Datentreiber’s Data & AI Business Design method is powered by 21 strategic canvases that break down data & AI initiatives into actionable, interconnected components. These tools make it easier to integrate data & AI across business models, products, and processes—ensuring that strategies move from ideas to execution seamlessly.

5. Pull, Don’t Push—Let Customer Needs Drive Innovation
The book’s user-centric approach reinforces the importance of building solutions that solve real problems, not just deploying technology for technology’s sake. Datentreiber echoes this by ensuring that data & AI products and strategies are driven by clear use cases that align with customer needs and business objectives​.

While “Design a Better Business” focuses on general innovation, its principles translate exceptionally well to the data & AI space. The emphasis on prototyping, co-creation, and designing for uncertainty directly supports the journey of building data & AI-driven products and embedding data into core business processes.

The Datentreiber Connection: Turning Theory into Action

While the book lays out the mindset and frameworks, turning these ideas into action often requires specialized expertise. This is where Datentreiber excels.

• Train teams in data literacy and AI fundamentals, equipping them to lead data & AI initiatives.
• Think strategically about data & AI integration through workshops and tailored strategies.
• Transform business models by embedding data & AI solutions that drive measurable ROI and sustainable growth.

Just as “Design a Better Business” advocates for holistic, iterative design, Datentreiber empowers companies to holistically embed data & AI into their DNA—ensuring they’re not just ready for the future but actively shaping it.

Final Thoughts

If you’re leading a data & AI transformation—or just beginning to explore how data & AI can fuel innovation—“Design a Better Business” is essential reading. It provides not only the mindset and frameworks needed to design innovative businesses but also a roadmap for adapting to the unpredictable world we live in.

And when it’s time to move from theory to execution, Datentreiber stands ready to guide your journey—helping you design a better business with data & AI at its core.