You are here
Chris Flink
![Chris Flink](https://swap.stanford.edu/was/20140911222256im_/http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/gsb/files/styles/270x270/public/person_photos/Flink_Chris--2013.1.jpg?itok=4o2nInU5)
Teaching Statement
Chris Flink is a partner at IDEO, a Lecturer in Marketing at the Graduate School of Business, and a Consulting Associate Professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design ("d.school") which he helped establish at Stanford. He has served on the d.school's Strategy Board and leadership team since its inception, and has taught courses within the Engineering department such as Advanced Product Design (ME 216B) and Human Values in Design (ME 313) since 1999. He has also guest lectured on the strategic application of design thinking at Wharton and Columbia Business School. In 2011, he co-taught the Brands, Experience; Social Technology ("BEST") course, followed by Social Brands (MKTG 541) and Building Innovative Brands (MKTG 552) in Spring 2012, 2013 and 2014 with Professor Jennifer Aaker. In 2013 he also co-taught Designing Empathy-based Organizations ("d.ORG", GSBGEN 555). In 2014 he was honored to accept a post as Resident Fellow within a vibrant undergraduate live-learn community on east campus. Chris is passionate about helping students develop their own creative confidence. His teaching leverages his twenty years of experience helping organizations of all kinds innovate and grow.
Academic Degrees
- MS in Management, Stanford GSB, 2005
- BS in Engineering/Product Design, Stanford University, 1994
Professional Experience
- Partner, IDEO, June 1997-present
Awards and Honors
- Chilton Memorial Prize for Excellence in Product Design, Stanford, School of Engineering, 1994
Courses Taught
Degree Courses
2013-14
Organizations are often designed for efficiency or optimization of workflow, not for user empathy. How do you design for both? This pop-up class is geared toward the design (or redesign) for empathy-based organizations. It will teach early-stage...
Building Innovative Brands is a hands-on two-week dive into how leading brands may leverage a Design Thinking approach to become ever more participatory, experiential and experimental. Together, we will explore how leading organizations stoke...
2012-13
A hands-on two-week survey of Marketing's cutting edge, where bold brands are becoming ever more open, participatory, experiential & experimental. nnnInspired by a smattering of provocative real-world examples and mind-blowing guests, diverse...
2011-12
As savvy consumers are increasingly participating in brands rather than merely receiving their messages, how do leading organizations stoke conversations, co-create experiences and stories, and build engaging relationships with consumers?...
2010-11
How do leading organizations create compelling brands and connect through experiences? As today's savvy consumers are increasingly participating in brands (rather than merely receiving their messages), how do companies foster better experiences,...
Stanford University Affiliations
Greater Stanford University
Affiliation commas wrapper
Consulting Associate Professor and Founding Faculty member, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, (the "d.school")