Japan’s Blueprint for Design Thinking in 2026
with Darren Menabney (Lecturer)
How can innovation last beyond the workshop?
Design Thinking has become one of the most recognized approaches to solving complex problems – empowering teams to empathize, ideate, and experiment their way to better solutions. Yet many organizations still struggle to make its impact stick.
Join this online seminar to explore the method and the mindset behind lasting innovation. Starting with the fundamentals of Design Thinking, you’ll then discover how Japanese management philosophies can strengthen and sustain it.
The session will be led by Darren Menabney, GLOBIS Faculty and global design thinking expert, who has spent over a decade in Japan helping teams innovate, collaborate, and grow.
Why join?
- Explore how Design Thinking helps teams approach problems with creativity and empathy
- Learn how Japanese practices like kaizen and omotenashi can make innovation part of daily work
- Experience the GLOBIS learning style – interactive and based on real business challenges
Who should attend?
- Professionals who want to sharpen their creative problem-solving
- Individuals seeking fresh, practical perspectives on innovation
- Anyone exploring how business education can connect global insight with personal growth
This is a live online event. After registering, you’ll receive an email with the event link and joining instructions.
Hosted in Central European Summer Time (CEST) – if you’re joining from elsewhere, please check your local time before joining.
Overview
| Date: | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 12:00 - 13:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Where: | Online |
| Registration Fee: | Free of charge |
| Language: | English |
Agenda
| 12:00 (CEST) | Welcome |
|---|---|
| 12:15 (CEST) | Seminar |
| 12:45 (CEST) | Q&A |
Darren Menabney
Darren Menabney brings his expertise to the private and public sectors, helping individuals and organizations create value by more effectively collaborating and communicating remotely and cross-culturally. His mission is to help others optimize their ideas for the benefit of all. Before moving to Tokyo in 2011, he spent over twenty years working for the Canadian federal government. His career there encompassed diplomacy and business development, as well as building public-private-academia partnerships in the Canadian innovation ecosystem.
Darren spent twelve years at Ricoh Co., Ltd.’s Tokyo headquarters, leading initiatives to build stronger global teams, strengthen corporate culture, and boost collaboration among 85,000 employees in over sixty-five countries. He has also been a contributing writer for Forbes and Fast Company, a speaker for TEDx, and an instructor for IDEO U courses in storytelling and design thinking.
At GLOBIS University, Darren teaches Business Presentation, Critical Thinking, Design Thinking, Cross-Cultural Management, and Leading Global Virtual Teams. He also trains company leaders as part of GLOBIS Corporate Education.
