WORKSHOP - Design Thinking : Three Steps to Solve a Problem with your Team - RISE & LEAD - June 2026 Worldwide Edition Mentoring Program

This WORKSHOP is part of the RISE & LEAD - June 2026 Worldwide Edition Mentoring Program

Mentoring is the most effective way to shorten your learning curve to success.

In this 90-minute, hands-on session, women in trade will experience the core of Design Thinking in three concrete phases:

1. 30 minutes to explore the root causes of a real challenge, 
2. 20 minutes to generate and select creative solutions together, and 
3. 30 minutes to prototype and pitch your idea for immediate, constructive feedback. You will strengthen your social intelligence by collaborating across diverse perspectives, listening actively, and learning how to give and receive feedback so that you can lead problem-solving conversations with more confidence in your own team and organisation.

This workshop is delivered by Andreea Badea, an experienced facilitator and project leader at Big Bloom, who has guided international teams through Design Thinking processes to tackle complex, real-world challenges while building collective intelligence and collaboration skills. In partnership with Big Bloom, OWIT Lake Geneva brings this proven, human‑centred innovation approach into our mentoring program to support women in trade in turning complex business and trade challenges into actionable, people-focused solutions they can apply immediately in their careers.

During the workshop, you will work on competencies such as:

• Clarifying and reframing problems using empathy and root-cause exploration
• Co-creating ideas, building on others’ input, and selecting solutions as a team
• Prototyping quickly and embracing experimentation over perfection
• Giving and receiving constructive feedback in a supportive, solution-focused way
• Communicating your ideas with clarity and impact through simple pitches
• Strengthening social intelligence: active listening, curiosity, and collaboration across diverse perspectives

You’ll leave this session with a clearer way to tackle complex challenges in your work, using Design Thinking as a practical roadmap rather than an abstract concept. By the end, you’ll feel more confident leading collaborative problem‑solving, better equipped to harness your team’s collective intelligence, and ready to bring human‑centred solutions into your daily practice as a woman in trade. This isn’t just about learning a method – it’s about claiming your role as a change‑maker in how your team and organisation shape the future of global trade.