Resources
Dr Dani Chesson is a researcher who has been studying organizations and human behavior for over a decade now. Through the Design Thinker Institute, her research is available to you.
Whitepapers
Case studies co-authored with clients
SWAT Approach
To Business Transformation
When Fonterra - a dairy cooperative in Aotearoa New Zealand - faced a critical workforce shortage, the usual ways of working weren't going to deliver the outcomes they needed. Enter the SWAT approach to business transformation - a fit-for-purpose, multi-disciplinary way to tackle critical business challenges. This white paper walks through the SWAT approach, lessons learned, outcomes, and advice for anyone wanting to create change at pace within their organizations. Co-authored with Suzie Lewisham - P&C Director for COO at Fonterra. This work was awarded the HRNZ 2025 Future of Work award.
From the Brink of Bankruptcy
To a Thriving $35M Business
On the 21st of May 2018, Chris Taylor, the CEO of Apricus Australia, woke up to find the business account had a negative balance of -$690,000 AUD with another $2,000,000 AUD drawn down on their credit facility. Fast forward 7 years, and the business has become a multi-award-winning entity with an annual turnover of $35M AUD. In this whitepaper, Dr Dani Chesson and Dr Chris Taylor share the journey from the brink of bankruptcy to a thriving, award-winning business.
Published Work
Dr Dani's Published Work
Navigating Change
Published in the Organization Development Journal (Summer 2020), this article explore how Design Thinker capabilities can help organizations navigate change.
Change in Healthcare
Published in the Medical Practice Management Journal (Nov/Dec 2019), this article looks at how Design Thinker capabilities can be a catalyst for driving change in healthcare.
Meeting Challenges
Published in the Organization Development Journal (Fall 2018), this article provides insights on leveraging Design Thinking to refresh organization development practices.
Ethics in Design
Published in the Mastering Ethics in Organizations (2021), this book chapter explores the Ethics of Human-Centered Design and considerations for practitioners.
Podcast Appearances
Dr Dani's Appearances on Podcasts
Design Thinkers
In Episode 91, of the Deliberate Creative podcast, Dr Dani Chesson talks about her research in identifying the core capabilities of Design Thinkers.
Business Change
In Episode 36, of the Teaching Change
podcast, Dr Dani Chesson talks about her journey in leading business transformations.
Rewired w/ Dr Dani
In Episode 13, of the Rewired Consulting Podcast, Dr Dani Chesson talks about her career and the challenges she helps organizations solve.
CTO Lifeline Epi#8
Are our cognitive biases hindering our success? Dr Dani answers this question in this episode of the CTO Life Line.
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