When it becomes common to talk about digital natives, it means that digital disruption has opened a new intellectual continent, bringing with it new social norms, behaviors, and values – it’s easy to find exemplars of this in our world. After all, who could have imagined a few decades ago that the market for urbanites seeking a date could be served with just a simple swipe? As future generations grow up taking this new Attention Economy for granted as the new normal, it’s wise to talk to someone who’s been closely following this social revolution to understand the nature of the change. This led us to Alexander Manu, an industrial designer who was already working in computer design in the 1980s and has dedicated himself to constant innovation. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him an evangelist of change, a creative destroyer in the mold of Schumpeter, who always considers both sides: that to transcend the Power-of-Imagination, you must be willing to abandon cherished habits, thought patterns, and even a familiar set of values. In short, it’s about the art of unlearning—and the question of whether (and to what extent) this isn’t just an act of liberation, but also a painful process.
Alexander Manu, who was a master of industrial design in Bucharest before going into exile in Paris, is now a strategy consultant and speaker. He currently teaches at the Ontario College of Art & Design University and serves as a visiting lecturer at the Wallace McCain Institute of Entrepreneurship. Between 2007 and 2019, Alexander served as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, where he introduced Innovation, Foresight, and Business Design in the MBA curricula.
Alexander Manu has published
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