Human-Centered Innovation in the GenAI Era
CJ Meadows, Head of Innovation-Asia, Executive Education Designer, Professor & Head of Mbaconsulting, S P Jain School Of Global Management
CJ Meadows, Head of Innovation-Asia, Executive Education Designer, Professor & Head of Mbaconsulting, S P Jain School Of Global Management
Dr. CJ Meadows is Head of Innovation-Asia and Executive Education Designer at SP Jain School of Global Management, where she also leads the MBA Consulting Management specialization. She designs and delivers learning experiences for MBAs and corporate executives, focusing on GenAI, innovation, leadership, and design thinking. Her work spans content creation, books, multimedia publications, articles, coaching, speaking, and executive program development. Dr. Meadows has created AI-powered learning models, flipped-classroom experiences, and a digital twin to enhance engagement and impact.
How New Technologies Are Shaping My Work at SPJ GlobalWe have a proprietary AI-Enabled Learning Tutor (AI-ELT) that provides one-to-one coaching in a way I can’t provide for each learner (but would love to!). I published a multimedia microlearning textbook with videos, text, exercises, and more, to “flip” my classrooms into team-coaching workshops with live company projects (most recently, Unilever).
I built a digital twin (CJ2) that provides advice to readers and learners who want help applying ideas to their particular situation (e.g., a design project or a business situation). So, from AI tutor to CJ2 to writings and videos, technology has freed me up to dive into what’s new and what’s next -- and craft some new and next myself.
Even something as personal as mentoring is enhanced with technology. The AI-ELT does interview coaching for job candidates, while I help them deep-dive into what they want to do with their lives and work.
I’m also running a pilot with Skillmotion.AI to have AI analyse people’s LinkedIn skills and compare them with their next desired job. We’ve discovered that sometimes people don't present their skills well, so I help them improve their selfdevelopment AND self-marketing .
Globally distributed teams find our Engaged Learning Online studios far more engaging than Zoom, and I can
Synergy. When I create a book, a portion goes into the multimedia book that introduces people to the topic (alongside new material); bits spin off into articles, speeches, and media interviews; and the work is shared in courses, executive workshops, events, and masterclasses. Even the not-for-profit work I do at The Tiger Center (tigercenter.org) became a book and related spin-offs.
Change is accelerating! Remember how chatgpt reached 1 million users in just 5 days, and meta threads did that in 1 hour? Organizations must use new technologies and build new capabilities now, not in 5 years
CJ2, ChatGPT, and I believe the following are key:
1. Sustainable/Green Tech Integration
2. Advanced Automation and Human Augmentation (including GenAI, ML, Robotics, and Digital Twins of things, processes, and people)
3. Data Fabric & Real-Time Analytics
4. Cybersecurity (including AI-driven Security)
5. Immersive Technologies (AR, VR, MR)
6. Human-AI Collaboration Platforms (including distributed/ gig workforces)
7. Digital Learning Infrastructures to support human and tech development and synergy
8. Next-Gen Cloud and Edge Computing
9. Web3/Decentralized Technologies
10. Industry-Specific AI/Automation
Change is accelerating! Remember how ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just 5 days, and Meta Threads did that in 1 hour? Organizations must use new technologies and build new capabilities NOW, not in 5 years.
The key is not just “adopting tech” but blending technological advancement and human abilities with a human-centered design approach, to drive digital transformation and new strategic capabilities.
The future should be both intensely human and "technofied", together.
Advice for the Next Generation of InnovatorsMy big learning from studying world-class innovators: Be the most unique and extreme you that you can be. You were born with a design, and it evolves with experience. Discover it by exploring the world and yourself. Use your design, skills, and experiences in new situations where you’re unique. My two favorite quotes:
Be who God meant you to be, and you’ll set the world on fire. – St. Catherine of Sienna
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
