Dreaming, designing, doing, developing, and innovation orientation: A case study of working in innovation Stanford style in remote rural Nicaragua

Abstract

Objective: Since 2004, the author has worked in the cities of the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua in innovation and entrepreneurship. The message is innovation and the Stanford D School Design Thinking Model. In 2016, an invitation was received to work in the autonomous region of the Northern Caribbean Coast. This would be an opportunity to try the methodologies at the base of the economic pyramid in a remote rural location.

Research Design & Methods: This is a case study, taking the innovation work started in the United States and continued in Universities in Nicaragua to a very rural area with the guidance and support of UNICAM. UNICAM is the Universidad en el Campo, or, the University of the Country, an innovation in education. The goal is to take University-level education to the rural communities. The town is at the entrance to the RAAN, the developing northern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The challenges were many in this rural community! Who would attend? Where would it be held? What would be a relevant theme for this community? What activities would help participants through a workshop on innovation? This was not the typical academic group of faculty and students that the authors work with.

Findings: The results showed that in this case study, you could take the theory and methodology directly to a rural population who did not have the advantages of a world-class education. They used the methodology of Design Thinking effectively.

Contribution & Value Added: The contribution here is opening the minds of the academic community that perhaps the goal should be to take applied education to the students wherever, and not expect the students to come to the cloistered halls of academia.