Larry Keeley

Larry Keeley teaches graduate innovation strategy classes at the Institute of Design (ID), which he joined as an Adjunct Faculty member in 1989 and where he now serves on the Board of Advisors. In 1980 Larry co-founded Doblin, Inc., a global innovation firm that helps leading organizations find human-centered solutions to business problems. (Doblin is now a unit of Deloitte Consulting LLP.) For over 30 years, Larry has developed more effective innovation methods to help teams succeed at the toughest innovations they pursue.

In addition to leading Doblin as President and teaching at ID, Larry lectures in executive education programs at Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and he is an adjunct faculty member for their core MBA and Master of Manufacturing Management programs. He also lectures at University of Chicago and other business schools worldwide. Collectively, Larry has helped educate more than five thousand master’s- or PhD-level innovation specialists worldwide.

Industry Experience

Larry has worked with scores of the world’s largest companies to build their signature innovation competences and with startup firms trying to change some smaller part of the world. Along the way he pioneered the use of social science research, deep innovation protocols, critical theories like Ten Types of Innovation, Platforms, Convergences, and deep approaches to business model innovation. Recently, Deloitte adapted the signature Doblin innovation tradecraft into a new and free app, Ten Types of Innovation, available from the US Apple Store.

Businessweek named Larry one of seven “innovation gurus” who are changing the field and cited him for having many of the most sophisticated tools for delivering innovation effectiveness. Recently, they also selected Larry as one of the 27 most influential designers in the world.

Speaking and Publishing

Larry is in frequent demand as a speaker and facilitator. He also co-authored Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs, which codifies much of the research and tradecraft that drives effective innovation. He has been interviewed numerous times, including on Bloomberg TV’s Taking Stock and by BizCastHQ, where he discussed the importance of empathy within the context of innovation challenges. Larry also presented a TedXAcademy Talk, “Flipping Adversity to Advantage.”

Select Work

Keeley, Larry, Brian Quinn, Ryan Pikkei, and Helen Walters. 2013. Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breathroughs (John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey).

Select Media

“The Ten Types of Innovation Framework—and How to Use It,” by Tim Woods. Hype innovation blog, Dec. 7, 2015.

“Innovation Conversation with Doblin’s Larry Keeley,” by Henry Doss. Forbes, Nov. 21, 2015.