Hideki Yamawaki

Hideki Yamawaki serves as the Ito Chair of International Business and Professor of Management at Claremont Graduate University's Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, where he held leadership roles as associate dean (2006-2009) and academic dean (2010-2012). His international academic career includes:

• Senior Research Fellow, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (1982-1990)
• Professor of Economics, Université Catholique de Louvain (1990-1997)
• Visiting Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management (1995-1999)

Educational background:

• PhD in Economics, Harvard University
• MA, Keio University
• BA, Keio University

His research integrates Design Thinking with Competitive Strategy, International Business, International Trade, and Foreign Direct Investment, pioneering the Innovation Systems Design (ISD) program that merges Art Center College of Design's curriculum with management expertise. This work focuses on applying design methodology to business strategy for competitive advantage and addressing global business dynamics through customer-centric approaches.

Recent publications (2020-2022) reveal a concentrated exploration of design strategy, future creation, and business innovation. Key themes include making invisible customer needs visible, strategic execution frameworks, and analyzing emergent futures, demonstrating consistent interdisciplinary connections between design thinking, strategic management, and organizational foresight.

Yamawaki teaches core MBA/Executive courses including Competitive Strategy, Global Strategy, Managing Across Borders, and Designing the Future. His academic leadership culminated in launching the ISD concurrent degree program (2011), which develops professionals capable of bridging design innovation and business strategy through structured curriculum development and institutional collaboration.

As co-executive director of the Innovation Systems Design program, he established a dedicated interdisciplinary team collaborating with Art Center College of Design. This initiative creates a structured environment where design innovation principles are systematically integrated with management theory for real-world business application.