Adam Lawrence

Adam is the cofounder of WorkPlayExperience, a company which helps organisations worldwide change how their staff, partners and customers work together to discover and create value. His background ranges from psychology, marketing, and product innovation to professional theater and stand-up comedy. Adam is fascinated by human interaction; so at WPX he focusses on the “front stage” of services, and how groups of people from different backgrounds can work together effectively while having a great time. He has developed and adapted several theatrical tools and lenses and introduced them to the world of service design and facilitation.

Adam is a co-author of This is Service Design Doing, the new handbook of practical design thinking which was published by O’Reilly in January 2018.

In 2010, Adam co-initiated the award winning Global Service Jam–which was soon followed by the Global Sustainability Jam and the Global GovJam–and has been a leading figure in establishing the global community of practice and sharing around the Jams. He also teaches and gives keynotes on service design and human centered innovation all over the world and is Adjunct Professor for Service Design Thinking at the world-leading IE Business School in Madrid. Adam lives in southern Germany, enjoys nature and medieval re-creation, and rides a classic Japanese motorcycle.

Education

• BSc (jt Hons) University of Reading, UK (1985 — 1988)
• A-levels Biology, Chemistry, Maths; AO levels Human Biology, General Studies Diss Sixth Form (1983 — 1985)
• High School Diss Grammar School (1979 — 1983)

Companies

• Trainer This is Doing (2020)
• Co-founder and Senior Facilitator CoCreation School (2018)
• Co-author, Faculty This is Service Design Doing (2015)
• Adjunct Professor IE Business School (2014)
• Co-Initiator (non-profit) Global GovJam (2012)
• Co-Initiator (non-profit) Global Sustainability Jam (2011)
• Co-Initiator (non-profit) Global Service Jam (2010)
• Partner, Customer Experience Director, Service Design educator WorkPlayExperience (2008)
• Comedian & Director Mad Dog Productions (1997)