The Student Annual 2008-2009

the student annual 2008-2009

mba in design strategy

We are the pioneering cohort of the cca mba in design strategy program.

top row, from left to right: Adam Dole, Ayano Hattori, Beth Berrean, Carla Voorhees, Erica Frye, Erica Meade, Erik Ehrke, Erin Jacobs, Gwen Armbruster, Heike Rapp-Wurm, Henry Liu, Ingrid Dragotta and Jason Hui.

bottom row, from left to right: Jennifer Pechacek, Kate Ranson-Walsh, Kathryn Hautanen, Mattia Nuzzo, Mei Lan Ho-Walker, Nicole Chen, Nicole Trautsch, Paul Colando, Rowan Edwards, Sara Kozlowski, Suzanne Randolph, Tim Bishop and Vinitha Watson.

Inside are glimpses of the first year exploration of the space where design and business meet. These pages cannot represent the passion of our discussions and debates, the variety and depth of our projects or the many challenges posed and risen above during the inaugural year of CCA's MBA in Design Strategy program.

What it does offer—real, tangible examples of the application of design strategy and our interpretation of design and business working together. It demonstrates what we hope to bring to the business world: fresh perspectives, open dialog, healthy curiosity and criticism, system-thinking, visual communication, sensitivity to social responsibility and empathetic leadership.

To learn more about any of the work featured in this document, please email dmba.annual@gmail.com for more information.

- Nicole Chen, Erica Meade & Kate Ranson-Walsh The Creators of The DMBA Student Annual, 2008-2009 DMBA Class of 2010

come see where design and business meet‌

Learn more at: 3 www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/design-mba

what's inside

August 2009 d profound ategy was an exciting an Str n sig De in MBA the e a new The inaugural year of . Not only did we explor ts and instructors alike en tud —s ce-a-month all on r for ou ce h en experi it in a new way wit ed lor exp we t bu h, scratc and I’m proud curriculum, built from e result was exhilarating Th e. us yet ls oo sch them ich few questions, challenged residency structure, wh students in important the d ge ga ly en tive We . ec ed eff and space of everyone involv d to teach across time rne lea d an ls, too m. d eri an int in the to explore new ideas en they returned home us each month and wh mp ca on every challenge re to we e y ros the d when ssively hard an pre im d rke wo nts de stu and Most of all, however, the ir dedication, ingenuity, n themselves with the eve d an us g isin rpr su we offered, solutions. h They’ve inspired us wit ky to interact with them. luc ’re we d s an thi up in e gro se This is a remarkable y’ve completed. What you ved us with the work the mo d wever, it an Ho r. ns tio yea es st qu pa n s ow their and experience thi on ati dic de ir the of ing . yearbook is a pale record journey they have taken that experience and the of e ns se a r de rea the should give great expectations of se students, so we have the for go to r yea re have with them. As a There’s still one mo w ideas, and the fun we ne g kin rea d-b un gro r group of pioneers the work to come, the have asked for a bette n’t uld co we , on ssi mi w to know each new program with a ne confirms this. I’m proud ow sh to ve ha y the rk finish the wo r as well as when they to explore with us and ir work this coming yea the to rd wa for k loo d one of them an t their careers. nue its ideals throughou the program and conti

Nathan Shedroff Design Strategy Program Chair, MBA in Arts California College of the rg www.designmba.o

4

Letters

What's inside

Who We Are 6

Our Community

8

Moodled

12

Blogged

13

Tweeted

14

Our Bookshelf

16

Q & A with 5 DMBA Professors

what we did 20 22 28 30

Our Process

31 32 48 50

Accounting

52

Innovation Studio Live Exchange Microeconomics Sustainability Studio Leadership by Design

holders

Business Models & Stake Market Insight Studio

lessons learned

56 Building the Me Muscle , 5 Lessons 58 5 Residencies, 5 Months ry list 59 A short dMBA vocabula ally Work for You 60 Making Working Virtu 62

Good Times

5

Our Community: the first the basics # of students

26

# of mac users

5

# of commuters

5

27% 42%

average age

Where we work: Company sizes freelance/owner more than 100 employees

19% 12%

between 50-99 employees less than 50 employees

6

job roles

designers researchers project managers marketing/sales consultants

industries represented

design services high tech furniture online media education

≈2

32

# of parents

24

construction fine arts film fashion & textiles journalism

retail advertising industrial design architecture

engineers educators general managers owners/freelancers

year pioneers

200,440

miles traveled to attend class (by our 5 commuters)

transitions # of job changes

7

# of new parents

1 class work

# of assigned books:

19

# of assigned articles:

90

# of student presentations given:

100

# of collaborative projects per student:

9

# of groups:

41

# of newly married or engaged

3

# of home moves

5

# of PC to Mac converts

1

1290

moodle threads (as of 7/31/09) 7

Moodled.

The Design Strategy MBA may be a low-residency program, but who needs physical proximity to engage in lively debate? We are constantly present with each other, discussing our readings and sharing knowledge through our official online learning tool, Moodle. Here is a peek into some of the conversations that have kept us inspired, grounded, and constantly questioning.

On Skymall And Buyer’s Remorse Conversation Starter: Tim Bishop

Every time I board an airplane, I feel compelled to flip through the SkyMall catalog in the seat back in front of me. I loathe the SkyMall. I quickly enter into depression after flipping through its countless pages of frivolous merchandise, yet like a car accident, I have to take a peek. I don’t understand either side of the equation, the people designing and producing the stuff, or the people buying it....So what am I getting at? I guess I’m wondering how do we convince people to buy less useless crap? Better yet, how do we get people to produce less of it?

Adam Dole

Call me an impulse shopper, or just someone who likes novelty gifts, but I am clearly the target audience for skymall.

The old fashion hot dog cart in my house is living proof...but it does steam a mean hot dog bun... and the hot dogs rival those on the streets of NYC.

As I've been reading Leading Change Toward Sustainability I keep thinking that “Leading Change Toward Sustainability” could just as easily be retitled “Leading Change Toward X”.

Every time I pick it up I think how great of an example this process is for any desired change in an organization.

Carla Voorhees 8

Sustainable Entrepreneurship?

Conversation Starter: Nicole Chen

I’d like to comment Schumpeter’s definition of entrepreneur (from “Prophet of Innovation”).

I completely agree in his argument that “the typical entrepreneur is more self-centered that other types…because his characteristic task…consists precisely in breaking up old, and creating new, tradition.” But how sustainable is this energy?

Does the entrepreneur spirit ever reach a point in a company’s growth where it becomes a hindrance, rather than an asset? I’ve seen a company grow from less than ten people to over 150, and all the while with the founder at the head. He’s a brilliant man – ambitious and aggressive. But there are talents that he does not have and that the company, with its larger work force now, now need. We're not getting the leadership we need as a mediumsized company.

I think of the entrepreneur as someone feverishly working on new ideas, failing often and quickly, only to pick oneself back up to fight another day. But I'm not sure if those skills are the right ones for managing a 100+ company.

Another real life example: would Google still be Google if Sergey and Larry never brought Eric Schmidt in to play?

What you are all seeing is the onion of corporate reality gradually being peeled back to reveal the structure. If you think of it as a house with foundation problems, you will know that no matter how old the home, how well done the interior walls are, or how nicely furnished it appears, the fact is that EVENTUALLY the house is going to fall because the foundation cannot sustain the structural demands.

The best thing all of us can do is poise ourselves with observation, evaluation, and plans for action.

The solutions will all evolve in time and those solutions will be more valid as you dive deeper into the layers.

“

Raffi Minasian (professor)

Innovation requires continuous disequilibrium - led by entrepreneurs obsessed with what they are doing. Innovation itself is primarily a feat not of intellect, but of will...a special case of the social phenomenon of leadership.

- Prophet of Innovation, p. 163 9

moodled

The Concept of Ownership Conversation Starter: Heike Rapp-Wurm

Reading about “muda, service and flow” made me think about the idea of ownership. In order to reach a “service and flow” economy, we should rethink the concept of ownership. We want to hold on to what’s ours, but to get to a “service and flow” economy, the idea of sharing needs to be reinforced. Susan recently posted about The Compact group that started in Bernal Heights, “The premise was simple: barter, borrow, or buy secondhand for a year—food, drink, health, and safety necessities excluded.” I see “The Compact” as a good example of loosening the concept of ownership, and as a way to move towards sharing, which will get us to consume less, and therefore create less muda.

When I think about all the stuff in our lives, I remembered this Dutch saying: When you throw everything up into the air, you only catch what’s important.

DESIGN IS TO DESIGN A DESIGN TO PRODUCE A DESIGN (to diapers)

Conversation Starter: Vinitha Watson In reading the Ulrich/Eppinger text, I started to think about both organizational and market barriers to the introduction of goods and services. It seems both overwhelming and amazing to think about how so many variables must align to create successful products. A crucial goal within any organization is to create a solid process for the product development cycle. Then a light bulb went on. To create process is to create *design*.

These chapters actually reframed the word *design* for me in the context of creating *process* with the end product and customer needs in mind.

I think it's very interesting how the cradle-to-grave (and cradleto-cradle) thought process is now pushing product development to think about life of the product before and after it reaches the consumer's hand.

I might have a garage sale…

The cultural, social, and psychological ties that people have with their possessions are woven from the memories and nostalgic connections developed in owning them. So a major shift is needed in order for consumers to be more receptive to the idea of services.

Services are so easily dismissible and remain difficult for consumers to grasp, even if they are fulfilling a need. Perhaps that's because there is nothing to hold onto once the service lease runs its course. There is nothing to keep for the memories shared with its usage; no tangible souvenir to remember it by.

Gdiapers (http://www.gdiapers.com/) is a company that I think falls into this category. This company was awarded with a cradle-to-cradle certification for having their diaper linings flushable and compostable. I'm not sure I buy into the product, but I think they have an interesting design solution to a waste problem. Having customers flush the diaper linings keeps the waste in the water sewage system instead of landfills. They use a super absorbent material “sodium polyacrylate” that is claimed to be made from a natural, renewable and non-fossil fuel source.

Erik Ehrke

“

Henry Liu

While there may be no “right” way to value a forest, a river, or a child, the wrong way is to give it no value at all.

- Natural Capitalism

10

...But few people are going to question the convenience of flushable diapers.

Things are too complex to assume anything anymore. Every product needs to come with advisory information about how best to deal with the waste.

A real buzz-kill at the market...

moodled

Operation Cat Drop

Conversation Starter: Erica Meade

“

Solutions lie in understanding the interconnectedness of problems, not in confronting them in isolation.

SYSTEMS THINKING IS CRUCIAL

because this is so ridiculous

- Natural Capitalism

Cats and Parachutes Parachutes and Cats All for the need To eliminate some rats.

These rats you say Are such big pests!

And it is somehow Due to the gecko set, Who ate and ate with their tea Way too much DDT. The DDT was brought by WHO? To kill the mosquitoes one two one two.

But systems will not be denied Even if the consequences are a surprise.

Good consequences are a joyous joy The credit is stolen at first light But negatives are a different story No one wants that anti-glory!

Kathryn Hautanen

So keep in mind when making changes That the system is the thing You will never foresee all the impact No matter how much the planning.

11

moodled

blogged.

Nick Aster of triplepundit.com invited us to write 500-word blog posts on an aspect of communication, creativity, design, sustainability or business to share with his readers.

Our contributions can be found here: triplepundit.com/category/cca-livee/

communication in business Corporate Cultures: Peeling the Social Onion. - Vinitha Watson Communication: The Business-end of Design Innovation - Erik Ehrke A Company’s Most Sustainable Advantage - Adam Dole

an emergent voice in business practice

Reason Will Not Lead Us To the Future - Paul Colando Beyond the Tangible is Where Learning Begins - Erin Jacobs Lost and Found - Jennifer Pechacek Leadership by Design - Erica Frye The Functional and Empathic Voices: The Battle in My Head - Nicole Chen 5 Weekends, 5 Months... 5 Lessons - Kate Ranson-Walsh

mavericks

I Am an Artist. I Am Getting an MBA. I Am Not a Sellout. - Erica Meade Leaders and Clown Hats - Henry Liu Building the ‘Me Muscle’: Six Essential Exercises - Mei Lan Ho-Walker Ode to Innovate the Government - Rowan Edwards

sustainability

Teams and collaboration

Team or Collaborative Player? - Ingrid Dragotta What Can Brainstorming do for Your Team? - Jason Hui

On Water Bottles and Identity - Mattia Nuzzo Others Have Succeeded in Building a Better Water Bottle But What About the Fountain? - Sara Kozlowski The Power of Collaboration, Water and Gardens - Suzanne Randolph Greenwashing?!?! - Kathryn Hautanen

virtual and distance communication

“Left Out Alert”: A Virtual Team Member Reflects on Her Experience - Gwen Armbruster How To Make Working Virtually Work For You - Carla Voorhees

teach us something in seven minutes

On Visual Documentation - Tim Bishop A Lesson in Public Speaking - Nicole Trautsch

Parenting and professional practice Working Mothers in the Design Strategy MBA Program Ayano Hattori, Beth Berrean, and Heike Rapp-Wurm

These blog posts have been compiled into a printed anthology called “26 Thoughts.”

Print your copy today from MagCloud: http://ccadmba.magcloud.com/ 12

Tweeted.

zaydia: Interesting critique of the design

In 140 characters or less, we share our thoughts with each other and our broader communities through Twitter. Even those outside of the program have something to say about design strategy. Follow the conversation with #designmba.

thinking movement http://tinyurl.com/lzh2p9 (via @wertandcompany, @designersaccord) #designmba - 5:26 AM Jul 9, 2009

cheskin: Enjoyed presentation on “how to

teach innovation,” courtesy of long-time Cheskin friend, Nathan Shedroff, Chair of Design Strategy MBA @ CCA - 2:29 PM July 9, 2009

katerw: finished “the spell of the

sensuous” and pondering how the alphabet aided our disassociation with nature. eager to discuss #designmba - 3:41pm, July 25, 2009

designmba: Adam Werbach’s brilliant,

new book Strategy for Sustainability is a must read! http://tinyurl.com/m7zcuo - 2:06 PM July 12, 2009

erinmjacobs: Working in the shop,

making a SmallSteps keychain!

- 1:02 PM Apr 23rd

phishfry: in business models and

stakeholders class. love recapping what I’ve learned —feels good to have more wrinkles on the brain - 11:04 AM May 3rd

adamdole: “Design Thinking” might

be a hot buzz word right now, but should never be mistaken for being ambiguous or vague! http://tinyurl.com/pkazc3 - 10:46 PM May 26, 2009

ericafrye: @clapon TetraPak wine

has interesting eco tradeoffs. If you’re curious, my #designMBA analysis of French Rabbit: http://tinyurl.com/ qbj6arabout 19 - 2:31pm, July 9, 2009

nychen: Am loving “Leading Change Toward

Sustainability”. It’s a very relevant read for any desired change within an org: http://bit.ly/7qM6f - 2:36 PM April 20, 2009

johnfschneider: Just reviewed a bunch of student

projects for the CCA MBA in Design Strategy and am blown away, and inspired http://www.designmba. org/blog/ - 6:11pm, May 15, 2009

idragotta: Is trying to figure out how to make a sustainable kids toy that is commercially impactful enough to reduce overall toy consumption.

- 4:46 PM Mar 20th pcolando: Whole Foods again. Potrero Hill needs more restaurants.

- 12:42 PM Mar 15th

13

bookshelf

our bookshelf: course reading

photo 14 by Tim Bishop

bookshelf

innovation studio

1 Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping

by Paco Underhill

2 Product Design and Development by Karl Ulrich and Steven Eppinger

3 Prophet of Innovation : Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction by Thomas K. McCraw

live exchange

1 A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, Richard Lannon

2 Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, Roger Fisher

microeconomics

1 The Micro Economy Today by Bradley R. Schiller 2 Managerial Economics (selections from BrickleySmith-Zimmerman) by James Forcier

managerial accounting 1 Understanding the Corporate Annual Report: Nuts, Bolts and a Few Loose Screws by Lyn M. Fraser and Aileen Ormiston

2 Accounting for Decision-Making and Control

by Jerold Zimmerman

sustainability studio 1 Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins

2 Leading Change Toward Sustainability

by Bob Doppelt

3 Design is the Problem by Nathan Shedroff (not pictured)

leadership by design

1 Developing Management Skills by David A. Whetten and Kim S. Cameron

market insight studio

1 Marketing Management by Phillip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller

2 Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them by Malcom McDonald, Butterworth Heinemann

3 Sustainable Marketing: Managerial-Ecological Issues by Donald Fuller 4 Social Marketing: Improving the Quality of Life

by Philip Kotler and Ned Roberto

5 Design Research by Brenda Laurel 6 Making Meaning by Steve Diller and Nathan Shedroff

business models & stakeholders

1 Guide to Organizational Design by Naomi Stanford

15

our professors:

what do they think?

Q & A with 5 DMBA professors

steve diller

Director of Innovation Practice, Cheskin Market Insight Studio

dan sevall

Director of Finance and HR, Military.com Managerial Accounting

susan gladwin

Sustainability and Marketing Consultant Sustainability Studio

Why did you come teach for the DMBA program? steve: When Nathan Shedroff mentioned the DMBA project to me, I told him semi-impulsively that he really ought to have me join the faculty. He liked the idea, and immediately offered me the marketing insights studio. We’ve spent a lot of time over the years talking about the “true” nature of marketing, how it’s often misunderstood, particularly in the design world, and the benefits designers would obtain from a deep dive into marketing principles.

So it seemed logical for me to teach the class.

Dan: I love learning and the joy of solving problems, developing new methodologies. By its nature, teaching is all about sharing— information, ideas, perspectives. Teaching helps me learn and discover new approaches as I share with students. What is particularly refreshing about the DMBA program is its emphasis on design. Inherently, the program more than fosters creativity... students breathe it.

James: I was drawn to the opportunity of teaching subject matter I value in a unique setting. Instructing graduate students who are focused on a management degree, but in a field where economics has not necessarily been viewed as essential, sounded particularly intriguing to me.

16

James Forcier Director of Applied Economics, UCSF Microeconomics

naomi stanford VP of Strategy and Design, Anerian Business Models

Has something in particular surprised you about your teaching experience with DMBA? Dan: I was particularly impressed with the overall quality of the students. These students are intellectually on par with their counterparts at top ten business schools. This creates a challenge, as I need to be able to deliver quality instruction that challenges, interests, and motivates the students.

Susan: I was surprised by how the students quickly adopted the systems-way of thinking and how pervasively they applied it in their project work. I was expecting more of a one-off product approach to sustainability but instead was pleased to see how, across the board, they all came up with holistic approaches.

Naomi: The enormous enthusiasm of all the participants has been wonderful. There seems to be a real drive to participate, make it work, manage the glitches, and mutually learn new things. For myself I was surprised how much I enjoyed being in the physical environment of the design school. The art work, the constantly changing stuff, the weird notices like ‘Do not put plaster down the sink’. It was the most refreshing and revitalizing experience. I’m used to corporate life which takes place in much less energizing space.

What is particularly refreshing about the DMBA program is its emphasis on design. Inherently, the program more than fosters creativity...students breathe it.

- dan sevall, managerial accounting

How are the DMBA students different from students in other classes you may have taught?

What is the need for design strategy in the field that you specialize in?

Dan: The residency program is an intense, unique experience.

Heavy demands are placed on students in short spurts. Students need to be highly focused and disciplined to make the most of each residency weekend. With that said, DMBA students are incredibly motivated from my vantage point.

steve: It’s central. At Cheskin, we sell design strategy to Fortune 1000 clients, and we develop it with a global, customer-centered perspective.

Susan: They strike me as very driven to get to the bottom of how things could be improved in a given situation. They have impressed me by their willingness to not settle for the easy way out or a familiar way.

James: They are superior. I have pondered why this would be.

Perhaps design students are more, rather than less, likely to have the ability to think logically, question assumptions, discount non-rational arguments, and entertain non-intuitive approaches to problem solving, than are non-design students. Or perhaps design students are sufficiently intelligent and dedicated to know that they must apply themselves in a field that is somewhat different from others they have encountered. In any case, they excel in the subject.

Harnessing the power of economic reasoning in the cause of purposeful design can only result in better outcomes for practitioners, clients, and society.

Dan: Design strategy can be a crucial element to driving the top line (revenue) because it promises to create a viable value proposition that will be customer-centric. I view design strategy as central to an entrepreneurial mindset, and as a finance leader, I’m impressed with those who carve out new industries and businesses.

Susan: In both of my fields, sustainability and marketing, design strategy is essential as it embodies the holistic approach I referenced earlier. Design strategy takes into account the whole picture, which is critical in sustainability. Neglecting system components such as what happens to a product after it has been used is something we can no longer afford to conveniently defer to someone else to figure out. Design thinking also considers how the customer experiences and perceives what you’re offering, which is critical in marketing success.

James: Because my primary area of interest (within the “big tent” that is modern economics) is decision-making and the application of theory and tools, strategy is something I deal with every day.

Strategy without economics is like building a house without blueprints or open-heart surgery without X-rays: its not that it can’t be done, but that the result is likely to be suboptimal. Design strategy takes the use of economics a step further. Harnessing the power of economic reasoning in the cause of purposeful design can only result in better outcomes for practitioners, clients, and society.

Naomi: I think a design orientation helps people inexperienced in design look at the world through a wider variety of lenses. It seems that the business world is more and more curious about design and evaluating design strategy with a “if we applied design strategies, what difference would it make?” critical eye.

- james forcier, microeconomics For full faculty bios and more information about the professors, visit: http://www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/design-mba/faculty

17

liveexchange

microeconomics

accounting

p. 28

p. 30

p. 31

18

dan sevall

james forcier

linda yaven

Raffi minasian

p. 22

studio

innovation

Projects

what we did.

leadership

businessmodels

marketinsight

p. 48

p. 50

p. 52

studio

Steve diller

and stakeholders naomi stanford

by design Sharon green

Susan Gladwin & Nathan Shedroff

p. 32

studio

sustainability

Projects

19

we explored We collaborated

we experimented we sketched we visualized

20

we Imagined

we grounded we strategized we constructed

we ideated

Projects

?

21

Projects

studio

Raffi minasian

innovation

Innovation Studio introduces students to the overall processes and methodologies employed in strategic innovation.

22

Managing not only the ideation and development portion of the innovation process, this studio focuses on integrating new thinking and paradigm shifting old processes as a way to yield potential solutions. In exercise of these new thinking models, a semester-long project challenged students to select a domain of interest and seek out an innovative series of potential scenarios.

Teams developed their own focus and direction based on the scope of their findings and the nature of the team dynamic as it evolved. Rules were cast aside and conventions diverted, which resulted in a wide range of entertaining and enlightening presentations.

Students were pushed beyond their comfort level toward the unknown and developed confidence in their ideas and presentations.

On paper the project was designed to give the students a series of tools, practical methodologies, and team interactions in strategic innovation. However the larger experience was more focused on getting the students to let go of previous constructs that have limited their thinking and the scope of their imaginations. Instead of trying to “make the right presentation” or “write the perfect paper,” students were pushed beyond their comfort level toward the unknown and developed confidence in their ideas and presentations.

on Studio

Projects

top: Mock-up of the FutureNOW service; bottom: the FutureNOW target audience: active millenials

FutureNOW Tim Bishop, Paul Colando Adam Dole, Mei Lan Ho Walker

promoting healthy lives through healthy lifestyles 23

innovation studio

Fresh Connect Erik Ehrke, Erica Frye, Ayano Hattori, Erica Meade

farm direct groceries on your way home

Food Parlor

providing food resources to under-served families

Erin Jacobs, Jennifer Pechacek, Nicole Trautsch, Heike Rapp-Wurm 24

Routes to Health

Beth Berrean, Henry Liu, Suzanne Randolph, Carla Voorhees

Projects

Delivery Arrived!

Building A Bin 36 FreshConnect

Customer Order Placed

Order Filled

Order Delivered

Bin location Transmitted

Delivery Notification

Order Picked up

Member places order via Widget/Portal

FC employee selects and bags order at FC facility

FC delivers orders to Host location

Delivered bin auto-registers location via RFID chip

Widget/Portal sends location info to Member

Member picks up order at Host location

above: FreshConnect order fulfillment process

bringing pharmacists home

Team Swill

change... one drop at a time...

Gwen Armbruster, Ingrid Dragotta, Rowan Edwards, Jason Hui, Sara Kozlowski 25

innovation studio

NeedsFeed Nicole Chen, Kathryn Hautanen, Mattia Nuzzo Kate Ranson-Walsh, Vinitha Watson

sharing stuff, services & space through stories

26

top: stuff, the inspiration of NeedsFeeds;; bottom: a visual representation of the group's solution

Projects

Post Mortem Analysis After final solutions were presented, teams “swapped” projects and conducted post-mortems, imagining extreme future evolutions of the designed solution. A community-based service for sharing things turned into pills to share personality traits, fresh groceries delivered to workplaces turned into gigantic fruit, and preventative health care services led to island-inhabiting cult members that die out due to lack of antibodies.

top: Presentation for the post-mortem analysis of “FreshConnect” conducted by Beth Berrean, Henry Liu, Suzanne Randolph, and Carla Voorhees (not pictured). bottom: Image from the “Trait Bank” Infomercial, the post-mortem analysis of the “NeedsFeed” project, conducted by Tim Bishop (pictured), Paul Colando, Adam Dole and Mei Lan Ho-Walker. Watch the video here: http://gallery.me.com/tbishp/100056/TraitBank

27

Projects

4 benefits of short presentations:

Teach Us Something in 7 Minutes

by Linda Yaven, Associate Professor, DMBA

A

linda yaven

liveexchange

nuclear engineer teaches sewing on a button, a senior product marketing manager shows how to bake ginger cookies and a manager of a national flooring company provides a lesson on magic and integrity. What’s going on?

Each participated in Teach Us Something in 7 Minutes (TUS7M), a workshop for creating and delivering quick and clear interactive presentations. For a decade I have led teams in TUS7M – with its presenters working individually or in pairs. Without further ado I would like to share four benefits gleaned from shorter rather than longer presentations in professional practice.

1. Fast Brings Light to Fear Given public speaking is our number one fear a short presentation with hard start and stop times counteracts the free fall of performance anxiety serving as a sanctuary for the nervous mind. If prepping even a brief presentation gets too stressful you can always fall back on the thought “It will be over quick!” or a variant while on-stage “ It’s almost over!”

2. Rapid Rapport In designing an effective presentation planning is a given. We can forget communication takes off when it is immediate, responsive and has an improvisational tone. You are the message - connect! Even a brief presentation should serve connecting with your listeners.

Creating meaning for an audience is central, even in a couple of minutes. Design the presentation with a bias towards offering an experience for the user/listener/audience. Lean into the tendency to use it as a forum to display everything you know about the subject.

3. Even Brief Presentations Have Objectives Establish a clear intention for your presentation. This objective is your rudder steering the design and delivery of your presentation and ensuring you stay on task.

Objectives can be tangible (How to Set-up a Successful Lemonade Stand or Salsa Dance) or experiential (The Power of a Minute) or both (How to Get Rich Quick) - the latter exercise demonstrated how to turn $2 into $20 in one minute while also addressing the values and integrity.

4. Same Constraints + Diverse Presentations = Authentic Voice in Business Give out the presentation guidelines, then encourage customization based on individual strengths. Presentations that run in different directions will showcase the variety, diversity and individuality within a team. Authentic personal style shining through a presentation makes it easy for the audience to engage.

Read more at www.lindayaven.com ◊ 28

Projects

Students showcased their Teach Us Something in 7 Minutes (TUS7M) presentations at an evening event attended by members of the greater CCA community.

teach us something in 7 minutes projects: RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL LEMONADE STAND Carla Voorhees & Ingrid Dragotta SEWING ON A BUTTON: THE VALUE OF LOW TECH PRESENTATIONS Erica Meade & Kathryn Hautanen THE USES OF A HERMES SCARF IN THIS ECONOMY Erin Jacobs & Mei Lan Ho-Walker SINGING IN FRENCH Erica Frye & Gwen Armbruster BAKING GINGER COOKIES: HOW NOT TO GIVE A 7 MINUTE PRESENTATION Nicole Chen & Tim Bishop USING A BALL TO UNSTRESS Sara Kozlowski & Vinitha Watson HOW TO GET RICH QUICK Jason Hui & Paul Colando CONVERSATION STYLES OF MALES AND FEMALES IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Beth Berrean & Heike Rapp-Wurm THE USES OF DESIGN THINKING ON A FISHING TRIP Erik Ehrke & Adam Dole CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: A LONG DISTANCE COLLABORATION Suzanne Randolph & Ayano Hattori BEING NERVOUS ABOUT SPEAKING IN PUBLIC Rowan Edwards & Nicole Trautsch SALSA: WHO IS THE “FOLLOWER” AND THE “LEADER”?

Jennifer Pechacek & Henry Liu TOGETHER IN SILENCE Kate Ranson-Walsh & Mattia Nuzzo

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Scarcity is a fact of life.

The importance of coping skillfully with scarcity increases in accordance with the costs of error, whether those costs are physical, financial, emotional, or environmental.

supply

james forcier

microeconomics

demand An understanding of economics – the tools and principles of scarcity management – is invaluable for minimizing waste, improving customer satisfaction, and perfecting “fit and finish.” And it may well be crucial to students’ success.

monopsony

Projects

Managerial Economics focuses on microeconomic concepts and applies them in a management setting. The workings of the economic system are examined with an emphasis on the role of markets in allocating scarce resources. Concepts such as valuation, cost-benefit, marginality, constraints, and trade-offs are explored within the context of organizational decision-making.

As important as methods and applications are the ways students learn to view situations through an economics lens.

elasticity

By developing the capability to apply economics within a framework for structuring, evaluating, and selecting among alternate courses of action, students are better equipped for positions of responsibility and public trust in a world where resources are precious.

opportunity cost

net present value

death spiral

Accounting has been called "the language of business." In short, the Financial section helps student better understand the language; the Managerial section positions students to make wiser decisions based on the available information.

PV=

FVN N

accounting

To that end, there needs to be analytical tools and frameworks to help give context to accounting data, which in turn should shape the business story. Thus, the Managerial Accounting section aims to provide an essential toolkit for business decision-making.

dan sevall

In the normal course of everyday business, management contends with how to make smart decisions and, at the very least, avoid making dumb mistakes.

Our study of Financial Accounting helps students grasp the core essence of these questions through an in-depth exploration of financial statement analysis.

break-even analysis

current assets current ratio = current liabilities

When we look at our personal lives, questions like "What do I have?" and "How have I done?" are likely to come up. Organizations, for-profit and non-profit, are likely to ask similar questions.

Projects

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studio

Susan Gladwin & Nathan Shedroff

sustainability 32

This studio focuses exclusively on developing solutions that directly affect financial, natural, and human capital, as well as the systems that govern them.

The course takes an in-depth look at various frameworks and approaches to sustainable development, using both historical and contemporary examples.

Throughout the semester, students use practical tools and techniques for identifying issues, developing solutions, troubleshooting problems, and measuring progress.

Students were assigned projects designed to encourage critical thought and exploration around the complex issues of sustainability.

As a short-term project, students chose an existing product or service and evaluated their level of sustainability by applying existing frameworks such as The Natural Step and Datschefski’s Total Beauty.

Projects

It takes 1.127 watts of energy, or 3.2 cups of oil, to manufacture, ship, deliver, and play with Barbie for three years. In other words‌ It takes 60 Barbies to screw a lightbulb.

this page: a Barbie "autopsy" used to analyze the environmental impact of the popular doll by Gwen Armbruster, Ingrid Dragotta and Jennifer Pechacek

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sustainability studio

adapting sustainability frameworks: Cultural heritage

by Beth Berrean, Mattia Nuzzo, Suzanne Randolph and Heike Rapp-Wurm For our short-term sustainability project, our team analyzed the book, Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence. Through our analysis, we felt that existing sustainability frameworks, such as Datschefski’s Total Beauty framework, failed to fully capture the impact of products on our “cultural memory”—the role a product plays in our cultural heritage and the degree to which it enters our “cultural memory.”

Our suggested solution to this issue is to add an additional scored category to the Total Beauty model, that of Cultural Heritage.

Somewhat subjective, the score takes into account the following questions: »» What ephemeral value is achieved by works such as Vermeer’s “A Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window” which is recognized worldwide for both its beauty and originality? »» Does the product in question achieve a similar degree of renown? »» Does the product inspire others and give them a degree of pleasure like Griffin & Sabine?

Ultimately our proposal was to expand the existing Total Beauty framework and award additional points based on the degree of pleasure attained from using an object. We believed that the more pleasurable an item is, the more often it will be used and the less likely it is to be discarded and forgotten after a limited number of uses.

In choosing to factor in Cultural Heritage when performing the assessment, we were able to better evaluate a product’s sustainable merits using a holistic viewpoint that would have otherwise been ignored with the existing frameworks.

? cyclic

solar

Products we assessed: Beach Barbie Doll Gwen Armbruster, Ingrid Dragotta, Jennifer Pechacek

French Rabbit Wine (Tetra Prisma Packaging) Erica Frye, Nicole Trautsch, Carla Voorhees

Eco Nico Burton Snowboard Tim Bishop, Paul Colando, Adam Dole, Rowan Edwards

Vans Classic Slip-ons Nicole Chen, Erik Ehrke, Mei Lan Ho-Walker, Vinitha Watson

Rickshaw Baby Bag Ayano Hattori, Jason Hui, Sara Kozlowski, Henry Liu

MagCloud Kathryn Hautanen, Erin Jacobs, Erica Meade, Kate Ranson-Walsh

Griffin and Sabine (Phaidon) Beth Berrean, Mattia Nuzzo, Suzanne Randolph, Heike Rapp-Wurm 34

a cross-section of the Vans Classic Slip-on

safety

Projects

designing sustainable solutions This semester-long project challenged students to apply sustainability skills to build a refined solution. Students applied SROI frameworks to analyze the potential societal impact of the designed solutions and created implementation plans for the execution of the solution.

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sustainability studio

Nicole Chen, Paul Colando, Erica Frye, Mei Lan Ho-Walker

Brings renters and owners together to collaboratively renovate and maintain efficient, comfortable homes

The Opportunity

HOW IT WORKS

The built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health, and productivity. But while many energy-saving initiatives exist for homeowners and new construction, little attention has been paid to improving existing residential buildings that operate under a rental model. 85 million residents in the U.S. live in rented housing, comprising of 30% of all housing.

This creates a significant opportunity to reduce environmental impact. Additionally, engaging renters as partners in the community can achieve economic stability, social justice, and safety.

The Rental Accord reframes the relationship of a renter and owner from a dynamic of power imbalance and mistrust to one that is cooperative and collaborative. All participating property owners and renters agree to the principles of The Rental Accord when they sign the rental contract. A series of actions solidifies this newly formed partnership:

To understand the needs of rental stakeholders, over fifteen interviews with managers, owners, and residents were conducted. Most interviewees did not identify “sustainability” and “green” as factors in their decision-making, but they valued related issues such as lower energy costs and comfort. Both sides cited affordability as a primary motivator. It was also discovered that relationships between renters and owners are strained by mistrust, an imbalance of power, and conflicting incentives. This dynamic must be overcome for any solution to work.

DESIGN CRITERIA »» Create collaborative relationships between renters and owners »» Provide assistance to owners to maintain and upgrade their buildings sustainably »» Engage renters as partners in the community »» Improve the health, efficiency, and comfort of rental housing »» Inspire behaviors that benefit the community and environment »» Raise awareness of residential resource consumption

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»» The renter agrees to contribute a percentage of their rent into a fund that the owner can use to finance sustainable building improvements. »» In exchange for financial support, the owner grants the renter a voice in selecting which improvements are actually made. The renter community votes annually to select the most desirable changes.

The Rental Accord also reduces the burden of identifying, planning, and implementing changes by providing property owners with access to an auditing service to evaluate building energy efficiency provide resources for improvements. Because the Accord eliminates typical barriers to action, owners participating in the Accord are more empowered and willing to make changes to improve the sustainability of their buildings.

Finally, The Rental Accord makes the audit results visible to the public and to a potential renter through a web service, TheRentalAccord.org. Information about how improvements contribute to the comfort of a home are presented to aid renters in making their rental decisions.

Projects

THEORY OF CHANGE

“If renters feel that they have more control over their living environments, and if landlords have financial assistance from their renters to initiate property improvements, then both parties will collaborate to make more sustainable, safe, and energy-efficient choices in the improvement of the property.�

from top left, clockwise: Rental Accord Comfort Score popout, Rental Accord website homepage, Rental Accord membership sticker mockup

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sustainability studio

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Projects

PlayBank Tim Bishop, Ingrid Dragotta , Jennifer Pechacek , Nicole Trautsch

Satisfies a child’s indulgent desire for new toys while simultaneously teaching the value of service economies and a new definition of ownership and social responsibility

left: PlayBank Service Flow Diagram 39

sustainability studio

Erin Jacobs, Erica Meade, Kathryn Hautanen, Kate Ranson-Walsh

Provides members with tools to relieve eco-anxiety, reduce environmental impact, and lead balanced lives

The Opportunity As global warming, toxins, e-waste and a myriad of other environmental issues get press coverage, people are becoming more anxious about the state of the environment. When anxiety over the state of the environment becomes debilitating, it is known as ecoanxiety. The SmallSteps team chose to investigate eco-anxiety and how growing concern over environmental issues influences people and their behavior.

After conducting primary and secondary research, the SmallSteps team identified the following situations surrounding environmental issues: »» There is an abundance of conflicting information about sustainability and some people feel confused »» Some people fear products with toxic materials but still use them and claim a lack of alternatives These issues prompted the team to seek out a solution that empowers those who were eco-anxious to move past paralysis to action and shift their behavior to have a more positive environmental impact.

DESIGN CRITERIA »» Provide reliable, accurate, customized information that alleviates levels of eco-anxiety »» Educate consumers about existing alternatives »» Lead to specific, actionable tasks that reduce one’s environment impact »» Reduce personal isolation and build a strong community of support

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HOW IT WORKS SmallSteps members take a test that calculates their environmental impact. After establishing this baseline, members make changes in their lives (known as small steps) that help counterbalance their impact. As soon as they take enough small steps to counteract their impact, they reach balance and neutralize their environmental footprint.

SmallSteps knows the journey to neutralizing one’s environmental impact is not easy, which is why they exist to help members find their way. To support members on their journey, members are assigned dedicated Mentors and given the option to attend weekly meetings with the SmallSteps community. Meetings are held in select locations nationwide and last approximately 45 minutes.

Weekly meetings start off with a 15-minute presentation by the Leader about a specific topic. The Leader is someone who has successfully completed the SmallSteps program and has had additional training from the SmallSteps Institute. Meeting topics range from an introduction to green products that are new to the market, to strategies on how to solve some common ecodilemmas. Participants are welcome to share their tips and tactics.

Building a strong community with collective knowledge to support all members is strongly encouraged. Meetings also give members an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a Mentor to have personal concerns addressed.

For more information, see: www.rinseandwash.com/smallsteps

Projects

THEORY OF CHANGE

“If people take small steps, follow customized actionable tasks, and receive support from peers, they will overcome the isolation brought on by eco-anxiety and decrease their environmental footprint.�

from top, clockwise: SmallSteps website mockup, iPhone app mockup and Member Portal Page mockup.

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sustainability studio

Interim Communities rethinking disaster housing

Rowan Edwards, Erik Ehrke, Carla Voorhees

Stabilizes and protects life with temporary housing in the wake of disasters, and engages the community to support rebuilding and speed economic recovery

The Opportunity

HOW IT WORKS

A compelling opportunity exists to provide better design and sustainability solutions to address the vital human need for temporary housing in the aftermath of natural or human-made disasters. The well-publicized failure of FEMA programs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the reality of this need in vivid detail. In light of the complexity and size of this problemspace, the DMBA team focused on developing mid to long-term solutions that could be implemented domestically as an integrated system, at significant scale, by a large federal agency such as FEMA.

The Interim Community concept is a temporary housing system with individual housing units made from two 30’ ISO shipping containers that can be efficiently and compactly stockpiled for immediate deployment, transported using existing, inter-modal transportation and be quickly and easily assembled in the field.

They embody the following attributes:

Substantive secondary research was initiated to understand the context and history of past disaster recovery efforts, and the efficiency of current solutions was analyzed against terms of Human, Natural and Financial Capital. Interviews with primary sources representing key stakeholder groups provided first person insight into the complex system of needs. Three sets of core needs were identified and served as a framework to organize the larger sub-set of problems that the solution would seek to address. The core needs were: »» Biological and emotional needs of the displaced citizens »» Community planning, organization and integration with recovery efforts »» Sustainability criteria for shelter construction, use and refurbishment

DESIGN CRITERIA »» Physical Solution: Stabilize and protect life with rapidly deployable, safe, healthy, comfortable and flexible temporary housing designed for sustainable manufacturing, refurbishment and long term storage and transport. »» Policy Solution: Support, engage and provide the means to organize the community around rebuilding efforts.

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»» Healthy: Completely non-toxic, hygienic, ventilated, insulated, fire-safe »» Comfortable and Secure: Ergonomic design with physical security and communications »» Rapidly Deployable: ISO containers are ideal for compact, stacked storage/stockpiling, inter-modal transport and fast set-up or relocation to match demand »» Stand-Alone: Self-contained power, water and refusedisposal facilities that can be linked to municipal utilities if available »» Sustainable: Up-cycled materials and reusable by design.

Made for efficient reuse and reconditioning »» Flexible: Deployable to form villages of 100+ units or issued to individuals. Allows for relocation if necessary Other crucial elements of the system include provisions for water, propane and electricity usage, options for village lay-out, GPS tracking of the physical units, a job-corps program to connect people with work, and a plan to supply medical services. A structured “reuse and refurbish” program creates incentives for the care, maintenance and timely return of the units and details a sustainable means to indefinitely extend the service life of these shelters using efficient, modular components.

Projects

THEORY OF CHANGE

“If disaster aid not only provided for immediate housing needs but additionally addressed the healing of disrupted communities, natural environments, infrastructure, and local economies, individuals and communities would recover and become self-sustaining more quickly.”

above: Front perspective of the interim housing solution. below, from left to right: Core Needs diagram and Interim Community diagram

Core Needs Biological and Emotional Needs Organized Aid Response

Community Planning Considerations Keep Families & Households Together

The Solution: Interim Community Policy

Sustainability Criteria Built to Last

Shelter

Community

Jobs

Energy Efficiency Sustain Family Use Foster a Sense of Community

Community & Regional Characteristics

Design for...

Disassembly & Reuse

Safe, Secure & Accessible

Interim Community: Carla Voorhees, Erik Ehrke, Rowan Edwards - Spring 2009

Refurbishment

Interim Community: Carla Voorhees, Erik Ehrke, Rowan Edwards - Spring 2009

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sustainability studio

Vinitha Watson I Suzanne Randolph I Mattia Nuzzo I Heike Rapp-Wurm I Gwen Armbruster dMBA Spring 09

Gwen Armbruster, Mattia Nuzzo, Suzanne Randolph, Heike RappWurm, Vinitha Watson

Provides college students a communitybased, affordable furniture purchasing experience. Delivers a sense of duty, oneness, and creation to its consumers

The Opportunity

HOW IT WORKS

An estimated 7.4 million students attend college across the United States, and these college students constantly acquire and discard furniture during their four years of schooling and as they transition into financially independent adults. However, poor construction commonly results in broken pieces that are left on sidewalks for garbage collection, thereby creating waste that eventually is stored in local landfills.

PopCycle is a service supported by Goodwill that accomplishes the following:

Research also showed that college students often turned to donations available through socially-oriented organizations such as Salvation Army or Goodwill to acquire more expensive items (i.e. sofas).

DESIGN CRITERIA »» Provide affordable, durable, functional and comfortable furniture to students to assist them in creating their version of “home” during this transient life stage »» Create a unique and convenient place for students to buy environmentally friendly, up-cycled furniture »» Reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills »» Provide job training to teach entrepreneurial and craftsman skills to members of the community

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»» Repurposes furniture donated to Goodwill that would otherwise be sent to the dump utilizing sustainable practices and materials. »» Expands the current Goodwill system to train individuals in professional upholstery techniques while simultaneously reducing the amount of waste generated. »» Establishes short-term Pop-Up Shops as venues to sell refinished pieces to college students. »» Provides college students with a fun, community-based, and affordable purchasing experience.

In order to ensure financial stability for this venture, a for-profit enterprise service called PopCycle Medic will also be launched and managed by Goodwill to benefit the wider community. Employees of PopCycle Medic will provide on-site furniture repair services for offices, restaurants, and residences in addition to full repair services at the workshop. Clients will primarily include existing corporate donors (e.g. Williams-Sonoma and Target), although individuals can service as a secondary market segment. PopCycle Workshop participants will staff PopCycle Medic.

Projects

THEORY OF CHANGE

“If college students and participants in social rehabilitation programs collaborate on repurposing used furniture into affordable, durable well designed pieces, each will gain capacity in live-long business and technical skills while providing employment and income streams through sales to college students.�

above: PopCycle service flow diagram

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sustainability studio

Adam Dole, Beth Berrean, Ayano Hattori, Jason Hui, Henry Liu, Sara Kozlowski

Offers more bikes in more areas in all shapes and sizes with self-service and rewards to become the preferred cycle sharing program of the Bay Area.

The Opportunity

HOW IT WORKS

Emissions from automobile use is one of the major sources of carbon in the atmosphere, greatly impacting the health of the environment and negatively affecting air quality. The quantity of cars on the road also stresses current public transit and traffic systems, while obesity and cardiovascular disease due to inactive lifestyles continues to affect millions of citizens. Carbon emissions can be reduced and the overall health of commuters improved by encouraging short-distance and daily commuter cycling:

Bike’topia offers a complete system of solutions to address the needs of its many customers:

»» A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat a year »» Cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (caused by heart disease) by as much as 22 % »» Each person switching from driving to cycling to work over a 4 mile trip each way saves 1.3 tons CO2 emissions a year In addition, as more drivers become bicyclists, awareness of bicyclists will lead to changes in traffic policy, resulting in a safe cycling experience and reduction in the number of automobilebicyclist accidents.

DESIGN CRITERIA »» Provide citizens living in urban areas with easy, convenient and affordable access to bicycle travel. »» Create a healthier lifestyle »» Reduce the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere »» Support local businesses »» Make the benefits of bicycling safely transparent

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Bike Use The self service kiosk enables users to rent bikes by the hour and is available to both the general public and for ad-hoc users.

The 400 bike stations will be located all over the city, strategically distributed near major transit systems and business districts, university, hospital and business campuses. After selecting a bike and completing payment, the patented Bike’topia pedal is dispensed for the rider. Users return the bicycle to any bike station, and the pedal is returned back to the kiosk for the next user.

The Online Experience The Bike’topia web site will guide new users to the services available, as well as provide useful information for its registered members. It includes a running meter of the miles the community has ridden, pounds of carbon dioxide emissions saved, and calories burned. These metrics are calculated by the RFID technology embedded in each bike pedal. Individual bike metrics include personal best times and length of rides, total personal miles ridden, calories burned and carbon emissions saved along with a log of past rentals. These metrics are converted into points which can then be exchanged for prizes and discounts to local businesses.

Projects

THEORY OF CHANGE

“If more urban commuters ride bikes instead of drive to work, automobile-induced carbon emissions will be reduced with less stress on the current public transit and traffic system. In addition, if these commuters are encouraged to shop locally by bicycle, there will be an increase in local business revenue.�

above: Bike'topia service flow diagram

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by design Sharon green

leadership

Leadership is much more than exercising authority. It is the ability to create a compelling vision that others want to follow.

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A strong organizational leader respects individuals, delegates work, and enables others to perform to the best of their abilities. This course illuminates the traits of effective leadership and demonstrates a variety of approaches to enable students to become leaders themselves as well as to help other leaders in an organization to emerge.

One such approach is the incorporation of “Fun &Play@Work.” Numerous studies have identified the many experiential benefits of fun and play in the workplace, which include increased employee enthusiasm, satisfaction and creativity, group cohesiveness and trust, organizational citizenship, and reduced anxiety, stress and boredom. Simply put, if employees are enjoying their jobs, it shows, and can lead to great potential gains.

Simply put, if employees are enjoying their jobs, it shows, and can lead to great potential gains.

Incorporating fun and play does not necessarily require grand or expensive efforts. However, a “fun and play” strategy does require deep insight into the particular challenges faced by the organization, as well as its employees’ specific needs.

fun&play

Projects

@work

Students were given the assignment of proposing why and how a chosen workplace should develop a fun and playful culture. The proposal was communicated through a 5-10 page written proposal and a 20-minute team presentation.

Organizations we worked with: The Gap Nicole Chen, Henry Liu, Erica Meade, Mattia Nuzzo, Heike Rapp-Wurm InterfaceFLOR Gwen Armbruster, Paul Colando, Erik Erhke, Erin Jacobs, Nicole Trautsch California College of the Arts Tim Bishop, Ingrid Dragotta, Rowan Edwards, Erica Frye, Suzanne Randolph Wall Street Journal Kathryn Hautanen, Mei Lan Ho-Walker, Jennifer Pechacek, Kate Ranson-Walsh, Carla Voorhees, Vinitha Watson Rickshaw Bagworks Beth Berrean, Adam Dole, Ayano Hattori, Jason Hui, Sara Kozlowski 49

and stakeholders naomi stanford

businessmodels 50

There is no “right” or “perfect” approach to organizing a business; different values, understandings, and cultures influence the shape a business takes. In an exercise to understand firsthand the challenges of a real organization, students worked in teams to identify and work with an external ‘client’ in order to design a solution around a business issue related to its business model, organization design, or stakeholders (or combination of these).

Raising a Reader Non-Profit | Education Beth Berrean, Ingrid Dragotta, Nicole Trautsch At the time of the project, Raising a Reader’s San Francisco and Alameda affiliates had reached a challenging point in the growth of their organization. RAR asked the DMBA team to assist them in evaluating the benefits and risks associated with continuing fiscal sponsorship or becoming an independent 501(c)(3). Through in-depth interviews, extensive research, and observations of RAR’s internal culture, the team examined and presented recommendations around three possible fiscal scenarios for RAR; remaining a part of the United Way of the Bay Area (their current fiscal sponsor), transitioning to a fiscal sponsor other than UWBA, and becoming an independent 501(c)(3).

With a nod to the storytelling nature of business models and Raising a Reader’s core mission, the team chose Dr. Seuss’ classic “Are You My Mother?” for the final presentation theme. The presentation provided RAR an overview of their current business model, an illustrated stakeholder map, research findings, and recommended strategies and tactics for strengthening the organization.

See a series of images from Beth, Ingrid and Nicole's creative and innovative presentation here >

Projects

Organizations we worked with: Raising a Reader www.raisingareader.org Non-Profit | San Francisco/ Alameda, CA Fostering healthy brain development, parent-child bonding and early literacy skills

The Crucible www.thecrucible.org Non-Profit | Oakland, CA Fostering a collaboration of Arts, Industry, and Community through training in the fine and industrial arts

Modern Cabana www.moderncabana.com Private | San Francisco, CA Providing clients with small, pre-fabricated buildings of the highest quality, value, and design integrity

Leap... imagination in learning www.leap4kids.org Non-Profit | San Francisco, CA Stimulating imagination and creativity in Bay Area children by bringing visual and performing artists and architects into the classroom

Olabisi Wines www.olabisiwines.com Private | Napa Valley, CA Creating limited quantities of unique and flavorful wines from rare and exquisite California vineyards

Rickshaw Bagworks www.rickshawbags.com Private | San Francisco, CA Bringing passion, craft, and quality to bags for the biking enthusiast

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studio

Steve diller

marketinsight

Projects

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A critical element of any good marketing strategy is the insight gained from the market, especially customers. These insights should then shape strategies for what to produce, not merely how best to produce it.

In this studio, students selected, at random, a target organization, an experience, and a user segment.

After conducting user research and identifying key insights, students developed comprehensive market strategies for their chosen organizations.

Organizations we worked with: SIGG + Urban Dog Owners + Duty Nicole Chen, Henry Liu, Erica Meade, Mattia Nuzzo, Heike Rapp-Wurm GE + Men 25-44 + Harmony Gwen Armbruster, Paul Colando, Erik Erhke, Erin Jacobs, Nicole Trautsch America’s Test Kitchen + Men 25-35 + Wonder Tim Bishop, Ingrid Dragotta, Rowan Edwards, Erica Frye, Suzanne Randolph Tiffany's + Women + Wonder Kathryn Hautanen, Mei Lan Ho-Walker, Jennifer Pechacek, Kate Ranson-Walsh, Carla Voorhees, Vinitha Watson Patagonia + Cyclists + Justice Beth Berrean, Adam Dole, Ayano Hattori, Jason Hui, Sara Kozlowski

Projects

SIGG + URBAN DOG OWNERS + DUTY Nicole Chen, Henry Liu, Erica Meade, Mattia Nuzzo, Heike Rapp-Wurm

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market insight studio

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN + MEN 25-35 + WONDER Tim Bishop, Ingrid Dragotta, Rowan Edwards, Erica Frye, Suzanne Randolph

MARKET OVERVIEW Men, age 25-35 Men under 35 are considered difficult to reach through traditional advertising and marketing channels, but they are sought after due to their high level of disposable income. These men are cooking in larger numbers, but still represent a small share of the entire audience, approximately 5% across the food education industry.

Trends for men related to our industry: • Men prepared 18% of dinners last year, compared to 14% in 2003.

• Younger men who live in a household with others cook the most frequently.

• Tough economic times have lead to a greater interest in cooking at home.

FINDINGS: INSIGHTS Primal Impulse

Creativity + Science

A few themes emerged around a deep satisfaction in being able to provide food for oneself, family, and friends in the most primitive form, hunting and gathering. Facets of this experience include:

We observed different attitudes toward cooking, which included:

• Element of search and surprise in shing or mushrooming • Connectrth • Risk – breaking from the comforts of everyday life • Grilling; cooking with re • Ultimate cooking fantasy – hunting and cooking a whole pig

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FINDINGS: INSIGHTS

BRAD S. (33) “Something about growing up in the south, there is a culture of grilling more with men. Especially cooking meat and knowing your marinades and your cooking times.”

GEOFF K. (28) “[With metal detecting] you're digging into sand or earth, and you have no idea of what's underneath there...it's this sense of wonder and amazement... I feel satised because I found this little bit of treasure.”

• • • •

Focus on cooking as a practical skill Interest in the science behind food Cooking seen as a self-expression outlet Desire to create and improvise

It is important to note that many had a combination of these attitudes, often relying on their practical and scientic knowledge as a foundation they rely on to explore. Once they are condent in the basic skills, they can be creative and use cooking as an expression of who they are.

JOSHUA H.W. (25) “To have something turn out well is a science but it is the art that elevates it to another experience.”

CHRIS W. (29) “The practice of cooking is rewarding in the same way that design is. The stuff you put into it — say to make bread, like our and yeast — it does not taste good on its own. But it transforms into something that is delicious.”

Lessons Learned

lessons learned reflecting on the past to move more effectively into the future

Company leaders are often so focused on moving forward that the wealth of knowledge that can gleaned from looking back on past experience is be lost. As design strategy advocates, we constantly engage in thoughtful reflection to enhance our personal development. Here, several members of our cohort share their thoughts on our first year as Design Strategy MBA students and their lessons learned.

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Lessons Learned

Building the ‘Me Muscle’: six essential exercises

by Mei Lan Ho Walker

I must confess I thought a communications class would be a piece of cake. I would read some books, practice public speaking and viola! instantly emerge as an ‘effective communicator’.

I was dead wrong. The class LiveE was a mental boot camp that turned my world upside down. It rocked my core—in a good way. I often questioned what we were doing, from the paper airplane exercises, to writing about energy leaks, to reading a book called Difficult Conversations. I went through the motions because I was unsure of where we were going. There was a level of ambiguity that made me very uncomfortable, and I couldn’t see the big picture.

The moment of clarity came when I realized there was no predetermined end result. I essentially surrendered myself to myself and making this shift made all the difference. I embraced the ambiguity as an opportunity to define what I wanted to learn. It wasn’t about the 56

professor, getting good grades, or coming up with the right answer, it was about me.

This class became a personal journey in developing my own sense of self to help me navigate, communicate and succeed in the situations I found myself in. I was and still am building this self-knowledge or what I call the ‘me muscle’.

I had this idea of what a good communicator was supposed to be based on expectation of others. But this experience revealed that effective communication begins from within. This ‘me muscle’ represents the driving force helping me make decisions, build confidence and gain control. Through practice and reflection, we can all develop our own sense of style.

To help keep my ‘me muscle’ in shape, I’ve compiled a list of daily exercises. It’s hard work, but remember some pain is good. It means you’re building muscle.

Lessons Learned

Exercise 1: Slow down.

The book Difficult Conversations introduced the term ‘identity conversation’. I have felt this entire semester has been an identity conversation; the real lesson for me was grounding my identity internally and externally. The line “The conversation has the potential to disrupt our sense of who we are in the world, or to highlight what we hope we are but fear we are not.” reminded me that if we don’t do things, ask questions, and confront issues because of fear, it affects our ability to grow.

So my advice is slow down. Take time to have conversations with yourself. I talk in front of the mirror all the time. By taking time to reflect on your ideas and what you think is important, you can gain a better understanding of your personal identity and beliefs. Understanding yourself also enables you to more easily share your ideas with others. Build a foundation so that when people question you, you can hold their statements against something.

With a foundation, you can ground assessments other people make. If you can effectively articulate your thoughts and decisions, then you can work with others more productively and build stronger relationships. You can take out the personal, constructively learn and move forward.

Exercise 2: Stop thinking in terms of right and wrong.

One of my professor’s memorable statements for me was “There are no right or wrong answers”. Simple right? Acknowledging those words is simple, but accepting them takes hard work.

In the beginning of the semester, I fretted over assignments and ran around in circles. I put pressure on myself to have the ‘perfect’ answer when being in school is more about the process than the outcome. Although we’re not always in school, we should always be learning. You’ll probably discover, as I did, no one is going to tell you all the things you need to do or how to do them. And certainly, no one is ever going to have all the answers. If you generally stop wasting time agonizing if your answer is right or not, you’ll break down mental blocks, and be able to dig deeper. This also goes along with stop wasting time thinking about what other people might want. Decide what you think is important. Put your stake in the ground and run with it.

Exercise 3: Ask for what you need.

Frustrated by the lack of clarity on some projects, I blamed our professors, the class schedule, the system, anything but me. I complained but I never asked a professor to explain an assignment or for feedback; I never asked for what I needed.

My coach (LiveE had a peer coaching component) helped me recognize this tendency. When I began listening to my emotions, I became more aware of certain issues and then I was able to take action. In this case, I was better able to make requests once I knew what I needed.

You can’t blame someone for not helping you if they don’t know you need help. Don’t be afraid. Make requests and ask for what you need. You’ll be happier that you did, and you’ll be able to move forward more productively.

Exercise 4: Share.

Being part of a four-person team the past few months, I learned that I worked better alone in some situations, but I often felt guilty about leaving my group to work on my own.

I like to think of myself as a strong, independent person so I try not to complain but I realized that doesn’t mean to ignore or brush my feelings aside. I didn’t always think about why I should share my feelings and Difficult Conversations helped show me that sharing feelings isn’t for feelings sake. Feelings can slip in and infect other aspects of your life — your relationships, your listening skills. It is important to release feelings, learn where they hide and tie up loose ends. Otherwise they will unconsciously steer your actions and you will feel out of control. I shared my feelings with my group. They understood immediately and my guilt went away.

Exercise 5: Pick a theme song.

Picking a theme song happened almost by accident. I noticed this one particular song always helped me refocus my energies. I continue to listen to it whenever I need a pick me up and it’s made my late nights a whole lot more fun.

Pick a theme song that pumps you up or helps you focus. Play it whenever you need motivation.

Exercise 6: Own it!

One of my personal goals for going back to school was to gain self-confidence in my ideas, thought process and decision-making. Building my sense of self has helped.

Learning to have faith in myself and in the process has also played a significant role.

It may sound funny, but I physically feel stronger. I am able to say no thank you, talk about my feelings without being embarrassed and perform in front of a large audience. “Own it” really represents the culmination of everything I have learned and has now become my motto. My last words of encouragement are cheesy but true - believe in yourself. Make it your own and you will succeed.

Repeat.

Don’t apologize for doing what works for you. But share it with others. Share your feelings so they can better understand where you are coming from and can adjust accordingly.

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Lessons Learned

5 Weekends, 5 Months...

5 lessons

by Kate Ranson-Walsh

For the past five months, 26 of us have attempted the slightly insane: tackling the curriculum of the new Design Strategy MBA at the California College of the Arts while maintaining our current jobs, not to mention our personal lives. The DMBA program is designed so that working professionals can participate, but it is by no means “part-time.”

A orientation it was suggested to 8 budget at least 32 hours a week for schoolwork. We all wondered how we were going to make it work.

After five residency weekends, spanning five months, studying four subjects, all while working 50+ hours a week at my “day job”... I don’t think I have it all figured out, but I’ve learned some valuable lessons to remember for next semester.

5 5 55 b. it is critical to have outside support

Attempting this balance becomes nearly impossible without solid support. Thankfully our professor recognized this necessity and peer coaching was built into our LiveExchange class. My peer coach and I met weekly throughout the semester. At first the conversations felt artificial and a bit forced, but over the semester we dug deeper and supported each other not just on our academic assignments, but also through the emotional conflicts that arise within teams and the challenges of continuing our professional careers.

Next semester: Identify a classmate outside of in-class projects to serve as a peer coach.

c. try not to do everything a. there are opportunities in the juggling act I can tick off a laundry list of to-dos that get ignored (including, most often, the literal laundry) but the positives still outweigh the sacrifices. It has been particularly useful to use my work as a pseudo “management lab” where I can experiment with implementing theories from class. For example, after reading “Difficult Conversations” for our communications-focused LiveExchange class, I had new perspective for the daily little conflicts that arise. Now I had a framework and some perspective for how to navigate the occasional professional minefield.

My workplace is also a wealth of information that unfortunately I neglected to draw from until late in the semester. After weeks of struggling with some accounting concepts I decided to turn a coworker.

It was incredibly helpful to hear the book theories explained with examples from our company. Having the bigger picture made the textbook analysis more relatable.

Next semester: Remember to capitalize on the resources available at work to amplify and extend the coursework.

In addition to having outside support, keeping up work and school demands internal organization and clarity. With my time at high demand, I realized quickly than I needed to learn how to delegate.

Unfortunately I do not come naturally to this. All too often my personality drives me to take on too much, but when there are not enough hours in the day I end up disappointing my teams and myself. In the end, teams work more efficiently and more effectively when each member is honest about what they can accomplish, delegating and seeking support for what is out of reach.

Next semester: Be realistic about what it’s possible to accomplish and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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555 d. be passionate

A week after presenting our semester’s worth of work I realized that somewhere along the way I had lost my passion for our project. When I found myself totally fired up about an unrelated design problem, I realized that it was the most excited I had been all semester. It is true that in the real world you don’t always get the luxury to always work on something you deeply love, but why not in grad school? This is a time to pursue ambitious dreams and to consume oneself with wild ideas.

Lessons Learned

a short DMBA vocabulary list

1 2 3 4

A key component of our LiveExchange curriculum focused on gaining perspective ourselves. I realized through self-analysis (and experiences with our team) that I am a fast communicator. I generally tap into my emotions quickly and like to move through process rapidly, but this pace is not always optimal for everyone else. Nor is it always effective for the whole project. More than once this past semester I moved so fast that I inadvertently steered my group down a path that we ended up abandoning. It has become clear to me that in order to built consensus amongst a team I need to have more patience, to let all members come together, so that we can all be on board with the final result.

Next semester: Slow down, listen to your teammates and keep an open mind.

The Three Marriages: Work, Self, and Relationship: the challenge of balancing time and commitment between our various priorities. As in, “It feels like I’m been neglecting my Self-Marriage. I need some me-time.”

Groan Zone: the stage in a project process where energy levels are low and creative blocks appear. As in: “Argh, we’re stuck in the Groan Zone. Time for some spicy pho to re-energize.”

Big P, Little I: stands for “big planning, little implementation” versus “little planning, big implementation”. As in: Being more thoughtful in the planning process will lead to more efficient implementation.

p

Next semester: Self-check early and often to ensure passionate interest in chosen projects.

e. i think fast, and that is not always best

Form > Conform > Storm > Perform: the different stages of effective group dynamics. Stage names can be used on their own, as in “She said what about me?? Storm!”

5 6 7 8

i

p

i

Wordle: a visual representation of the frequency of certain phrases that appear in user surveys or interviews, with more popular phrases appearing in bolder and larger text within a word cloud. As in: “Let’s bet on how many Wordles we’ll see in the user research presentations today.”

Dongle: the hardware device that connects a laptop to a flat screen. As in: “Be sure to bring a dongle to presentation day!”

Ground It!: the process of validating assessments and judgments made about others or oneself in order to more accurately evaluate the cause. As in, “You feel like you’ve done a bad job? Ground it!”

Dillerize: make into a bulleted list. Origin of phrase: Steve Diller’s preference for this format. As in: “That paragraph looks too text-heavy. Dillerize it!"

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Lessons Learned

How To Make Working Virtually work for you

by Carla Voorhees

This year as a commuter student I’ve gotten a crash-course in how to work across miles, time-zones and emotions. While the school and most of my classmates are located in San Francisco Bay Area, I live just outside of Washington, DC and fly in to attend classes.

As a result, 98% of our group work on projects is conducted virtually.

Working virtually is almost never easy, but it can be managed. More importantly it’s becoming a necessary tool in the business person’s arsenal. There are significant trends in business today towards cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams, many of which are not physically located in the same office, city, state or even

country. It is this trend that makes finding a way to work virtually that works for you so critical.

And not only is working virtually important due to physical distance locations. In the DMBA program, many of us continue to work full-time, and/or have families to manage and care for, so scheduling time to work together can be quite a challenge. The ability to effectively and efficiently work on team projects with some independence in time and space must be carefully cultivated and controlled. But it is possible! Here are some tricks I found helpful in my own experience that can help make collaborating virtually work for you:

Choose the right project and the right team.

Work asynchronously as much as possible.

Set clear expectations.

Schedule meetings far in advance.

Keep the lines of communication open.

Try not to overreact.

Projects that are easily broken up into discrete blocks with little overlap are particularly good for this type of environment.

Team members that are good at working independently can be great assets.

Once the scope of the project has been defined and the team assembled, block out once or twice weekly “sync-up” meetings for all members of the group, taking into account time zones and other factors.

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Independent workers and discrete portions of projects make this task much easier.

If everyone owns a section of the project, focus can increase, stress decrease and meetings can be shorter.

Post your work regularly for feedback where the group can see it, and make sure that you also give feedback to other members. Make sure that everyone is heard, and that you are present on every conference call. Really listen, pay attention and think about what everyone is saying and how you can incorporate it into your section of the project.

In addition to owning a section of the project, I’ve found that having clear expectations for each group member, and the group as a whole is incredibly helpful.

Knowing exactly what I’m expected to do helps me know when I need to ask for help or additional feedback.

It can be very easy to misinterpret an email message or other form of virtual communication without the benefit of body language and physical presence. Try to remain calm, and reread the message.

Try not to take it personally, and ask for further clarification if need be. This would be a great time to start a video-conference if you need it.

Lessons Learned

The right tools make it easier.

There are a multitude of tools available on the Internet that make virtual collaboration not only easier, but possible at all. Here is a quick survey of the arsenal that my team used. The right tools have made working virtually something that I had dreaded and feared to something I now actually look forward to.

Adobe ConnectNow

iChat

What it does: Video

platform with voice and video support (Macs only).

www.adobe.com/acom/connectnow/

What it does: Instant messaging

conferencing with sound, screen sharing, a virtual whiteboard, a chat module and a note taking feature.

Access: Available for Macs only.

Access: Free for 3 users, fee sup-

Backpack

ports up to 1,500.

http://backpackit.com/

What it does: Backpack is

Mindmeister

the lite version of BaseCamp (http://www.basecamphq.com/).

Backpack works as a single project management tool.

www.mindmeister.com

What it does: Collaborative mind-mapping tool with export functionality.

Access: Free for 2 users. $24/

Access: Free for 3 maps. Monthly

month for up to 6 users.

plans for more features & maps.

Skype

Google Docs

www.skype.com

www.google.com/docs

What it does: Free instant

What it does: Basic word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and form creation.

messaging and video chats between two people, or conference calls with up to 10 people.

Access: Free.

Access: Free with additional charges for calling land lines. iPhone app available for WiFi.

Other tools groups used: Basecamp:

Dropbox:

InstantConference.com

Comprehensive project management tools that supports multiple projects.

Communal file sharing tool that allows you to share a folder on your computer as a group.

Free phone conference number and private access number.

http://www.basecamphq.com/

https://www.getdropbox.com/

http://www.instantconference.com

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photos by Kate Ranson-Walsh, Erin Jacobs, Vinitha Watson, Dorathy Lye.

Good times we worked hard and we played hard

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