THE
KAOSPILOTS WHERE CREATIVITY & INNOVATION GO TO SCHOOL
THE KAOSPILOTS, GENERATION 2.0 A BRIEF STATUS REPORT The KaosPilots’ staff and students are just as creative, audacious, curious, risk-taking and socially engaged today as they were when the school opened its doors to the very first team of students 14 years ago – if not more so. The school’s academic and pedagogical ambitions have, none the less, remained the same over the years: to develop a unique educational program and competency environment for young people who wish to make a positive difference in society. The criteria for success are not only that the students get good jobs after they graduate, but that they create new and exciting jobs. As an entrepreneurial educational program the KaosPilots is therefore a progressive and positive answer to the fascinating challenges presently facing our part of the world. Namely, that more and more industry and service jobs are moving away to places such as China and India. This change in the global “productivity food-chain” leaves all of us in the western part of the world with the same question: who in the future will create the new jobs that will replace those now disappearing? Which lines of business and which industries will in the future be the growth-engines in our part of the world? And not least:
how do we best unlock the creative and innovative forces in each individual and in society as a whole? For these reasons, the KaosPilots intend to be the co-authors of generation 2.0 of the Scandinavian and European welfare society. In the spring of 2004 the school’s Board of Directors therefore outlined the two most important goals for the educational program for the next few years: • The KaosPilots is to become Scandinavia’s most attractive, modern, value-based entrepreneur educational program • The KaosPilots, as educational program and competency milieu, is to significantly strengthen its international profile and collaborative relations. We have thereby set the course for the school and the educational program. You can find out how we intend to achieve this by reading this document. You will also be able to find out about the program’s academic profile, who the students are and where they get or create jobs after graduating. Enjoy! Uffe Elbæk, Principal, December, 2005
The KaosPilots – International School of New Business Design and Social Innovation
KAOSPILOT TIMELINE 1991 The first KaosPilot students start their education on 5th of August. A purely Danish team.
THE STRATEGIC AGENDA THE STRATEGIC AGENDA
INTERNATIONAL PROFILE
Since March 2004, the staff has been working toward realizing the Board’s ambitions – encompassed in its stated goals: • The KaosPilots is to become Scandinavia’s most attractive, modern, value-based entrepreneur educational program. • The KaosPilots, as educational program and competency milieu, is to significantly strengthen its international profile and collaborative relations.
The focus is on constantly sharpening and strengthening the school’s international profile and collaborative relations. A spearhead in this work is the well-renowned book “KaosPilot A-Z”. The school has several on-going dialogues with a series of European and North American companies, educational institutions and think tanks about future strategic collaborations. Collaborations that will ensure the school’s students access to the most interesting and up-to-date knowledge, experience and research in the school’s three core areas; creative project, process and business design.
The organisation has defined three conceptual frameworks – “Value-Based Entrepreneurship”, “International Profile” and “System Export” – to ensure the realization of the above stated goals.
VALUE-BASED ENTREPRENEURSHIP Organisations that create social, environmental and cultural value are needed now more than ever. The new curriculum, implemented in 2004, is the formal offset of a more rigorous approach to the challenges and possibilities ahead. In the spring of 2004, the KaosPilots entered into a new collaborative agreement with the Aarhus school of Business (Handelshøjskolen i Århus), the goal of which is to achieve a new understanding of modern entrepreneurship in our part of the world. Who will create the new jobs? What motivates these people? And within which line of business will the new jobs be created?
1992 Team 1 take over the centre of Aarhus during the annual Aarhus Festival. With their project ’Street Agenda’ they set new standards for how art and culture meet the average citizen. The UNESCO-prize is awarded to the school for an especially noticeable educational initiative in conjunction with the United Nations’ Decade of Culture.
SYSTEM EXPORT The third initiative is “system export” of the KaosPilots’ knowledge and experience to other countries. The school in Aarhus has through KaosPilot International, established a sister school in Norway – the first students entered in August 2005. A new school will follow in Malmö, Sweden 2006 and serious negotiations are taking place about establishing KaosPilot programmes in Holland within one to two years. Out of these conceptual frameworks, three concrete initiatives have been launched – “KaosPilot International”, “Showroom for a hopeful future – a safe space for creativity” and “The European Edge”.
The school’s first catch-phrase, ’Probably the best education in the world right now!’, is launched with a twinkle in the eye, not least because Carlsberg is the school’s main sponsor at that time.
THE NEXT BIG THING KAOSPILOT INTERNATIONAL It became evident during 2005 that a new legal entity was required in order to manage the development of the brand as well as the system export of the KaosPilots, and allow these to thrive. It was decided to be called KaosPilot International (KPI) and the purpose is to support and promote value-based entrepreneurship and leadership by creating the next generation of businesses and social innovation. For 14 years the KaosPilots in Aarhus has not only been running an education, but also a commercial consultancy working with the private, public and voluntary sector. The business idea is to help organisations and individuals master the capability for innovation and creativity – leveraging on the KaosPilot philosophy and methodology, combining the disciplines creative business, project and process design.
SERVICES & CAPABILITIES • Consultation – Strategy and Organisational Development – Leadership & HR Development – Project Management – Innovation – Coaching • Education – Executive, Training and Exploration Programs • Incubation – New ideas – New business ventures • Production – Books – Film – Presentations – White Papers
1993 Team 1 complete a national information and public relations campaign for the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions, where the focus is on unemployment and in-service training.
Team 2 begin their education, this time with students from all of the Scandinavian countries, a prioritisation that is intended to mirror the school’s Scandinavian ambitions, and cultural roots and values.
Team 1 receive their graduation certificate in the Aarhus Music Hall. The guest speaker is the Minister of Culture, Jytte Hilden.
SHOWROOM FOR A HOPEFUL FUTURE – A SAFE SPACE FOR CREATIVITY • • • •
One simple idea One big ambition Many stakeholders Lot’s of new friends.
The basic idea of the Showroom that was the foundation for the KaosPilots Aarhus: What makes people want to learn and create is the right balance between “head, heart and hand” – The balance between the action-oriented, the intellectual and the emotional aspects. The ambition is to be co-creators of a global agenda concerning “next generation business and social innovation” by creating, testing, displaying and unfolding great ideas, products, services and learning. An agenda and a movement pushed forward by the six values of the KaosPilots. 12 cities have initially been chosen as a potential home base for these learning, exploration and entrepreneurial spaces: – San Francisco, Toronto, Berlin, Istanbul, Moscow, Shanghai, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Bangalore, Wellington, Hanoi and Tokyo.
1994 Søren Langager, the Danish University of Education, presents his evaluation of the KaosPilots at an event in Rundetårn, Copenhagen. The guest speaker is the former Minister and EU-Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard.
These “Showrooms” will vary in form and content, but will contain: – Educational programs – Incubator environments – Different companies and NGO’s – Technologies – Social and cultural venues. “Showroom for a hopeful future – a safe space for creativity” is a strategic initiative led by KaosPilot International. It will be developed with a number of venturesome and awesome partners.
EUROPEAN EDGE The idea is to establish a committed experience and research milieu around modern entrepreneurship, social innovation and the emerging fourth sector. The European Edge is a network-based consortium with members ranging from European educational institutions, think-tanks, and media to entrepreneurial environments. The ambition is to have a wide range of members from all over Europe taking part in these events. In November 2004, the first meeting took place at Demos in London. August 2005 the meeting was in Aarhus, Denmark and the next is scheduled to be in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2006.
Half the school burns down on New Year’s Eve due to a stray firework. The KaosPilot ’back-up’ scholarship is initiated, designed to enable promising young talent at the super league football club AGF to have access to the school’s facilities and teaching.
Team 2 complete a ’cultural-ferry’ tour on the ’Kronborg’ ferry, docking at amongst others Copenhagen, Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn and Stockholm in order to promote Copenhagen as the 1996 City of Culture.
WE NEED YOU! – AND MAYBE YOU NEED US? The KaosPilot Aarhus has all the necessary experience and competencies to meet the Board’s ambitions in the way of a committed and experienced staff and, not least, a massively talented student body bubbling with curiosity and creativity. Just the right combination of tradition and renewal. But, honestly, we can’t do it alone. We know that. That is why we ask you directly: Would you like to be co-author of the next chapter of the KaosPilots’ history? This is not the first time we are asking our friends (and potential friends) for help. And it probably won’t be the last. Actually, the school would not have got where it is today if it had not been for the continuous back-up from individuals, organisations, companies, funds and public authorities over the past 14 years.
We are most thankful for that support. What we would like to ask of you is that you consider the three developmental initiatives one more time. If one or more of these initiatives appeal to you and you would like to be “co-owner” of it or them, then you are just a phone call away from making a critical difference to – and having a role in – the school’s further development. However, there are also many other ways you may help us, aside from the above-mentioned initiatives. You may, for example, become a member of the school’s business club and thereby give assignments to the different teams of students. Or you could buy consultancy services or solutions from KaosPilot International.
FACTS The school opened: August 5th, 1991 Cultural and historical roots: The FrontRunners – an enterprising, youth environment in Aarhus (1982- ) Number of KaosPilot graduates (September 2005): 249 Duration of education: 3 years Professional focus: Creative process, project and business design Organisation: Private foundation Chairman of the Board: Professor Steen Hildebrandt, Aarhus School of Business School Principal: Uffe Elbæk (1991- )
1996 Team 2 complete an attitude campaign in Aarhus on global consciousness for the Budapest Club. Partners are amongst others the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Theatre and Aarhus Municipality. Team 2 graduate from the school. The guest speaker is the former Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorvald Stoltenberg.
Level compared with other educations: Bachelor First semester starts: The first week in September Number of students admitted: 30-35 per team Dropout rate: An average of 5 students per team Minimum age: 21 Admission requirements: Written assignment and workshop Teaching and working languages: English Internships: Currently one European placement and one world placement Student fees: e370 per month + e3.350 start-up fee Starting monthly salary for KaosPilot graduates: Around e3.300
The school opens its first education outpost in San Francisco (1996-2000) with financial support from LEGO. Team 3 complete their entire second year there. Principal Uffe Elbæk is interviewed for 15 minutes live on CNN.
WHY COLLABORATE WITH THE KAOSPILOTS? Why should you become a “funding father”? Perhaps because you: • would like to have access to all the new knowledge being produced every single day at the school • see the KaosPilots as an interesting talent pool of young people worth being in touch with – because maybe there’s a future colleague amongst them? • think that the school’s cultural profile and values fit your company’s profile and values • would like to support a unique entrepreneurial environment because you believe that it is important to create new and interesting jobs in our part of the world.
No matter what – you shouldn’t invest in the KaosPilots if you want “business as usual”, or if you want to surround yourself with people who only agree with you and have no independent attitudes or opinions. But we doubt this is the way you see things. On the contrary, we believe that you want – perhaps together with us – to go all the way to the outer edge of development. Because that is the only way to meet “the new”. And this we must do! Otherwise we will fail to advance as a society and a civilization.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IN
WHAT WE STRIVE FOR
At the school’s first strategic “Purpose and Principles” seminar (POP1) in 1997 the following views on life, people and organisations was formulated: • Every person is unique and embodies an infinite potential • Learning involves the head, the hands and the heart – and is a life-long process • Life is a condition for change. Change is a condition for life • Organisations are living systems that thrive on human relations and networks • Respect differences and value the common • Live in the present – with respect for the past and a view to the future • Strive for quality in everything you do.
At the POP2 seminar in 2001, the school identified six basic values and attitudes that the educational program cannot do without. They are: Playful – Being at the KaosPilots has to be motivating and inspiring Real World – The students and the staff have to work with real problems, real people and real conflicts Streetwise – The school must never be out of touch with what is happening at street level in our society Risktaking – The program and the staff must be characterised by the will to be brave and take risks Balance – There has to be the right dynamic and balance between body and soul, between form and content and, not least, between human, time and economic resources at the school Compassion – Human compassion and social responsibility must be the hallmarks of the school.
1997 Team 3 complete their USA-project, where the customer is the founder and CEO Emeritus of VISA International, Mr. Dee Hock. The school carries out its first joint strategy and vision seminar, ’POP1’, with all students, staff, and board members. The basic view of organisations and life in general is identified.
The education is transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Education. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, then CEO of LEGO, and Mads Øvlisen, CEO of Novo Nordic, visit the KaosPilots’ outpost in San Francisco.
Trine Deichman-Sørensen, Employment Research Institute in Oslo, presents her evaluation of the KaosPilots at an event at the Aarhus Theatre.
“The KaosPilots have much to contribute to our company culture. The program and the students represent creativity and new thinking. We are a growing company and there is a tendency that growth in a company means compensating innovative thinking. We would like to gain inspiration for maintaining creativity in our company.” Dag Swanstrøm, CEO, Synnøve Finden ASA.
EUROPEAN EDGE The members of European Edge, december 2005. • Aarhus Business School, Denmark • Club of Rome, Germany • Demos, England • Fabriken, Denmark • FDB / Coop Denmark, Denmark • Fluidminds, Sweden • Frontløberne, Denmark • Idea Experience, Spain • Imagine BC, Canada • Index 05, Denmark • Lynfabrikken, Denmark • Smidstrup, Denmark • Startup Company, Denmark • Style-Vision, France • Subtopia, Sweden • Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain • Monday Morning, Denmark • Chaosforum, Holland • Respect Europe, Sweden and England • KaosPilot Oslo, Norway • KaosPilot Malmö, Sweden • KaosPilot Aarhus, Denmark
1998 Team 3 graduate. The guest speaker is the Finance Minister Marianne Jelved. The publishing house KLIM publishes the book ’KaosPilot – an account of a school, an educational program and an environment by Principal Uffe Elbæk (in Danish ’KaosPilot – en beretning om en skole, en uddannelse og et miljø’).
“Denmark needs creative environments and educational programs that can promote talented young individuals who can contribute to and create continued growth in society. The results that the KaosPilots have achieved are those of an exceptional entrepreneur environment. When it comes to promoting growth in the experience and creative industries, the need for an educational program with the KaosPilots’ profile is especially evident. The students do not only get good jobs after graduating, they also create jobs.” Finn Terkelsen, Assistant Director, The Tuborg Foundation.
The Danish Evaluation Institute begins an evaluation process that lasts five years.
1999 Team 5 complete a Scandinavian PRcampaign for Apple’s Mac Powerbooks in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Team 4 graduate. The guest speaker is the Education Minister Margrethe Vestager.
KAOSPILOT A-Z The book, “KaosPilot A-Z”, by Uffe Elbæk, was published in Danish in 2001 and in an updated edition in English in 2003. It is a book that, in the author’s own words, is “full of values, beliefs and critical orientation, full of life, references and tips, full of flashbacks, visions and jumping up and down, full of professional experiences, open questions and equally open answers, full of self-scrutiny and ulterior motives, full of good advice, good ideas and inspiration, full of tradition and renewal, full of contributions from 20 of our very good global friends from all over the world and, not least, full of pictures, heaps of pictures.” Among the contributors are Dee W. Hock, Lars Kolind, Anita Roddick, Margaret Wheatley, Thorvald Stoltenberg, Kevin Kelly and Preben Mejer.
2000 The KaosPilots choose the new slogan ’Change the Game’ in order to underline the school’s social ambition for a more sustainable world, culturally, environmentally and humanly. The school sets up its second education outpost (2000-2002), this time in Durban, South Africa.
The book has been well received and reviewed abroad: “...an educational resource of immense richness and variety. I can see myself going back for information, understanding and insight for years to come. Do yourself a favour, get a copy.” (New Academic Review). “...KaosPilot A-Z is a well-designed and inspiring – as well as overtly personal – introduction to the KaosPilots approach. The blend of formal and informal language suits the school’s mission and vision perfectly. Besides – and I think the KaosPilots will appreciate this – the book smells really, really good.” (Fast Company).
Team 5 graduate. The guest speaker is Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (by video). The KaosPilots set up the business club ’Inspiration Lounge’. Members are leading Scandinavian companies.
PROJECTS IN DECEMBER, 2005 A selection of the most important companies, organisations and institutions whom the school and staff have collaborated with in December 2005: KaosPilot Aarhus First-year students • Synnøve Finden, Oslo, Norway (cheese and dairy company) • Kofoeds School, Denmark (independent, non-profit humanitarian organisation) • BookHouse Publishing, Stockholm, Sweden (publishing house) • Moviecity Århus, Denmark (facilities for companies within TV, movies and new media) • Nicky Bonne, Aarhus, Denmark (photographer) Second-year students • Telenor ASA, Oslo, Norway (telecommunications) • Damp Studios Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden (movie production) • Norges Blindeforbund, Oslo, Norway (association for blind people) • Folkekirkens Nødhjælp, Butik Fisk, Aarhus, Denmark (aid organisation) • Dypång Management, Aarhus, Denmark (event organizer) • Skidinfo, Stockholm, Sweden (information about winter sports) • Republic of Fritz Hansen, Alleroed, Denmark (furniture) • Kompan A/S, Ringe, Denmark (toys and playgrounds) • Lier Prosti, Lier, Norway (priests) • Learning Lab Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark (research institute) • Mymusic.dk, Copenhagen, Denmark (music website) • Kvark Produksjoner, Tonsberg, Norway (arts and business) • Skånes Idrottsforbund, Malmö, Sweden (sports association) • Helly Hansen, Oslo, Norway (outdoor clothing) • Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Silkeborg, Denmark (bank) • Danmarks Statistik, Copenhagen, Denmark (national bureau of statistics) • PC Gruppen, Aarhus, Denmark (education) • Feiringklinikken AS, Feiring, Norway (private hospital) • Tuba Records, Oslo, Norway (music label) • Danske Bank, Aarhus, Denmark (bank) • Bang & Olufsen Idea Lab, Aarhus, Denmark (audio and video products) • Betapharm Artzneimittel GmbH, Augsburg, Germany (medical products) • Kunnskabsparken Hedmark AS, Hamar, Norway (incubator park) • NRK, Program Riks UNG, Trondheim, Norway (national television) • Det Norske Studentersamfund, Oslo, Norway (student organisation) • Gringo, Adami Media, Stockholm, Sweden (media) • Århus Festuge (Aarhus Festival), Aarhus, Denmark (cultural festival) • SINTEF Teknologi og Samfunn, Trondheim, Norway (technology and research) • Passion för HipHop, Malmö Högskola, Malmö, Sweden (education) • Opera Software, Oslo, Norway (web browser software) • Synnøve Finden, Oslo, Norway (dairy products) Third-year students • ReD Associates, Copenhagen, Denmark (advertising and communication) • Airgames, Johannesburg, South Africa (mobile media entertainment) • Fieldwork Norge AS, Oslo, Norway (brand experience bureau) • Coachingkids, Denver, Colorado, USA (social work / coaching) • ProAconsult, Aarhus, Denmark (fundraising agency) • Thjodleikhusid, Reykjavik, Island (national theater) • Hönnunarvettvangur, Reykjavik, Island (Iceland Design Forum) • Demos, London, UK (think-thank) • Counts Media, New York City, New York (media) • Idea Factory, Singapore (innovation / strategy / design) • Joergensen Associated, Shanghai, China (developer products & brands) • Pompei AD, New York City, USA (commerce, culture and community)
2001 Tibet’s national soccer team play their first ever international match – in Denmark. A historical occasion that was the fruit of a graduation project by a KaosPilot student.
• Fieldwork, Stockholm, Sweden (brand experience comunication) • KaosPiloterne, Oslo, Norway (education) • Innovation Lab, Aarhus, Denmark (learning / education) • Startup Company, Copenhagen, Denmark (entrepreneurship consultancy) • Peter Aschwanden Filmproduktion, Basel, Schweiz (filmproduction) • Fuseproject, San Francisco, USA (design) • Growth Africa, Nairobi, Kenya (Kenyan Entrepreneurs Association) • The British Chamber Of Commerce In Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark (business development) • PLAN Sverige, Stockholm, Sweden (NGO) • NextNext entertainment, New York City, USA (entertainment) • Edgeware, Brisbane, Australia (education) • Hotel Fox, Copenhagen, Denmark (designer-hotel) • Corporatespin, Singapore (communication) • Projekt Surfing Favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (surfing school) • Venturelli Consulting, Egå, Denmark (consulting agency) • MonoPolet, Copenhagen, Denmark (advertising agency) • NORD, Copenhagen, Denmark (research / design) • Pernod Ricard Sweden AB, Stockholm, Sweden (branding company) • Imagine Chicago, USA (community building) • Sofia Manning, Copenhagen, Denmark (coaching) KaosPilot International • Discovery journey with NCC to Gateshead and Berlin. Leadership training. • Intrapreneurship – KIIM Education. In cooperation with IDEA, Denmark • Education program in modern entrepreneurship for students at the University of Aarhus. In cooperation with IDEA, Denmark • Music Management – educational program with The Royal Academy of Music and Århus Business School, Denmark • Synnøve Finden, Oslo, Norway – company culture, product development. • Teacher education, Högskolen i Agder, Kristiansand, Norway • Kalundborg Gymnasium, Denmark – change process and new culture • Ministry of Culture, Denmark – children, culture and network • Frederikshavn Kommune, Denmark – looking for new possibilities • Conference for nurces – vision and dreams for nurces • Energi Midt, Denmark – idea development • Falck Securitas, Denmark – idea development • Nordea, Denmark – leadertraining • University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law – cooperation in change processes • TEKO Herning, Design School – training program in personal leadership • Demos, London, UK (think-tank) • Fluidminds, Stockholm, Sweden (consultancy company) • Monday Morning, Copenhagen, Denmark (think-tank of news) • Minc, Malmö, Sweden (incubator) • Malmö University, (Malmö Högskola), Sweden • OMH Business School (Oslo Merkantile Högskola), Oslo, Norway • Respect Europe, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London (consultancy company) • Smidstrup, Aarhus, Denmark (design bureau) • The Frontrunners, Aarhus, Denmark (youth and cultural grassroots organisation) • Aarhus School of Business (Handelshøjskolen i Århus), Denmark • Index 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark (design festival) • FoolService, Utrecht, Holland • Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Department of Economics and Business, IDEC, Barcelona, Spain • The Policy Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain • The Planning Desk, Toronto, Canada • NYU Wagner, New York, USA • Kao & Company, San Francisco, USA • Chaosforum, Rotterdam, Holland
The school’s second strategy and vision seminar, ’POP2’, identifies the six basic values of the school: Playful, Real World, Streetwise, Risk-Taking, Balance and Compassion.
U.K London
NETHERLANDS Rotterdam Utrecht
NORWAY Oslo Kristiansand Trondheim Hamar Feiring Lier Tonsberg
SWEDEN Stockholm Malmรถ
DENMARK Copenhagen Aarhus Kalundborg Herning Silkeborg Ringe Alleroed
GERMANY Berlin Augsburg
SWITZERLAND Basel
PROJECTS IN DECEMBER, 2005
BRAZIL Rio de Janeiro
USA New York Denver San Francisco Chicago
CANADA Toronto
SPAIN Barcelona
SOUTH AFRICA Johannesburg
Kenya Nairobi
CHINA Shanghai
SINGAPORE AUSTRALIA Singapore Brisbane
BACKGROUND Academic Focus The aim of the school, as mentioned previously, is to educate young entrepreneurs and social innovators. Young adults who, during the course of the three years that the program lasts, gain nuanced knowledge, practical experience, and a cultural understanding of the school’s three core disciplines; project, process, and business design. These three disciplines form the basis of the school’s academic platform. The school bases it’s philosophy on this particular entrepreneurial triangle because… • the vast majority of modern work is organised in the form of projects. It is therefore essential that the students understand this form of work as both a financial and organisational framework – hence, project design. This also means that…
• the students have to develop an academic understanding of the human processes that drive a project forwards. This can be the way in which knowledge is disseminated, and not least how quickly and effectively this is done; or the way in which decisions are taken and communicated, or how conflicts and personal challenges are tackled – hence, process design. • project and process design cannot, however, stand alone; the 21st century is, in the opinion of the school, the century of the entrepreneur and the social innovator. It is therefore vital for the school that the students are not only trained to be able to read the cultural, social and economic trends in society, but also that they use this knowledge to identify new, promising and socially responsible business concepts – hence, business design.
Work-Placement 5%
Evaluation 5%
Exams & preparation 13%
Distribution of Educational Activities Practical project-work 30%
2001 (continued) Tenth anniversary party in Ridehuset in Aarhus with guests from five continents. The Hall of Respect is founded. 33 individuals who have provided invaluable help to the KaosPilots.
Timetabled teaching (theory & practical) 47%
The book ’KaosPilot A-Z’, Danish edition, by Principal Uffe Elbæk is published by the school’s own press, KaosCommunication.
The students in numbers The calculations include all current and past students Sex Male 57% Female 43% Average age The average age of the students on entry is 24.
Nationality
Iceland, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Columbia & Mexico 5%
Sweden 24%
Denmark 49%
Young adults with their hearts in the right place You don’t have to have been at the school for long before you realise that the students at the KaosPilots have a particular drive. At the risk of generalising, these young adults, using the words of The Body Shop-founder Anita Roddick, tend to be “creative outsiders with a high work morale”. They are young adults who demand much of themselves and life in general. Despite a sometimes sky-high level of ambition, these young adults do not want to reach their goals at the expense of others. On the contrary. If the level of ambition is one of the characteristics of a KaosPilot, social identification and responsibility is the other. They are entrepreneurial young adults with their hearts in the right place, who want to make a positive difference here in life.
Norway 22%
2002 The school decides to give a higher priority to Europe as a focus area for culture, and business and educational policy. This is carried out partially through the school’s academic network in Berlin. Kumpelnest in Berlin becomes simultaneously the school’s favourite bar.
Team 6 graduate. The guest speaker is former Chancellor Mogens Lykketoft. The KaosPilots receive the regional entrepreneurial prize ’Janteknuserprisen’.
The seven archetypes The school today is inspired by the seven “entrepreneurial motivation profiles” developed by our own students in conjunction with students from the European Studies department of the University of Aarhus. The identification of these seven archetypes was the main conclusion of a large innovation project launched by the Confederation of Danish Industries in 2003. The businessman The traditional entrepreneurial profile. The desire to make money and attain economic prestige is the primary driving force. Works in a focused way to gain the competencies necessary to start a company and is very conscious of the potential market. The mountain climber Actively searches for challenges to push him or herself to the limit. A restless soul that is risk-loving and will happily start a new company from scratch when the previous one has become established. The playful child Allows desire to drive the company. Wants to combine work with lifestyle or hobby, and is therefore not driven primarily by the desire to make money. Customers and the private sphere often melt together.
2003 Team 8 complete the project ’Innovating Europe’ for the Confederation of Danish Industries in partnership with the students of the European Studies department of the University of Aarhus, and identify, amongst other things, seven entrepreneurial archetypes.
The idealist Politically conscious and not driven by personal gain, but wants to do something for other people. Frustrated by lack of action for example around human rights, the environment and unemployment. The globalist Travels unconcernedly around the world and is motivated by working globally with people who share the same values. The globalist’s products mirror the inspiration gained from different cultural environments. The inheritor Has taken over an existing company along with customers and the network. Wants to maintain the company as-is and becomes the entrepreneur when the product or organisational structure needs to be changed. The survivor Is almost forced into entrepreneurship in order to survive and is driven more by need than desire. Has, however, started from the bottom and as such has the freedom to decide the direction of the company. In simple terms, the KaosPilots as an educational establishment can be said mainly to attract four of the above-named personality types: the mountain climber, the playful child, the idealist, and the globalist.
Team 7 graduate. The guest speaker is the South African ambassador to Denmark, Steven Pendula Gawa. ’The Future of Creative Denmark’, inspiration conference at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen.
Pedagogical guidelines when working with the students
The KaosPilot competence and qualification model
The students… • should feel that they belong to a secure environment in order to achieve confidence and self-worth. This gives the necessary space to experiment, make mistakes and develop themselves • should find their identity and become authentic and selfreflecting personalities, who maintain a dialogue with themselves • should find their own way that fits in with their own plans for their life, career and personal lifestyle • will learn that life is precious and unique – and see opportunities and challenges in it • will develop communicative and social competencies that enable them to be good listeners and faithful partners • should be trained to take conscious decisions and become problem-solvers – both personally and professionally • will become tolerant and culturally conscious citizens of the world, who are motivated to overcome their own prejudices • will learn ”to keep their heads cool and their hearts warm” whenever they experience wrongs, abuses of power, or suppression.
Academic and personal development ought not to be separated. The staff at the KaosPilots therefore work with the students using the following competence and qualification model:
“The educational program has actually gained such good results that it has been noticed in the Western world. KaosPilots are regarded as pioneers in their field.”
Academic qualifications Academic knowledge and the qualifications necessary to master a particular project with the focus on project, process and business design. Relational competencies Consideration, communication, ability to cooperate, conflict resolution, and personal assertiveness. Change competencies New ways of thinking, handling turbulence, understanding development, and the ability to see possibilities instead of problems. Action competencies Prioritising values, visions, knowledge and experiences, and converting them to targeted actions. Meaning competencies Analysing and interpreting the societal, economic, cultural, social, and organisational context in which the project is to be completed.
Professor Sven Hamrefors, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Creation, Stockholm School of Business, in conjunction with the publication of the final evaluation report on the KaosPilot program, August 2004.
2003 (continued) The Danish government decides, to everyone’s surprise, to remove the KaosPilots’ funding from the national budget.
The school publishes the book ’KaosPilot A-Z’ in English. The book receives positive reviews in the USA and England.
The Tuborg Foundation gives the Government time to reconsider their decision by granting the KaosPilots e 210.000 to cover the financial gap up to the Summer of 2005.
The KaosPilots adopt the subtitle ’International School of Creative Business Design and Social Innovation’ in order to achieve greater clarity about the academic focus of the education amongst the general public.
2004 The school holds its third strategy and vision seminar, ’POP3’, this time with the participation of international colleagues from Australia, USA, South Africa, Finland, Germany and England.
The Norwegian company Synnøve Finden ASA sponsors the KaosPilots, securing the financing of the school up until January 2006. Team 9 complete the ‘Europe-City’ project for PLS Rambøl, again in partnership with students from the European Studies department of the University of Aarhus.
Jobs in the creative sector KaosPilots in work There are many different job titles amongst KaosPilot graduates: Vision Communicator, Process Consultant, Creative Director, Market Coordinator, Information Assistant, Human Resource and Organisational Consultant, Sales Leader, Innovation Coach, Development Consultant, Location Manager, Copywriter, Head of Sales, Process Manager, Communications Consultant, and even ’organisational pilot’. A KaosPilot earns on average E4.000 a month, and 65% are employed in management positions.
Occupation by sector
NGO & nonprofit organisations 14%
Other 6%
Unemployed 6%
Private sector 30% Public Sector 15%
Self-employed 29%
2004 (continued) Team 8 graduate. The guest speaker is former Minister of Environment Svend Auken.
After graduating from the school, the KaosPilot students either create or gain employment mainly in consultancy or in what can be called “the creative industries”: primarily companies in film and new media, advertising, design, music, fashion, entertainment and event industries. Interest and non-profit organisations, such as the Red Cross, Stop AIDS, and Amnesty International are also at the forefront of the students’ minds when it comes to deciding on a job and career at the end of their studies. In addition to this, in recent years there has been an increasing interest – amongst both students and staff – in the appearance of the new “fourth sector”. This new sector is “populated” by companies, organisations and environments that have come into existence at the intersection of the private, public, and voluntary sectors. These companies are characterised by, on one hand, acting under the rules of the market economy, but also with an overarching social goal, and a work and organisational culture that resembles that of voluntary organisations. Examples of such fourth sector companies could be Northern Europe’s largest music festival, the Roskilde Festival (Denmark), the cosmetics retailers The Body Shop (UK), the fair-trade organisation Max Havelaar (Belgium), and the ice-cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s (USA). These new hybrid companies are the subject of lively debate at the school right now, with the result that many of the recent years’ final projects at the KaosPilots can be characterised as “fourth sector” projects. Graduation projects that are both financially, socially, and ethically sound, and organisationally both flexible and multifacetted with regard to culture and employment forms.
Students from Team 9 complete the ’Ask Sarajevo’ project. A bombed-out youth centre in Sarajevo was covered in 5,000 square metres of canvas and decorated by 600 children from the city. 10 Norwegian designers then used the canvas for clothes and works of art at an exhibition in Oslo to raise money for the restoration of the youth centre.
The Danish Evaluation Institute recognizes the KaosPilot education as a professional bachelor degree.
Students on learning experiences at the KaosPilots “It lies between your body and brain, by being able to ask questions and by using reflection and evaluation as important tools throughout the whole education”. Kathrine Predstrup, third-year student
“You will never stop learning. As a first year student you thought that you would be finished in three years and ready for the real world ... The KaosPilots gives you a good platform to build change and makes you want to keep learning”. William Ahrén, third-year student
“At the KaosPilots I was tossed out in deep water from day one. I have to come up with creative solutions not to drown ... If I am about to drown, there is a boat with team managers and staff members who put an index finger under my chin so that I can come up with a new way of floating on the waves”. Peter Liljeros, first-year student
“A test only shows all the things you missed, not all the things you learned”. Måns Adler, second-year student
THE KAOSPILOTS’ CORE STAFF KaosPilot Aarhus
Uffe Elbæk Principal uffe.elbek@kaospilot.dk
Karin Barreth PA to Principal & Head of Office karin@kaospilot.dk
Bo Blaabjerg Head of Administration bb@kaospilot.dk
Ove Christensen Head of Accounting ove.christensen@kaospilot.dk
Bjarne Stark Head of Studies stark@kaospilot.dk
Kristin Birkeland Team Manager kristin@kaospilot.dk
Lis Østergaard Administrative Supporter loe@kaospilot.dk
Anders Krøyer IT Manager anders@kaospilot.dk
Paul Natorp Team Manager natorp@kaospilot.dk
Gry Guldberg Team Manager guldberg@kaospilot.dk
Kasper Arentoft Team Manager kar@kaospilot.dk
Rebekka Høy Biegel Project & Process Consultant rebekka@kaospilot.dk
Niko Høck Grünfeld Project & Process Consultant niko@kaospilot.dk
David Storkholm Project & Process Consultant david.storkholm@kaospilot.dk
KaosPilot International
Per Krull Head of Development krull@kaospilot.dk
Christer Lidzélius Director christer@kaospilot.dk
2004 (continued) The first ’European Edge’ meeting. The think-tank Demos provides the facilities for the arrangement in London with participants from Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Spain and England.
Team 11 begin their education, the first team to be financed exclusively with private money.
THE KAOSPILOTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Steen Hildebrandt, chairman Professor, Aarhus School of Business Ulrik Merrild, vice-chairman Administrative Director, Mercon Kirsten Junge Headmaster, Art/Business, AOF Søllerød High School Peter Friese Principal, Peter Sabroe Seminariet David Madie Director, 80 Days Production Stein B. Kvae Director and Idea Developer, Inspirator.net Per-Uno Alm Director, Respect Europe Elisabeth Flensted-Jensen Senior Consultant, TDC
The school’s third outpost-project is planned, this time the choice falling on Havanna in Cuba. The Danish Government decides to support the KaosPilots – again!
“If the KaosPilots didn’t exist, someone would have to invent them. Thats how you know that it’s an essential idea. You can’t imagine it not being there.” Alan Webber, Founding editor, Fast Company
“The KaosPilot way is to think about setting agendas, and guiding interactions. This approach takes far more energy and personal commitment. The beauty of the school is that this energy and commitment are at its core.” John Thackara, Filmmaker, journalist and former Director of Netherlands Design Institute
“Check out KaosPilots in Denmark ... Now there’s a creativity incubator.” Richard Florida, Professor and Writer.
“In organisations of the future, the concept of superior/subordinate will crumble as we come to understand that everyone must constantly, simultaneously lead and follow and our governmental, educational, commercial and social organisations must be reconceived to enable them to do so. This is what the KaosPilots are all about.” Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus, VISA
2005 Team 10 and Havanna had a love affair in the spring of 2005. For three months the students worked together with organisations and companies in Cuba. And neither Team 10 and Havanna have been the same since.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO DANCE WITH US? We hope that, after reading through this prospectus, you will want to contribute to the KaosPilots’ continuous professional and economic growth. This would be good for the school and for the educational program. That is self-evident. But hopefully, it would also be the right investment for you. Because together we: • will enter into a committed partnership that will last for years to come • make a positive difference in the world • demonstrate that collaboration between educational institutes, funds and businesses is not just a fancy phrase, but translates into concrete and visible action. We look forward to inviting our – as yet unknown – new friends inside. If you turn out to be one of them, you will quickly get to know all our old friends and our professional network. But first of all, you need to meet the school’s students, staff and board of directors. Only then will you be able to sense, whether a collaboration between you and the KaosPilots would be right. Whether you hit it off with us or not. We would like you to know this: there are 100 students, 16 staff members and a committed board of directors ready to put on the music. And we really hope that you feel like dancing with us.
The 1st. of September, 2005, the KaosPilots school in Aarhus was no longer the only place in the solar system, where you could be trained as a KaosPilot. That day the first team of students started at our sister school in Oslo, Norway.
In the late fall 2005, the staff and students at the KaosPilot school in Aarhus decided that the next outpost project should take place in San Francisco in the spring of 2006. So ten years after our first San Francisco outpost, we will be back in the Bay Area.
A HUMAN BEING IS... “A human being is part of the whole, called by us “universe”, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty ... We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Havanna, KaosPilot Outpost 2005
Photographs All by Ole Hein Pedersen www.3generationer.dk Graphic design Smidstrup – design & communication www.smidstrup.dk
‘Never give up! Never, never give up! Never, never, never give up!’ Advice to the KaosPilots from Dee W. Hock, Founder of Visa International, USA.