The Water Game
Where does water come from?
A clean, constant supply of drinking water is essential to every community none the less water is something we all take for granted as a commodity in our part of the world.. When we turn on the tap, water comes out.
In a close collaboration with Grontjemij | Carl Bro, a leading sustainable design, engineering and management consultancy based in 20 countries, framework identity and Built Identity have developed an inspirational “game” called The Water Game. Target groups are water suppliers and the aim is to re-think the significance of water for the modern man. The Water Game raises questions that give inspiration, input and food for thought. It works as a dialogue tool that boards, management groups and employes at water can use in the process of developing the future strategy of their local waterwork.
The Water Game was presented at a recent fair organised by the Danish Water and Waste Water Association (DANVA), a national association of water and waste water utilities. Though scepticism was shown at the beginning several waterworks were curious about the game and its use it in their strategic work.
The theory and praxis behind Design Thinking
A two-day workshop at the Institute of Electronic Business in Berlin
Many definitions of Design Thinking can be found on the internet, for example:“Design thinking is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result.” Thus sounds the definition on Wikipedia while Tim Brown from Design and Innovation Company IDEO defines it as: “Design thinking can be described as a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity.” This gives us a hint of what Design Thinking means but what about the theory behind it, the practical methods and tools and how can you actively use it in your Businnes?
On Friday 25th and Saturday 26th Pia Betton will be co-facilitating a two day workshops at the Institute of Electronic Business in Berlin. Co-lecturers are Prof. Dr. Markus Peschl from Vienna University, DI Thomas Fundneider from theLivingCore (Vienna), Prof. Peter Friedrich Stephan who teaching Cognitive
Design at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and Prof. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer and Sebastian Schmidt from the Institute of Electronic Business.
Besides Design Thinking Radical Innovation, Cognitive Design and Social Media and Crowdsourcing is on the agenda. Methods like Enabling Spaces, Scope and Drill-down, Cultural Probes, Re-framing, Attitude – Practise – Knowledge, Blue Print Maps and People Studies will be presented, explained and used through practical excercises.The overall focus is to teach how design theory and praxis can be implemented and successfully used in innovation and change processes in organisations.
It’s no longer possible to sign up for the workshop but a follow-up will be conducted in October. For update on the seminar, please send your e-mail address to p.betton@framework-identity.com
A new year, a new business?
Commercialisation strategies for the green market
There is an ever growing focus on green business due to increasing consumer demand. Events like the recent Climate Conference in Copenhagen create an even greater world wide awareness.
Large American enterprises like Wal-Mart and DELL have recognised that green business is the future and are joining projects to help consumers identify “green” electronics (source: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19627). Scott O’Connell, environmental strategist at Dell recently said: “Customers tell us they want to purchase electronics that have a minimal impact on our planet. This is an effort to help them do that using a common methodology that manufacturers across the industry participate in”.
SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises) have an advantage in this race, being more agile and hence able to change strategy and processes within a shorter time span. This being said, it is not an easy process to re-structure your whole business concept. But since major retailers are re-structuring, why shouldn’t you?
On Friday, February 12th you have the opportunity to participate in a workshop, that can dress you for climbing the ladder towards the green market.
These are some of the questions that will be brought up by the people behind the workshop: consultant company in sustainable business, futurestrategy, the “green” PR agency sieben&siebzig and agency for consumer sociology, OC EO CONSULT.
Throughout the one-day workshop core themes of the process of succesfull commercialisation of green products and services will be presented and discussed.
- Trade innovation
- Concierge Retailing & Pop Up Retailing
- Bottom-up-approach – best practices
- Open Source & Bazaar Marketing
- Public Relations for Green Lifestyle
- The Foundation of Sustainable Communication (PR)
- Guerilla-Marketing
The workshop participants will gain insight in green business and be provided with the proper tools for entering the green market. Learn how to create new business concepts, approach a new target group and develop commercialisation strategies.
Find more information and sign up for the event here.
The impact of a positive mindset
Positive Psychology is a term you hear more and more often in connection with employee performance and optimizing work environment. The term refers to how can improve your motivation and performance through your changing your attitude in certain situations. The fact that management behavior have a big impact on the work environment in teams and organizations, has encouraged several companies to introduce their managers to positive psycology.
Together with our network partner Strandgaard & Co we facilitated a workshop for a group of managers from Lundbeck on how to use positive psychology to change unfavorable habits in their teams and support creative and positive thinking. Through theory and practical exercises, we supplied them with knowledge and tools for becoming more aware and alert in their management roles: How to identify and develop personal strategies for flow and energy in daily work situations and to positively affect their surroundings.
We’ve all experienced to feel stressed and drained of energy after a workday. We tend to blame it on the boss, the difficult clients or the daily traffic jam. However, little changes can have big effects. Meeting your colleagues with a positive attitude and optimism instead of stress and short answers creates a very different energy at your work place. We all make these choises many times a day, when we interact with other people. Some situations may be more challenging to change into something positive than others. But in the end it is our own choise, if today’s budget meeting is going to be a dread or a unique possibility to talk about opportunities and (positive) change.
Here is a good little exercise for you: For one day, try to be aware of and focus on things that make you happy, organize your space and devote some time to activities you enjoy. Alone or with collegues. What fosters “A good work day” for you? We think we could all need a new perspective these days
Innovative summer plans
Sunbathing at one of the many lakes in and around Berlin or gaining new knowledge and meeting innovative people for refreshing input and inspiration? If you feel more attracted to the second option, we suggest you join us at the summer camp at Berlin University of the Arts*
Many organisations are challenged by the rapid changes of today’s market and the increasingly high expactations of their stakeholders. To continiously generate and implement new ideas and market opportunities gives you a head start to your competitiors. Most managers are aware of this fact but are challenged in their everyday lifes because of structural and cultural boundaries.
For the Berlin University of the Arts Pia Betton and Prof. Peter Friedrich Stephan facilitate a three day seminar where Radical Innovation – design of concepts, processes and systems, ethnographic field work and cognitive design are on the agenda. Through talks, workshops and coaching you will gain new insight in how to embrace change. You will be introduced to methods and tools that can help you overcome organisational obstacles and actively and efficiently work with innovation in your organisation.
*Read more about the seminar here or contact Berlin University of the Arts for more information!
Get the picture?
Recently we did a innovation workshop for a developer of extensions for the global motor car industry. The task for the employees was to come up with new, innovative business ideas. We trained them in different visual tools to discover, develop and share business ideas and throughout the day 4 new business ideas were born.
Among others they were asked to do a cartoon that illustrates their client interaction and communication today and in the future.
When we ask people to draw someone will always say, that they can´t draw, that they are not visual persons. But after we assure them, that you don’t have to be a expert to visualize something, that it is about making very simple drawings and get the message through, they almost always end up with very insightful pictures. It is a very powerful tool and a lot of fun!
