ETHICS

After class on Mon, ethics in business has been on my mind a lot. I couldn't believe some of the things in the movie we are watching. It makes me sick to think of the kind of people that are out there that will screw other people to make a lot of extra money. I feel bad for the people that lost a lot of money due to the bad practice of other people. I read an article recently of a man in North Logan who was a financial planner and basically stole $40 million from his clients. He was caught which is a good thing, but to know we have unethical people so close to home is bother some. In the end I know if you are ethical and honest you will win out. It is hard to see these people do such nasty things. Note to all, running your business the ethical way is the best way.

Jared Spackman

Passion

In Winners Never Cheat, Huntsman brings up the Core Elements of a Leader. He say that they are: Talent, Integrity, Courage, Vision, Commitment, Empathy, Humility and Confidence. I do agree that these values are key to a good leader, but I think he left out a very important concept. One critical part of being a good leader is having passion about what you are doing. If you don’t have that drive inside you to get it done, you wont be as affective. Seth Godin said, "Leadership is about creating change you believe in." You cant just commit or know where you are going, you need enthusiasm to get you there. True passion is contagious. If you are enthusiastically pushing for your goal, others in your group will be more apt to grasp your vision.

Defining Success

When I saw this strip today it immediately reminded me of what we've been talking about in class. John Hunstman's book is all about sticking to your morals and acting with integrity. Several of the other books that were presented also spent a good amount of time on the same subject. There are many ways in which one can define success. However, I think the great guru puts it best here. "Success is obtaining happiness without sacrificing personal morals."

Blair Jensen

FINAL GROUP PRESENTATION

Business by Design Spring 2011

Learning Group Project Outline

“The Restroom Rethink”

15% of Final Grade

Project Brief:

Design thinking begins with a question that needs an answer, a problem that needs a solution. Design thinking matches necessity to utility, constraint to possibility and need to demand. How often do we come across an object, method, organization or facility that is “broken”? What are possible solutions to these poorly designed systems and products and how can we make these solutions more human-centered?

Over the course of the semester you have read and learned about various methods and models of design thinking. You, along with your group, will apply all that you have learned over the past few months to come up with an innovate solution using a “design thinking” process.

Project: The Restroom Rethink

Public restrooms are something we all use. Whether at school, a restaurant, or a park, at one time or another, we all use these facilities. It’s fair to say that most users of these facilities would agree that public restrooms are not “human centered”. Your final project assignment is to redesign a public restroom that is “human centered”. Use the IDEO model of design thinking (on the following page) and any other outside resources you find helpful.

Grading:

This assignment will focus a great deal on process. Documenting the design process is just as important as the end result. While engaging in innovative thinking, be sure to trace your journey. This documentation of idea accumulation, group meetings/brainstorming, user interviews, and product prototyping can come in many forms such as a group video, report etc… How you document this process is up to each group but be creative in your presentation. You must be able to sell us on the functionality and relevance of your restroom. Substance is key.

Each group will present their design process and redesign concept in class. Presentations will be 15 minutes long with 5-minute period of peer question and answer.

IDEO’s “Design Thinking” Process

Define

· Decide what issue you are trying to resolve.

· Agree on who the audience is.

· Prioritize this project in terms of urgency.

· Determine what will make this project successful.

· Establish a glossary of terms.

Research

· Review the history of the issue; remember any existing obstacles.

· Collect examples of other attempts to solve the same issue.

· Note the project supporters, investors, and critics.

· Talk to your end-users, that brings you the most fruitful ideas for later design, use empathy to better understand your demographic.

· Take into account thought leaders' opinions.

**Ideation

· Identify the needs and motivations of your end-users.

· Generate as many ideas as possible to serve these identified needs.

· Log your brainstorming session.

· Do not judge or debate ideas.

· During brainstorming, have one conversation at a time.

Prototype

· Combine, expand, and refine ideas.

· Create multiple drafts.

· Seek feedback from a diverse group of people, include your end users.

· Present a selection of ideas to the client.

· Reserve judgment and maintain neutrality.

Objectives

· Review the objective.

· Set aside emotion and ownership of ideas.

· Avoid consensus thinking.

· Remember: the most practical solution isn't always the best.

· Select the powerful ideas.

Implement

· Make task descriptions.

· Plan tasks.

· Determine resources.

· Assign tasks.

· Execute.

· Deliver to client.

Learn

· Gather feedback from the consumer.

· Determine if the solution met its goals.

· Discuss what could be improved.

· Measure success; collect data.

· Document.

**IDEO’s Rules for Brainstorming

1. Sharpen the Focus: Start the brainstorming process by clearly articulating a customer need.
2. Write playful rules: IDEO’s primary brainstorming rules are simple: “Defer judgment” and “One conversation at a time.”
3. Number your ideas: Totally okay to say things like, “Let’s go for 100 ideas.”
4. Build and jump: Brainstorming has a rhythm. It gathers momentum and then plateaus. Good facilitators know how to launch it, get out of the way, and then step back in when it slows.
5. Make the space remember: Use post-it notes, flip charts, white-boards and butcher paper. Advantage goes to movable and re-arrangeable.
6. Stretch your mental muscles: Start with warm-up exercises. Road-trips, videos, experiences all prime the pump to fire the imagination.
7. Get physical: Show-and-tell, build prototypes, cross-pollinate from other industries.

Helpful Resources:

Change by Design by Tim Brown

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink, pgs. 89-99

IDEO website:

IDEO Design Thinking Took Kit:

The Highest Success

I gave a lesson in a family get together that we had today (FHE). I gave the lesson on John Huntsman's book Winners Never Cheat. Something in that book really changed me. I had a realization that through shear determination and gratitude for what I have I will be successful monetarily in this life. Not that "I'm just that good", I just think that I am happy with what success I do have and I will work to be successful. Then after I have worked hard, What I produce I will be happy with the monetary rewards that consequently come.

I realized that in the current industry that I'm in (cleaning) there is no need for situational ethics. Some people have a gray area but I don't think that I do. So to tie this back to what I mentioned at the top, and having a successful life, I think that the only way to have "the most successful feeling ever", is to have a great company, but to run it with the highest standard of moral conduct, and to raise humanity one business at a time.

This doesn't really change my day to day activities, BUT it does make me aware of my duty to be the best I can be. I appreciate that.

Aspire to Something Higher

The group presentation on Good to Great was a great motivator for me to become better and improve on myself. Something they said in their presentation was that they "get stuck in being good and forget to work on progressing and constantly improving". I definitely have difficulty doing this also and after listening about their book I have written down some goals to improve things that I'm already "good" at but can improve on. I felt like this presentation was also a great recap of "Sharpening the Saw". Never forget to look back on yourself and see where you can improve on. I also thought that their discussion about "Level 5 Leaders" was great. One particular point that stuck out to me was that a "Level 4" leader wants the company to be "great" while they're there, but a "Level 5" wants the company to succeed long after they leave it. That was something that truly hit me and now has become a goal of mine, along with always trying to aspire to something higher and greater.

Like a Virus

I was recently reading an article while working on a paper for my english class and this article had a lot of useful insights into how to make workplaces more effective. I figured I would share with you the name, author, also a quote I found to be very helpful to me. The article is only 2 pages and is well worth your time it is called "Overcoming Workplace Negativity" by Betty MacLaughlin Frandsen. I loved this part of the article: "Like a Virus Negativity is a pattern of pessemistic thinking that spreads like a virus, causing morale problems and ultimately impacting our organiztion's success. Symptoms include loss of employee motivation, loyalty, creativity, and innovation. Outcomes of negativity include increased errors, decreased quality, increased interpersonal conflicts, increased tardiness or absence, and increased turnover." To me it sounds like we need to root negativity out of our lives now so we know how when we are working in our future careers so we can be successful and those we work with can too. McCallan Chadwick