“I think we are succumbing to the human habit of breathing our own exhaust. I think we believe our own hype. I think we’re not rigorous enough about what’s really needed. I see a lot of the same problems–that we’re trying to undo–being replicated. We want a new model for how to live and how to be in the world, and yet everybody has to have to their own business, everybody has to have their own brand, everybody has to have their own unique technology, everybody has to have their own platform. And it’s not what’s needed. In a world where we’re trying work together in a different way, we don’t hold that same standard for ourselves.”
—PopTech Board Chair Cheryl Heller on where entrepreneurs go wrong.Consultants for a Day: Students Compete in Annual Case Competition
SIPA’s fourth annual Public Policy Case Competition was hosted by the school’s Consulting Club on Friday, February 17. The day-long event brought together 39 students and 10 judges from various organizations including Deloitte, The Bridgespan Group, Chemonics and the Clinton Global Initiative.
The students were divided into teams of three and had the opportunity to compete in one of three categories:
- International Development: Challenged to recommend a best strategy for educational programs of Developments in Literacy in Pakistan.
- Social Innovation: Challenged to present a sustainable business model for maternal care in Tanzania for the Zanzibar Neema Hospital, under a project of Deloitte Consulting LLP and the Tanzanian Ministry of Health.
- U.S. Public Policy: Challenged to develop a plan to strategically allocate funding for a high speed rail program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“This is a safe space for us to play - a learning environment,” said Susmita De (MDP ‘12), co-president of the SIPA Consulting Club, “And we’re grateful to have the judges give their professional feedback.”
Student teams were challenged to come up with strategies and recommendations for the case assigned to them, in just five hours, with no prior knowledge of the case. At the end of the day, one team was declared the winner for each case, and one individual was named the MVP of each category.
“I’m interested in consulting, and I had not done it before, so I wanted to get a feel of it,” said Khulan Davaadorg (MPA ‘12), a member of the winning team in the international development category.
“It was a really good experience. The case was pretty hands-on. It was a challenge that we really have nowadays.”
Adam Yukelson (MS ‘12 in sustainability management), who was competing in the Social Innovation category, added about the competition:
“This is a more effective way of learning than hearing about management in a lecture. It’s experiential learning.
The event was not only seen as a learning experience, according to De, but also as a chance for students to shine through a competition and a networking opportunity as well.
The competition was sponsored by Deloitte, Chemonics, SIPA’s Management Specialization and the Office of Career Services.
- Michelle Chahine
Photo credit: Miji Park (MPA-DP ‘12)
Eleni Gabre-Madhin on Ethiopian economics
ted.com[TED Abstract]
Economist Eleni Gabre-Madhin outlines her ambitious vision to found the first commodities market in Ethiopia. Her plan would create wealth, minimize risk for farmers and turn the world’s largest recipient of food aid into a regional food basket.
Innovation reads for the weekend!
1) 5 Ways That Standardization Can Lead to Innovation
It looks like collaboration can lead to scalable business advantage. Another reason standardization could be helpful is if it produces critical mass needed to affect significant change - or at least the coordinated reorientation of individual actions produces measurable change. That goes against the economic theory a la Adam Smith with its “invisible hand” theory.
So a massive adherence to a single way/concept/idea of doing things breeds innovation?
This article adds to the discussion of, “can innovation be standardized or mass produced?”
2) How Insight Labs Get Smart People To Brainstorm Solutions To The World’s Problems
The interesting idea behind this article is using pro bono work to attract more and better clients. Manifest Digital, a for-profit company that funds Insight Labs, became more profitable because of their work in a mission-driven, non-profit work. An interesting business development strategy, I’d say.
3) Design for Social Innovation: An Interview with Ezio Manzini
His concept of “Small Local Open Connected” is an interesting way to create a more sustainable society.
It’s more about catalyzing change instead of making change: ”What can I do to trigger and support these new way of thinking and doing? How can I use my design knowledge and tools to empower these grass-roots social innovations?”
So these hashtags should suffice: #collaboration #sustainable consumption #networked organization #creative community catalysis
4) A Few Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Communication
Communication is what transforms an idea into a vision, defines how it’s different, explains why it will work, and engages people in helping make it a reality. Communication is what keeps your vision alive, whether you are in the room explaining it to someone, or they are thinking about it in places far from where you’ve ever been or will ever go.
Cheryl Heller has a point.
5) BMW Guggenheim Lab: An Outdoor Workshop For Fixing City Life
This makes urban planning more appealing and fun. But the more important thing is that you are letting the regular joe’s the opportunity to shape their city and spark their imagination of how the city could look. It’s a good start to generate conversation (as part of Guggenheim’s research project) but nothing come from speculation. Being that this is a museum’s initiative, it makes people ponder but that’s about it.
Forbes: Doing Development Differently: Social and Financial Innovation at Mercy Corps
forbes.comWe’re so excited to be featured in Forbes Magazine!
“The silver lining of the tech-obsession in social innovation in Kenya is that EVERYBODY understands how change happens thru networks.”
—Kippy Joseph, Associate Director of Strategy at The Rockefeller Foundation and Climate Resilience Lab participant.
PopTech Board Chair Cheryl Heller on reinventing how we teach young adults to be leaders
fastcoexist.comNever before has a generation needed or had access to more tools to take on the real work that needs to be done in our societies. New leaders are emerging who are less willing to define themselves with a job title than their ability to create value wherever they are. In response, hundreds of new higher educational programs have emerged that focus on creativity and preparing students to solve the world’s big problems.
This is because education is shifting from a focus on what works for teachers to a focus on what students need to succeed and thrive. Businesses learned this long ago, with the emergence of the “consumer-driven” paradigm—a self-evident revelation that’s easier to agree with than it is to execute. When education serves students, many of the old beliefs become obsolete; schools that considered themselves competitors become partners by sharing content, faculty and facilities, combining strengths, offering more customized learning, and making life more interesting for all involved.
But in order to truly serve the future leaders of our society, we need to look at the existing failures of contemporary higher education, and the innovations taking place to improve them.
