The Weinstein Wall and "How it Really Happened"

A lot of men have recently hit the wall that seems to have (finally) been built by Harvey Weinstein ... today's fallen list of perpetrators includes Matt Lauer of NBC's Today Show who was recently accused of "inappropriate sexual behavior" during the 2014 Olympics.  In very few hours, more stories of his misconduct have surfaced covering many years.  Was the swift (?) handling of Lauer and today's "transparency" NBC's request for redemption after burying the Weinstein story?

More big news today ... John Conyers may not seek reelection (mixed reports) and a call to Congress has been made seeking a list of all members names' who have been covered for their previous misconduct with undisclosed payments made on their behalf.   What cover-ups lurk there?

And, yes, there's more ... the Washington Post reported that the HLN documentary originally titled, "The Monica Lewinsky Scandal" has been retitled, "How it Really Happened" after Lewinsky tweeted her disapproval of the original.  It seems that in the current climate, Lewinksy's voice was honored.

Has the tipping point been reached?

As we consider the society we hope to become, consider watching Monica Lewinsky's Ted talk:

Monica Lewinsky - The Price of Shame

Is the chaos worth the effort? Radical Student Centered Learning

Yes, yes it is.

Humility, Curiosity and Bravery

If we remain humble and curious in addition to demonstrating bravery in uncharted territory,

we may increase our chances of lifelong learning and

achieving more tomorrow than we think is possible today.

5 Tips to Keep the Chaos Positive & Productive:

1)  Foster the 3 Preconditions for Innovation from Day 1 (Skarzynski and Gibson)

2)  Explicitly (early and often) Teach the Connections of Student Centered Learning and

21st Century Skill Building/Entrepreneurship 

3)  Make clarifying questions an expected/baseline behavior in the Class Culture

(teach it, ask for it, reward it)

4) Provide Written Framework and Tips in the Learning Management System (i.e., "framework", not step by step instructions with a prototype to copy!  Utilize rubrics)

5)  Celebrate failures (successes in the making) and Successes

Would Hollywood executives really protect a predator in 2017?

1. How can this possibly be true that Weinstein's contract included language about handling (allowing for?) sexual harassment? 
2. What are the real reasons NBC didn't report the story when CBS, ABC, Fox and CNN did?
3. Is it true that NBC killed a Weinstein skit and jokes filmed for Saturday Night Live?
4. Who knew about the patterns of abuse yet said/did nothing?
5. What are your sources of information and what do you believe to be true?
6. What can we do to ensure that our values and social norms support treating all members of society with dignity and respect regardless of social roles or power levels in social hierarchies?

What is "good" for America?

Vocabulary to Ponder

Ethnocentrism - judging others based on our own worldview/social norms/culture

Individualism - a way of being that puts self/the individual ahead of the group/social responsibilities - people within an individualistic culture are more likely to see themselves as distinct from others - individual identity comes before group identity

Collectivism - a way of being that puts the group/social responsibilities ahead of self/the individual - people within a collectivist culture are more likely to see themselves as defined by their relationships with others - group identity comes before individual identity

Prestige Bias - human tendency to emulate/be attracted to people and cultural practices that are of high/higher prestige within a culture

Ethics - a system of moral principles

Ethic of Divinity - "a system of values that emphasize sanctity and the perceived 'natural order' of things (Heine) definition

Ethic of Autonomy - "a system of values that views morality in terms of individual freedom and rights violations with an emphasis on personal choice, the right to engage in free contracts, and individual liberty" (Heine definition)

Ethic of Community - "a system of values that emphasizes that individuals have duties pertaining to their roles in a community or social hierarchy" (Heine definition)

Principle of Need - principle asserting that those with the most need should receive the available resources

Principle of Equity - principle asserting that resources should be distributed based on contributions made (those who contribute the most should receive the most)

Principle of Equality - principle that asserts resources should be shared equally among all group members (regardless of need or contribution)

What is "good" for America?

In my Psychology and Culture classes this week, we had many conversations about cultural variations as we attempted to make our own cultural norms more visible to us.  Anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn's quote nicely shapes these conversations, "It would hardly be fish who discovered the existence of water." 

Consistent with Kluckhohn's assertion, we often remain naïve to our own ways of being until we are confronted with something different.  And, when confronted with something different than what we are used to, we are at risk of automatically perceiving what is new or different as being wrong or bad.  It takes purposeful critical thinking to take in someone else's "normal" and then giving it a chance of being considered "reasonable" within their mental framework - a system different from our own comfort zone ... different from our own water in which we swim.

What variations in cultural expectations are bombarding each of us right now?  What is challenging us to assess our values and beliefs as well as the values and beliefs of others who also consider themselves "good" Americans?  Here are some current samples ... 

1. Is it brave or good to kneel in the presence of an American flag?
2. Is looting defensible as part of protesting societal wrongs?
3. Who can say which lives matter and how should this be said?
4. What is "too bad" to be protected under the First Amendment?  
5. Should college students be protected from hearing things that are troubling to them?  Should college students be allowed to protest/suppress the speech of others with whom they disagree?
6. What forms of health care are a right and what is a privilege?  How should health care be funded?
7. Who should receive and/or pay for higher education?
8. How do we want to honor our immigrant/melting pot history and sustain a United States of America?
9. What do those statues from different times in American history really mean?
10. Is abortion "healthcare" or "murder"?
11. What has been/will be considered Presidential behavior?
12. How should the United States engage with North Korea?
13. What role(s) is/are proper for the United States in other parts of the world?
14. Are there any universal morals or are all "rights, wrongs, goods & bads" culturally variable?

The news outlets and our us-them approaches to problem solving, I believe, lull us into simplified narratives (if we let them) with cleansed edges so that we don't have to deal with ambiguity that requires critical thinking and (maybe) accepting that there is no perfect answer that all wise people reach when they are properly enlightened.  

Are there only bad, good and best choices within how we weight different variables and predict the implications of our choices through our personalized calculations that ignore, discount and/or disrespect others' weighting systems?  Maybe?  

Are the gray areas the beginning of exciting intellectual gymnastics and a move toward positive social change or evidence of weak and cluttered minds unable to converge on an available right answer?  Depends?

We have some serious thinking to do.



*  some definitions from Steven J. Heine's book Cultural Psychology

Your Advocacy Voice?

President Donald Trump,

supporters and protestors

were in downtown Phoenix, Arizona tonight ...

what is your vision for positive social change?

With what advocacy voice will you speak?

Watching the news about Charlottesville ? 

Where do you see wisdom and where do you see political finger pointing again? 

"Dear World with Love from Amy Rica" ... coming in 2019 ~

~ Hope ~

Closer than Monet's gardens and a place for creative inspiration ...

 

While a visit to the Claude Monet House and Gardens in Giverny (France) has been on my wish list for a long time, we have a North American scenic rival at the Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia - a boating or ferry opportunity from Seattle or Bellingham, Washington ... or from Vancouver, BC. 

The famous sunken garden (top center photo) was originally the limestone quarry for the Butchart family business, but after the limestone was extracted in the early 20th century, Jennie Butchart began a transformation of the area that now attracts more than 1 million visitors a year.

There are water lilies to paint and rest by, as you might find in Giverny, as well as nicely placed benches and scenic spots for creative inspiration of any kind.  A peak at the bay?  Resting under a canopy of roses?  Or, maybe you'd like to ride the carousel?  Finding beautiful places is a great way to begin creating the 3 preconditions for innovation!  (http://www.caronsart.com/about.html).

For more information about the Butchart Gardens:
http://www.butchartgardens.com/

What is Integrative Learning?

... just returned from the AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities) conference at Loyola University in Chicago to learn more about Integrative Learning and Signature Works through their annual institute.  For those of us interested in creativity, entrepreneurial mindset/behaviors and 21st century workforce skills, the AAC&U has many tools for us to use with students and within our communities.

What is integrative learning?  Here's the AAC&U vision:

Integrative learning is an understanding and a disposition that a student builds across the curriculum and cocurriculum, from making simple connections among ideas and experiences to synthesizing and transferring learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.

If you would like to consider the controversy of "assessing" creativity, take a look at the AAC&U creative thinking rubric:

Link to AAC&U Creative Thinking Rubric

Need to update your mission statement?

Mark Zuckerberg just announced a change in the Facebook mission - the updated version is to:  

"Give people the power to build community

and bring the world closer together."

CNN Tech reported Zuckerberg's explanation, "We used to have a sense that if we could just do those things, then that would make a lot of the things in the world better by themselves, but now we realize that we need to do more, too. It's important to give people a voice, to get a diversity of opinions out there, but on top of that, you also need to do this work of building common ground so that way we can all move forward together."

There are whispers that this word change in the mission is more about advertisers than customers and making the world a better place, but Zuckerberg is implicitly acknowledging that a mission statement can be of importance in an organization that wants to stay relevant.  And, while we can't know for sure what the motivation is for Facebook changing their mission, Zuckerberg and Facebook are great at engagement (well over 1 billion members) and mission statements can be effective engagement tools ... if we speak them often and live them daily.    

The mission and vision statement for the college where I teach are:

Mission:  to educate the whole person and to serve our students and our communities by providing learning opportunities that are designed to help them achieve their goals.

Vision:  to aspires to be the higher learning organization of choice by creating engaging lifelong educational relationships that inspire and support all learners to increase their capacity for personal growth and positive social change.

On our mission & vision webpage, curious viewers or stakeholders can also find our Core Value Statement:

Learning is the core value of Paradise Valley Community College. PVCC encourages and supports learning at three levels — student, employee and organizational — and the integrative relationship between the three levels. Learning at Paradise Valley Community College means increasing the capacity of our students, our employees and the college itself, to achieve their goals. PVCC acknowledges organizational learning as a means to continuously improve our college.

Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg ... good reminder for all of us to revisit our missions!  And, happy to hear of Facebook committing to bringing the world closer together :) 

Need to update your mission,, vision and/or core value statements?

Iowa State University - Mission, Vision and Core Value Statements

The previous mission statement for Facebook was to:  

give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected

Courage for Positive Social Change from Admiral McRaven

At the college where I teach, we often speak of preparing students to be agents of Positive Social Change and my involvement in interdisciplinary entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship are definitely examples of positive change movements within higher education that involve risk ... there is always risk when there is change. 

How brave are we as we promote change initiatives aimed at increasing possibilities for transformational learning experiences?  What are we willing to risk and endure to promote positive change with, and on behalf of, our students? 

After watching Admiral McRaven's commencement speech from the University of Texas (where he is now Chancellor), I'm feeling pretty wimpy.  I realize that I sometimes get discouraged even by just a little social discomfort when we aren't agreeing or achieving results together ... next time I feel like my work is risky or uncomfortable, I'll imagine being up to my neck in ice cold mud and start singing ...  

Curious?  Here is a 19 minute video about how to change the world for the better ...

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Yes, I know, this video is old (2014), but I just heard about it and it's good!

The Founder - an update to Ray Kroc

                                 

Ray Kroc, Founder of  McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation

Dick and Mac McDonald - original "Founders" of McDonalds in San Bernadino, CA

Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in the movie, Founder (2017)

President Calvin Coolidge

The movie about the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac, and their history with Ray Kroc has been on my must see list and, thanks to Netflix, I finally did see it.   With regard to innovation, the McDonalds brothers and Kroc are all inspiring in their own ways.

However ... Kroc wasn't quite as innocent and family oriented as Ronald McDonald (originally played by Willard Scott) might lead us to believe.   In fact, my last post was about confirmation bias and a related concern would be for people with an anti-business perspective to watch this movie, experience confirmation bias and conclude, "yes, those business people, or entrepreneurs, are all unethical and only care about money."  Even if Kroc's third wife, Joan, later gave most of their fortune to charity, how they came into the fortune isn't a story of altruism.

Maybe I should have read the book (or A book!) instead of waiting for the movie to update my understanding of Ray Kroc and also let me know that the quote (below) I have always attributed to Kroc actually belonged to Calvin Coolidge.  Oops.

Love this quote ... while Kroc had a picture of it in his office, it was not his quote but a quote by Calvin Coolidge - 30th President of the United States.

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Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Confirmation Bias - the conversation continues

Recently, the news has repeated use of the term confirmation bias as the conversation continues about political divides following the shooting on the congressional baseball practice field.  Adding this term to the public lexicon could be really good for us as Americans while we work toward better critical thinking (and creative thinking) about wicked problems we want to address together.

Might we be able to open our minds to the values, beliefs and ideas of those who think differently from us rather than holding on tightly to our current understandings?   During the last election cycle, media representatives repeated the term "doubling down" often and you may have noticed the uptick in its use during everyday life.  Perhaps the media can offer us a societal uptick in resisting confirmation bias if they double down on the use of this term?


Confirmation Bias
"Confirmation bias, as the term is typically used in the psychological literature, connotes the seeking or interpreting of evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations, or a hypothesis in hand." (http://psy2.ucsd.edu/~mckenzie/nickersonConfirmationBias.pdf)


Critical Thinking
"Critical thinking examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions." (http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic265890.files/Critical_Thinking_File/06_CT_Extended_Definition.pdf)

Wicked Problems
"A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems."  (https://ssir.org/articles/entry/wicked_problems_problems_worth_solving#)

Bipartisanship is Scary, too (A Call for 21st Century Work Skills)

As the conversations continue about increasing civility after the shooting at the congressional practice field, we are hearing the term bipartisanship as something to strive for in politics.  But, bipartisanship still keeps us in the realm of dichotomies such as us-them, in-group versus out-group, Republican-Democrat, wrong and right, good and bad.

For a moment, Bernie Sanders had us considering that there are more than two perspectives vying for the leadership of our country but many are back to pretending that there is a box, or side, representing Democrats and a contrasting box, or side, that represents Republicans somehow adding up to the whole of our population.  When I hear signs of this thinking (or lack of) in higher education, I find it especially concerning that our critical thinking and diversity and inclusion touting environment can be part of promoting this type of (scary) simplicity.  If we think and behave as such simpletons, how can we prepare students for sophisticated citizenship?

At the Innovation League Learning Summit that concluded on Wednesday at the Omni in Paradise Valley, the "Ten Skills for the Future Workforce" (University of Phoenix Research Institute) handout was one of my favorite tools offered to us.  Could these skills help all of us improve our multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, trans-perspective inspired thinking & behavior, as well as outcomes, for our micro and macro communities?  I think so! 

Thank you Innovation League and University of Phoenix Research Institute ~

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Another perspective, perhaps consistent with Chomsky, would be that two perspective, two party thinking isn't even real ... that there is only one establishment and we falsely believe that we are considering more than one way of thinking through the two party dichotomy ... hmmmmm ... so many opportunities for critical thinking ~

Tweeting new prestige ~ what will we say and how will we say it?

   

Prestige Bias - human tendency to mimic the behaviors of those with status

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Yesterday was President Trump's 71st birthday and the day I was finally brave enough to create a Twitter account.  Sadly, it was also the day that Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others were shot or injured during practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game - a community tradition that locals have enjoyed each summer since 1909.  It seems that us-them, political party type anger was at least part of the motivation for the attack.

Even if most of us haven't been tweeting, we all put messages out into the world daily.  TV news coverage today is discussing what we should and should not say and who is to blame for the public tone of rhetoric and its relationship to violence.  Many are pointing fingers at others and, thankfully, some are challenging themselves and all of us to do better.

We're Americans so, I'm hoping, we will protect our freedom of speech and hold ourselves accountable to higher levels of discourse.  If we elevate our behavior and create positive prestige, it is likely others will follow. 

Happy to hear that the baseball game tonight is raising over 1 million dollars for youth programs in Washginton DC ... something to be impressed by !  Something prestigious to emulate !

Game is about to start ...............
What will each of us "tweet" after this "just symbolic" or  "could be transformational" moment" ?

Innovation League - Learning Summit is over but innovation continues!

The Innovation League's 2017 Learning Summit concluded today at the Omni Montelucia in Paradise Valley, Arizona ... many highlights of the conference! 

For example, during one of the sessions, a team of us used Public Agenda's (publicagenda.org) Creative Risk Analysis process and easily walked through coming up with great solutions for an important campus initiative.  Also ... several session presenters used polling to engage the large groups - they did so in new, fun and meaningful ways (e.g., menti.com).  All of the focus on technology finally inspired me to set up a Twitter account ...

Thank you League of Innovation!

Looking forward to the spring 2018 conference in Washington DC ... see you there?

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~ Highly Recommend the Montelucia ... there was a little snafu with my room but they handled it swiftly and made me like the resort even more ... beautiful property and outstanding service !

Which stations do you watch?

  

This morning I watched James Comey, former FBI director, testify and tonight I'm watching the news coverage. 

Are you watching?! 
Which station are you watching? 
It matters.

With North Korea being in the news more lately, I have heard many scoffing comments about the naivete of North Korean people believing the propaganda they're immersed in ... but how different are we in the United States, really?   Researchers representing multiple psychological perspectives would assert that we are vulnerable to the same/similar forces and cognitive errors.

Based on the coverage differences on CNN and Fox tonight, I hope we're all challenging ourselves to go beyond our favorite flavor of "information" ...  our country & the world need wise citizens ~

Dr. Sada's Summer Speaking ...

 

This summer Dr. Caron Sada will be speaking at
The Innovation League's Learning Summit
and
Mesa Community College's Camp Inspired:


Changing the World:  Connecting all of US in Social Entrepreneurship
Mesa Community College, Mesa Arizona - May 18th

Sales Training for (Innovative) Entrepreneurial Academics:  How to Nudge Chage
Montelucia Omni Resort, Scottsdale Arizona - June 12th 
*  The Learning Summit workshop was designed as a follow up to the San Francisco Innovation League presentation offered by Dr. Jon Hayashi and Dr. Caron Sada titled: 
Solving the "Everyone Demands Progress but No One Wants to Change" Dilemma


For more information about The Innovation League:
https://www.league.org/about


For more information about Mesa Community College:
https://www.mesacc.edu/

Why can't an entrepreneurial ecosystem develop without a commitment to experiential learning?

    

    

There are many impressive people on the campus where I teach - one I'll mention today is, Adria, who teaches a variety of art classes.  I often see her students outside with their canvases turning empty space into colorful visions ... the students' active presence on walkways and in courtyards makes our campus feel like a place for creative acts.  Even if we don't get to add a brush stroke, there is a strong implicit message to all of us passersby that our campus is a place for creators.     

With that in mind ... what if students in Adria's painting classes were confined to their desks listening to Adria lecture about painting?  What if the students never got to paint?  Even if they were allowed to openly discuss whether they prefer Winsor & Newton, Schmincke or Holbein paints, none would accept this as reasonable course design for a painting class.  Yet, in many of our entrepreneurship courses and initiatives, we're not even inviting students to pick up a brush. 

If employers are asking us to send them more proactive solution creators, how can information/content prepare a college student for their post graduation life?  How can they get past conforming to years of passive learning and magically become an intrapreneur or entrepreneur once they move their tassle to the other side?  It's unlikely ... or, if they do become intrapeneurs/entrepreneurs, it is likely in spite of us rather than because of us.  We need to get them out of their seats, out of their comfort zones and into entrepreneurial experiences so that we offer transformational learning opportunities that become woven into students' identities and ways of being.   Entrepreneurship isn't a learning module, it's a way of life.

"But, they need to know our content - they need to know about business planning, profit, loss and venture capital, " the academic scoffs.  Yes, of course they do and content will always be part of our courses.  But, proactive individuals with high self efficacy can google that information for free on their own schedule and they can network - which is likely a better time investment than 8-16 weeks of lecture & discussion or a multi-semester, content based certificate program.   Well controlled college students can know all of the right answers on a test of concepts, but if they do not have the identity or self-efficacy underlying self-directed action, we are disabling them and slowing their careers with outdated products overloaded in expensive information.  Just because we can sell an obsolete product does not mean that we should.

The academic continues, "And, we have a pitch contest every year - that's active learning!"  True, but if we are only letting a few out of their seats for an occasional pitch contest, then we are taking a common and troubling academic approach to professional back patting masquerading as meaningful results.  We take a few students, likely already on a success trajectory, and hold them up as examples of our "wow" programs that serve only a select few.  If community colleges simply take credit for a few speaker events and anecdotal student success stories, we are certainly not meeting the broad missions our communities are funding.   We must do better and build entrepreneurial ecosystems! 

There is hope for more! 

Entrepreneurship is still relatively new to us so we need to keep challenging ourselves to greater and greater results - better quality and quantity.  Our students, organizations, communities and country are counting on us. 

Look for inspiration - far and near!

Through organizations such as NACCE and the Innovation League, there are many stories of entrepreneurial campuses building entrepreneurial ecosystems for students across disciplines, staff, faculty and the community ... and, on all of our campuses, I know we have inspiring individuals such as Adria who can remind us at the most local level, "Let (all of) the students paint!"

Pictured:  Content is Free.


Happy Commencement Day at PVCC ... see the tassles move!  May 12, 2017

Urgency, Emotional Intelligence, and Encouragement in Community College Entrepreneurship

Today the Maricopa County Community College District came together for a dialogue day (aka a workshop) titled "Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum."    It was good!!   Ahhhhh ... refreshing!

Often when I attend academic gatherings, the word "entrepreneurship" is the only thing entrepreneurial about the gathering and, although I often say I'm practicing biting my tongue, I usually end up saying something suggesting a need for a sense of urgency if we are ever going to become entrepreneurial as organizations or help students discover and develop their own entrepreneurial mindsets and skills.  I also tend to say things that pick on higher education such as asking, "do we want to support the stereotype that if you can't do it, teach it?"  

I'm making a claim here that it IS a sign of emotional intelligence to speak up with frustration when something of importance is not occurring (justifying my comments that aren't always appreciated?) .. and, today, I did offer my rant of "Know,Think, DO!" but being with this group of people in an interactive workshop lowered my blood pressure and my typical rant evolved into appreciation for the encouragement that the event provided.  The three preconditions for innovation were present:

1)  Creating time and space in people's lives for reflection, ideation and experimentation.

2)  Maximizing the diversity of thinking that innovation requires.

3)  Fostering connection and conversation - the "combinational chemistry" that serves as a breeding ground for breakthrough ideas.

If we can create these experiences for our co-workers and students, we can make "entrepreneurship" experiential and real - not just the word of the day.  Thank you to MCLI, Bruce McHenry and Kishore Dash for inviting me to speak at today's event and for the three preconditions we all experienced together!
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Need a Keynote Speaker?  How about Olenka Cullinan (Founder of Rising Tycoons)

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Want to see what Club Z is up to?

https://www.facebook.com/ClubZPVCC/

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Social Entrepreneurs ... Children's Cancer Network

Today at the Arizona Biltmore, the Children's Cancer Network (CCN) held their annual fundraising fashion show Inspirations:  Dreams & Destinations.   The founding story of CCN reminds us that social entrepreneurship can begin with any of us ...

When Jenny was a teenager, her brother Jeff was diagnosed with cancer.  Jenny took action and started a service project through the Chandler Flower Girls that would grow and become CCN.   Jeff is now a "multi-time cancer survivor" and the family continues to lead the organization with Patti (mom) serving as Executive Director while Steve (dad) serves as Board President.  

The Luttrell family and generous donors and volunteers have helped many.  The mission and values of CCN?

We support children and families throughout their cancer journey with programs and services designed to provide financial assistance, promote education, encourage healthy lifestyles, and create an awareness of issues they face related to childhood cancer.

To volunteer or donate to CCN:
https://www.childrenscancernetwork.org

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To visit Club Z at PVCC and consider your role in social entrepreneurship, contact students through their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ClubZPVCC/

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Social Styles - Infusion of Ent/Social Entrepreneurship

Connecting Disciplines in Social Entrepreneurship

From the paradigm of social entrepreneurship as “positive social change + entrepreneurship”, one way to begin to begin to infuse social entrepreneurship across disciplines is to utilize the social styles as diversity training (positive social change) and communication/sales training (entrepreneurship).   An example of how to use this in any class would be to introduce it prior to a team project so that while students are completing their project together, they can reflect upon the social styles and develop their social skills.  This model is sophisticated so facilitators/faculty who utilize this would want to spend time understanding it – an exercise that leads students to just “knowing” their social style preference would have little value).

Ideally, this is part of an overall learning strategy for a semester (or duration of class term) as opposed to treating it as an individual lesson disconnected from other curriculum.  Within an integrated approach to infusion, one thing should lead to another – building on what came before, not leaving it behind to move to new “content.” 

Connecting Everyone (and facilitating Results) Within An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

The social styles can also be used to build an ecosystem touching all within an organization.  IF the social style model is understood AND applied by leadership, staff, faculty and key community stakeholders as an organizing/connecting framework, it can help lead to:

1) better rapport among a diverse population (including a population that is experiencing cultural resistance to change)

2) more productive relationships

3) the ability to create purposeful conflict

4) the ability to prevent nonproductive conflict

5) a framework for overcoming the social norms of nonproductive meetings 

This model has specific functional applications as well – for example, it can be used to help fundraisers become more effective relationship builders, deal designers, and deal closers.

There are Plenty of Tools, Concepts and Currciulum Choices …

The social style model is JUST one tool, but the key to success is to find the customizable tool(s) that will be used for action and change (leading to meaningful results).  One common obstacle to progress in building the entrepreneurial ecosystem of your dreams is spending too much time finding the “right” tool/approach instead of assessing resources, making decisions and taking action  ~

Social Style models include JUST one opportunity for entrepreneurship/social entrepreneurship infusion across curriculum … and, think big … this approach can also be used as a basis for building an organizational ecosystem for All.    Here are links to information on social styles:

Tracom

https://www.tracomcorp.com/

Tracom – Youtube Video (approx. 5 min)

https://youtu.be/wRBx8IkV-kQ

University of Washington

https://www.engr.washington.edu/lead/PostedMaterials/Social%20Styles/Tab4colorPulsarPink-SocialStyles.pdf

Smallworld – free assessment

http://www.smallworldalliance.com/documents/SocialStyles-Assessment.pdf

University of Colorado – free assessment

https://cs.colorado.edu/~ksiek/Teaching/GEEN1400/F09/Class-Docs/Week2-SocialStyles.pdf

How did Club Z begin?

Zeitgeist - One description of this term would be "the intellectual and spiritual thinking of the times" - as culture(s) move forward, much of what is good, correct, right and wrong evolves.  In my classes, I want students to become sophisticated thinkers capable of divergent thinking and taking in new information that challenges their current paradigms/mental frameworks.  When humans get too used to conventional wisdom, convergent thinking and their own comfort zones, they may become entrenched in their established mental frameworks and virtually unable to learn new things (aka old dogs who can't learn new tricks).  People tend to think and live as if there are more human universals than actually exist.  Education should expand human capabilities so that we can lead the zeitgeist(s)based on wisdom & purposeful choices - not doom us to be followers of the past and what is often obsolete in our quickly changing world. 

The Start of Z  ...

Club Zeitgeist, or Club Z, had a starting moment when Kat, a student, told me she wanted to start a fashion club on campus.  Kat (far right in top photo) is an entrepreneur and leader ... and while I told her I didn't think I could facilitate/sustain a fashion club after she graduated, I knew that the entrepreneurship in her that was directed at fashion could be sustained as a club for anyone with the courage to get outside their comfort zone and work toward some version of "success." 

In the entrepreneurship and psychology classes I have taught/teach, a term I have always shared is "zeitgeist."  I remind students that some of the business practices of the industrial revolution led to rise of unions, that experts in psychology used to be advocates of lobotomies  and that children used to be "seen but not heard" while they now run households under the disabling protection of helicopter parents - the zeitgeist changes, and "ideally" we get wiser and our best practices improve. 

A hope I have for my students is that their educational journey goes beyond knowing (course content/information) to thinking (critical and creative) to doing (building 21st century work skills and life skills).  Kat had been in my Psychology and Culture class and on the first day of class, it was already apparent that she was of this mindset and capable of going into unknown territory prior to our class experience.  After the class was completed, our Z collaboration started over the summer of 2015 and Kat became the Founding President of Club Z in the Fall of 2015.  We agreed that we would share our intellectual property with anyone who was interested in any aspect of what we were doing (think of the example of Microsoft Encarta vs. Wikipedia and sharing/protecting intellectual property).  

From there, other students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members got involved ... more of the Z story to come ...

A description of Club Z

It's a club, it's initiatives, it's a movement. 

And, with regard to the club portion:  Club Zeitgeist is a fun, creative and innovative student success club where strivers and thrivers work toward individual and team goals to prepare for intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and life aspirations.

For more information about Club Z visit:

1)  Club Z Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/ClubZPVCC/

2)  Club Z Webpage at Paradise Valley Community College

https://www.paradisevalley.edu/pv-clubs/club-zeitgeist

3)  Attend the Innovation League conference this March in San Francisco for two breakout sessions (March 12-15)

4)  Contact Dr. Caron Sada at 602-430-1234     or via    C@caronsart.com

  

Hidden Figures - a teaching tool for diversity connection through gender

A while ago, I suggested Sojourner Truth and gender as just two (of many) opportunities to update current diversity training/understanding initiatives and ... this movie is an ideal teaching tool to accompany that approach. 

While race is an obvious theme in Hidden Figures, discussions of sexism and gender norms do not allow us to make the divisive mental short cuts of other (well intentioned) protected class approaches to diversity and inclusion because gender cuts across all other ways we separate ourselves from each other.  With this in mind, I believe that discussions of gender can encourage us to think about "us" and "we" more effectively than other designs intended to illuminate and reduce all types of prejudice and discrimination. 

A next step ...

On February 22, 2017 (during Black History Month/February) ... students will be practicing caring, dynamic conversation skills ... if interested, all are welcome ......................

Sign up? Social Entrepreneurship Class through NACCE (facilitated by Dr. Sada)

National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship To visit the NACCE website for more information and to register: http://www.nacce.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=798002                   1/30/2017 to 3/24/2017 When: January 30th, 2017 Where: Online Class United States Presenter: Caron Sada Contact: NACCE Office info@nacce.com 413.306.3131
$399 for NACCE Members and $599 for Non-members This online experience will explore opportunities to engage the campus connecting curriculum, systems and the organization. Community colleges are natural incubators of social innovation because students are closer to the challenges within their own communities. Community college leaders consistently explore social innovation to address a myriad of socioeconomic challenges that students face and hinder student success. This course will cover:  Core principles of social entrepreneurship and innovation How social entrepreneurship can be integrated in the classroom across academic disciplines How leaders can apply principles of social innovation to address challenges on their own campus Resources to incorporate into courses and strategic planning This course is ideal for faculty from any discipline, deans and vice presidents who want to expand their knowledge and application of social innovation to better serve students, and directors and advisors who work directly with entrepreneurs in their own communities.

Leaders: Watch your Talent LEROI

Leaders - are you giving your talent reasons to invest or divest?

If we could easily measure the organizational metrics that matter most, one of them would be LEROI.  Employees, community members, customers and other key stakeholders do this for themselves daily - sometimes consciously, sometimes below their level of awareness and that personal calculation directly relates to their engagement and productivity in their life domains (e.g., work, family, voluntarism, creativity, leisure etc.). 

If leaders want engaged and productive talent to show up and perform, leaders must ensure that LEROI is high for the people in the domains they "lead."  If LEROI is low, wise talented individuals will invest in other life domains where there is a higher return.

Definition:  Life Energy Return on Investment (LEROI)



More on this in the future ...