On being radical

Wow!!! What a full on month it has been...no time for much posting - although truthfully it has been on my mind a lot...in amongst all the other more stressful stuff going on.

This link to the work and ideas of Stephen Downes harks back to work I was doing about a year ago working with other teachers to foster awareness and skill development in the area of online delivery.

There is a lot to sift through here. Downes is seen as a key theorist in the area where learning and ICT merge. At present the topic on learning ecosystems seems particularly pertinent and I suggest that those interested in this check out Stephen's site and his ideas on the topic.

Culture in Education?

Uppermost in my mind this week are questions of culture in art and design education. Having had conversations with faculty from both the design and the visual arts departments I manage there seems to be almost a complete consensus that this is lacking in contemporary arts education. It is a similar proposition when researching what other academics are saying on this topic...

Sure, we teach history and contextual subjects in design and cultural productions in the visual arts programs but this does tend to be specific and less broad than it might be if one was intending to foster the "curiosity" and excitment about IDEAS that I think most lecturers would like.

It seems that there is a growing lack in this area. But how to stem this if budgets are cut and the overall climate is not conducive to this type of content in curriculum?

A new forum for discussion about Global Design Education

This week a new innovation occurred in a somewhat spontenious and rapid manner over at CPH127 the excellent weblog about design and innovation.

Essentially the new "runway" [love that airport metaphor :-)] was created in response to a conversation that developed after Niti Bahn posted about Design Education and Culture.

I am hoping that the new blog will evolve into a nice discussion/forum for educators in the field worldwide.

East | West behavioural and thinking dichotomies

The Shanghai Swiss Chamber of Commerce swisscham.org recently commissioned Birds & Fish Communications to work on the development of a quarterly magazine appropriately titled “The Bridge”. Designed to foster more awareness of Swiss Chinese business relations in Shanghai and China generally the publication’s March 2005 issue featured a wonderful article “10 differences between Western and Eastern Behaviour and Thinking” by Hans J.Roth, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai. The article describes the most significant differences between European and Chinese cultural environments. Although quite broad brushstrokes the observations can be considered a solid general guideline. I thought it would be positive to share the main points of difference highlighted in the article.

Behaviour Patterns

1.China is a collective society. This means that ‘in-group ’ and ‘out-group ’ differentiation is much more marked than in the West. ‘In-group ’ behaviours are marked by strong consensus patterns. ‘Out-group ’ relations rely on pure Darwinist survival and appear very cold or even brutal to Western eyes. A foreigner is never regarded as belonging to the group, which partly explains the difficult working environment for foreigners in China.

2.Personal relationships play a key role in any collective society. There is no abstract ethical system like in Europe. Morality is linked to the quality of the relationship. If this quality is bad, cheating will be normal. If it is good, it is more reliable than a relationship in the West. So even among criminals there might be a strong solidarity -or none at all.

3.Competitive behaviour is very common in this kind of system, even within the group. But an ‘in-group ’ competition can switch immediately to a neat and closed co-operation if the group is attacked from outside. Competitive behaviour and closed ranks strongly mark Chinese behaviour patterns. Such competition takes place on individual as well as on group levels. The highest level of solidarity is that of the Chinese as an ethnic group.
International solidarity is therefore even more difficult to be achieved than in a Western environment.

4.China is a collective mass society. Thus privacy is very strongly reduced. Everybody knows everything about everybody else. This makes life for foreigners, used to less limited individual space and privacy, not always easy.

5.Chinese usually act in accordance with the group.Self- responsibility is therefore rarely taken. Responsibility lies with the whole group.

Thinking Patterns

6.Chinese thinking envisions reality as a constant flow, whereas Western thinking understands reality as a sequence of static moments. The Chinese see reality as a film, a Westerner as a sequence of photographs.

7.Chinese consider reality in a synthetic way. The dialectic process of analysis (thesis, anti-thesis, and synthesis)has never been made. Chinese reality is thus not analysed. It is grasped in an intuitive way. It remains, therefore, quite undifferentiated, but paradoxically enough, much more precise at the same time. The assessment of reality by all the senses leads to a much deeper understanding of the actual moment.

8.Chinese thinking is thus concrete and pragmatic, it does not
analyse reality. Given the short spatial and temporal horizons, Chinese thinking is concentrated on the actual moment in the actual situation. This kind of thinking conflicts with a Wetern-style rational planning process. It has, however, the big advantage of a complete feeling of reality at a particular place and time. Furthermore, the future is seen in a visionary way, with full confidence that the development of time will actually show the ways to realise these visions.

9.Being synthetic, Chinese thinking has no problems in integrating contradictions in the understanding of reality. Western thought has considerable problems with this. In fact,from the point of view of the Western mind, the Chinese way does not seem to be logical and rational. For a Westerner, it is hard to understand something as positive and negative at the same time. For the Chinese, however,the presence of yin and yang at every moment has a long philosophical tradition. There is no concept of an either/or. The two, rather, always go together and characterize reality by their contradictions.

10.Chinese thinking does not accept absolute and eternal truths. Whether something is still true tomorrow, the reality of tomorrow will show.

The Bridge, Shanghai, March 2005 Text: Hans J.Roth, 2004

Why share this knowledge? I would maintain that by developing a more subtle appreciation of the difference culture can make on thinking and behaviours in business contexts we can make better use of the creative innovation process as it increasingly intersects across a global/glocal business environment.

Has anyone else had experience of this kind of divergence in cross-cultural communications as they relate to design and product / service development?

Home for the Byron office of Birds & Fish Communications - Day 4

Home for the Byron office of Birds & Fish Communications - Day 4, originally uploaded by Ian McArthur.

The contrast could not be greater. This bay with Suffolk Park in the middle distance is the Australian home for the Birds & Fish Communications team. "Vivid" is the word the Shanghai design team used to describe the place. Guess they are right. It is very interesting seeing this place through their eyes...

Off Nanjing Lu downtown

Off Nanjing Lu downtown, originally uploaded by Ian McArthur.

Like I was saying, I think people who have never been to China, or more precisely who have never lived there do not understand how amazing, disorientating, frustrating, expensive, deceptive or how beautiful it is...

Start Small - Dream Big

In 5 days I will be visited by a small group of three very important young people. They are important because for a number of years we have collaborated on a design project to build a brand offering design services from China to the world. We have had some success. the group has grown from a collaboration of two struggling to envisage our small dream to a slightly bigger group that has for the most part become a self sustaining entity.

The group has reached a stage where potential and actual clients approach us from all corners of the planet curious about the work we do. Equally so we field enquiries from students from Europe and America and other places asking for internship opportunities in order to gain insight into the Chinese culture and we assume a towe in the door of the rapidly expanding opportunity there.

Yet we are really just a small group of friends who have an idea. One of us summed it up well in our last newsletter - "Start Small - Dream Big"...

Whereas once what has been achieved would have been a thing simply not to be contemplated. A 'foreigner" working collaboratively with Chinese designers - now it seems to be a matter on a lot of people's minds. It is well documented. The most recent issue of IDN magazine. featured a not so tongue in cheek article pointing out that everyone "wants to be Chinese"...

So my friends, one of which has never left China previously are making their way to Australia to visit, gain insights into what they see as "a wonderful place". What strikes me as I ponder this is the differences in perception. As one who has lived in China and Australia and has seen both sides of the story unfolding, I am curious about the paradox of East West relationships in business, politics and at more personal levels and experiences. I for example would relocate back to Shanghai without much hesitation should the opportunity arise

I look at the way westerners see China as some kind of "goldrush" to be exploited. I smile a little as the lambs head for the slaughter fascinated by what will consume and perhaps destroy them. This evening while buying petrol [that most precious of commodities] I was confronted by a woman openely ridiculing a man of Asian appearance.

I am looking forward to seeing my friends very much.

Getting into Flickr

Following the lead of several on CPH127 I've been looking at how I can use FlicKr...Feel free to have a browse through the three sets I've created so far - including one set of images from trhis past week of meetings and promotional activities. Our facilities in Arts & Media NCI are fabulous as I think the images show.

I've also added this morning a lot of images of Bangkok. As we are currently looking forward to the possibility of relocating to this amazing city I wanted to refresh my memories of the place and share the richness of the imagery there...Design seems to be a natural part of the Thai way of life. As a culture [somewhat like Indonesia] creativity, improvisation [innovation] is a natural thing for people to do.

Spotted

I thought the Displaced Designer project was an interesting one as well as an example of innovation bourne of neccessity.Social Design Notes also caught my attention the other day...John Thakera's Blog Doors of Perception is always of interest as well...

Open Production and the three Chinas...

Thanks to Hans Herick over at CPH127 for the post on John Hagel's work on Edge Perspectives. It led me to his interesting essay about developments in the emergent India and China markets.

Of particular interest to me was this extract:

Open production - the third pattern of innovation

Now, what about China? This is where the Business Week coverage is most disappointing. In fact, one of the articles makes the observation that “China is surprisingly weak in innovation.” I beg to differ. In fact, I would argue that China, along with India, is rapidly becoming the global center of management innovation.

What explains this divergence of views? First, at least in its coverage of China, Business Week seems to equate innovation with product innovation, while I give at least as much emphasis to the importance of process innovation. Second, Business Week seems to ignore the fact that there are three Chinas: rural China, the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the private, entrepreneurial sector. Much of Business Week’s coverage concentrates on the state-owned enterprises which still account for the bulk of China’s industrial production and are usually the partners that Western companies choose to affiliate with when they enter China. But, the state-owned enterprises, favored with massive subsidies from the government and low-cost loans from the state-owned banking system, have almost no incentive to innovate. In this arena, it is not surprising that Business Week finds little innovation.

The cauldron of management innovation is in the third China – the growing array of privately-held companies emerging on the edge of the Chinese economy. These companies rarely receive much attention from the Western press, in part because they have developed a culture of keeping a low profile. JSB and I have written extensively about the management innovations being pioneered by these companies in The Only Sustainable Edge.

The contrast with the patterns of innovation among Indian companies is intriguing. These entrepreneurial Chinese companies (which also include a number of high tech Chinese companies in Taiwan) are focused primarily on competing in global markets in product categories like electronics hardware, textiles and motorcycles where product lives are compressed and demand is highly uncertain. These companies are pursuing a third pattern of business innovation focused on re-conceiving the economics of production in order to more effectively mobilize distributed expertise for both product development and manufacturing – let’s call this the “open production” pattern of innovation. The process innovations in this case include:

* modular design of products and processes
* management techniques to flexibly configure highly customized business processes encompassing hundreds, if not thousands, of specialized business partners
* management techniques to encourage business partners to work together in ways that enable them to get better faster than they could on their own.

These are innovations in their own right, but their real power comes from the fact that these management techniques establish the conditions for even more rapid incremental innovation in products and processes. Think of it as meta-innovation - management innovations that spawn a continuing series of innovations.

As a stakeholder in a small but rapidly blossoming "privately-held company [sic] emerging on the edge of the Chinese economy", I can attest to the accuracy of these claims. Certainly we are not yet getting the attention we might because the focus is still on the major western companies that are jostling to get into the market though truthfully still struggling to understand it.

For all the talk about China - few westerners outside those who venture there to live understand the culture - and even then they remain outsiders. That is the mystery of China. That is the fascination.

There is no need for a "culture of fear"

I felt this report on the paralysis brought on by fear - that feeling of helplessness we experience in the face of overwhelming disaster as heartening. I found it on the website of The Guardian newspaper from London. read the article here.

We need to remind ourselves that communities often possess remarkable capacities to rebuild their lives. The experience of history indicates that humanity can survive disasters. The good news is that life goes on.

After 9/11, New Yorkers showed tremendous resilience and community spirit. That much of this positive legacy was frittered away by short-sighted policies does not detract from the inspiring way in which New Yorkers succeeded in getting on with life. In Asia, after the tsunami, we saw many examples of communities overcoming and recovering from the devastation they had suffered.

The meaning that we derive from last week's disaster need not be that it justifies a culture of fear. Instead, this tragedy can stimulate us to clarify who we are and what we believe is the purpose of life. The absence of consensus on the meaning of a disaster represents an opportunity for a debate about the kind of society we want to build. The way to minimise the influence of the fear merchants is to focus on working out a shared way of interpreting future misfortunes.

· Frank Furedi is professor of sociology at the University of Kent. His Politics of Fear: Beyond Left and Right is published by Continuum Press this month

A time for reflection

Jessica Helfand writes eloquently at Design Observer on the "Black Tsunami"...


To write about design in the wake of such tragedy seems to trivialize it — and yet, it is precisely in the acknowledgment of design that some kind of reality is once again established. There will be, no doubt, issues raised by this hurricane and its questionable aftermath — issues relating to disaster relief and even municipal reconstruction — that require a kind of vital, critical and engaged visual dialogue. But for now, we wait. We read. We empathize, extend ourselves, reach out in other ways. And we reflect, in these last, fragile days of summer, on the painful irony of a world in which the material evidence of our man-made environment can be pulled from under us in an instant, by a cascading torrent of wind and rain. Design is, can be, should be about so much more than making things that can vanish in a storm.

Design for need...NOW!

This post is challenging. I keep editing it because:

Trivializing the tragedy is not acceptable
Empathy for human suffering
Sensitivity to fellow human feelings

I have thought a lot about removing the post - but have decided to keep working on it to distill something of value.

Will governments, industry, community leaders and individuals, [designers are implicated more than others]make the connections between the positive benefits of designing objects, products, systems, services, infastructure, cities, energy systems, educational and health faciltities so that they meet the needs of people? The list includes disaster, aid and rescue services and systems.

We have known about what humans need for a long time.

It is saddening to see the horrific degradation of the post apocalyptic scenes we observe in the wake of Katrina. This saddness is sharpened especially when we examine the spectrum of contributing factors.

Of what value are vacilations about "innovation", "design thinking", service design and user experience while apparently advanced nation states cannot look after their own communities effectively, despite the clear capabilty to do so?

No-one can accurately predict terrible natural disasters of the magnitude of the recent tsunami and storms like Katrina and the others that will likely follow her. However when nations and industry continue to support the design and manufacture of systems and products that create the likelihood of such human threatening scenarios though global warming we can see that "design" can be used to create terrible outcomes. It is design - make no mistake! Papanek said that design was the conscious act of organisation to achieve a foreseeable objective.

America and Australia have refused to endorse and impliment the Kyoto Protocols preferring to adhere to existing and outmoded industrial practices that contribute to the problem of global warming. Alternative and sustainable strategies and design for living is urgently required but this requires leadership. Despite amazing innovation many world leaders are not showing the way forward...

Curious contrasts....

There have been two devastating storms happening in the last week. One in the US and another - a typhoon over Taiwan/China. The contrasts in level of media coverage and also content relating to the storms are interesting and can be seen here and here.

What's interesting to me is the level of coverage each event attracted. Relatively speaking despite impacting on approximately 600,000 people the Chinese event attracted little coverage. The nature of the state response in each case can also be subject to debate at many levels. It is clear that the magnitude of the storms can not be compared. None the less the contrast is quite revealing and food for contemplation.

To put the tragedy in the US into further perspective is this letter to the editor published today in the Sydney Morning Herald by Zoë Trypas...

Thirty years ago after Cyclone Tracy, within 36 hours, including Christmas Day, Australia had a flotilla of planes flying aid and equipment in and people out of Darwin. Almost 100,000 people were evacuated to other capital cities within hours and days, not weeks. The evacuation of Darwin was finished in four days, not started. And in contrast to Katrina, the severity of Tracy was largely unexpected.


In Louisiana there are 20,000 people without food, water, and sanitation, locked in a sports stadium. What a pathetic effort.

Design does have political ramifications.

In contemplating and re-affirming my attitude that design has ramifications - social, environmental and political it was refreshing to stumble upon
Social Design Notes.

Print Magazine said this:

“Most designers agree, even insist, that design is more than clever imagery selling goods and services — it also influences how societies function. Social Design Notes, a remarkably informed and highly useful blog edited by John Emerson, explores design’s sociopolitical power and inspiration. A New York activist and designer who oversaw Web sites for Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch, Emerson launched his blog is 2002 as a ‘bridge between design activism — to push designers to think about acting in the public interest and to help activists see how design can facilitate their campaigns.’ Emerson explores how design is used to support and challenge the status quo, posting one historical note about the ‘Black Panther Coloring Book’ created by the FBI during the civil-right movement, and another about South Africa’s use of the comic book to prepare its citizens for their first election. Emerson also discusses the built environment, praising former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani for having championed design to improve the lives of the disabled. And Social Design Notes’ Resource page contains tools — such as free stock photos — designed to convert readers into true reformers.”

Cool.

"Fresh perspectives..."

Cheskin, the Design Research Agency has a great blog with very relevant and interesting material about several areas of interest to designers and innovators, including China , Design & Innovation , Trends and Youth ...All in all, lots to read.

Spotted...

A diverse range of links spotted of late>>
Trend Awareness for the designer and other potential innovators CREAX Trends Portal , Blogs>> Brand Driven Innovation , Creative Generalist , Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching , Notcot , Well deserved good news for the guys... Interest in CPH127 :-) , Something for the designers Karin's Style Blog >> New York , It could happen ;-)... Living in Bangkok , A very useful overview on collaboration Boxes and Arrows: Collaboration Sessions: How to lead Multidisciplinary teams

Shanghai Calling

City fo Sound is a great blog at the above link...Some really nice observations about contemporary Shanghai. Also a few links to work I really admire alot.

The work of Sze Tsung Leong is truly great and inspires me. If we are talking innovation then these images tell a story we should all be reading :) Powerful stuff!

I loved this reference to Koolhaas on Chinese cities:

"The Chinese city is for me a city that has built up a lot of volume in a very short time, which therefore doesn't have the slowness that is a condition for a traditional sedimentation of a city, which for us is still the model for authenticity. Beyond a certain speed of construction that kind of authenticity is inevitably sacrificed, even if you build everything out of stone and authentic materials, and that's a kind of irony. For instance, if you look at the color of the stone of the new Berlin, it's the color of all the worst plastics that were produced in East Germany in the 1960s. It's kind of a weird color of pink, a weird color of light yellow ..., they're artificial. There is no escaping the artificial in the new architecture, and certainly not in large amounts of architecture being generated at the same time."

I never tired of the above view from our apartment in Shanghai. For me it formed an endlessly fascinating - like Sze Tsung Leong's pictures of destruction/creation/transformation.

The dangers of blogging?

We live in conservative times - as opposed to interesting ones I suppose...I'm not sure if readers will be able to get to the link so I quote in full from the Sydney Morning Herald [16/8/2005]:

Blogging's immediate impact doesn't add up for Deloitte
By Rob O'Neill
August 16, 2005

Big four accounting firm Deloitte has put corporate blogging on the back-burner following robust internal discussions about the company's online strategies.

A proposal to start corporate blogging on leadership issues was put forward by the firm's director of digital marketing and communications, Ryf Quail. But senior partners were concerned about legally protecting the firm, which is bound by a partnership structure.

Mr Quail says he started the debate to stimulate discussion about Deloitte's online future. Mr Quail, who came out of Deloitte's web development arm, Eclipse, says that with people such as Rupert Murdoch talking about blogs, he decided to formulate a plan to spruik Deloitte's message.

"The big technology companies were using them but there was not a lot of activity in the consultancy space," Mr Quail says.

He describes himself as an "extreme outlier" in favour of blogging at Deloitte.

He made his proposal and the rest of the firm then became involved in the discussion.

Chief marketing officer David Redhill says he recognised the tension between a professional services firm pushing the boundaries and the huge responsibility the firm has to be discreet about its clients.

As the debate escalated, he says he and others became concerned the firm could be opening a can without knowing "what was at the bottom of it".

He was aware of blogs getting people in professional positions into a lot of trouble. "Our holding pattern should be risk-averse and watching how it develops," Mr Redhill says.

The concern is that once a post is made to a blog, it is there forever.

Mr Quail says blogs have to be immediate. If the content had to go through a risk assessment system, immediacy would be lost, with content being posted weeks after it was written.

"In a corporate sense, the more racy and immediate a blog, the less you can allow it to speak for your corporation," Mr Redhill says. "There's a lot of potential power, but risk-managing a blog seems to me to be a contradiction in terms."

Partnerships are subject to many regulatory regimes. Individual views cannot hold sway over corporate policy.

"I don't want one partner speaking on behalf of a firm I'm part-owner of," Mr Redhill says.

There are a lot of specialisations within such a firm and public commentary should be left to those with that expertise, he says.

Breaking down experiences

I have a friend who always says "Break it down buddy!" when asking someone to examine a situation...

By empathising with the people who will be using a service to the extent that we look at the whole context of that use, we can gain insight into the experience.

It is actually something I have been coming to terms with for some time now in relationship to my interests [and consequent projects] in the area of developing e-education within the context of design studies. In 2000 I was asking the question "What would kids in China make of the resources we are developing?"

I know the answer to that now because I went to China to find out.They want experiences not interfaces...

Now in 2005 I'm asking why is the user buying this product/service? What is their life like? How do people integrate this product into their life? How does it feel to use this service?

UX applied to services

From the website of the Design Management Institute
this article applies thinking to the UX involved in product design. I see application for these strategies across the Service Design process as well. People "use" services. I'm looking for more material about the design of services so if you see any please let me know.

Viewpoints - Designing From the User’s Experience

By Peter H. Jones, Redesign Research

In summary, several guidelines are suggested from these points:

*
Consider whether UX makes sense in your environment and organization. Ask designers and researchers what they know of the concept, and what it means to your product design process.
*
Expand your concept of “user” to embrace the work practices and lifestyles of the customer for whom you are designing products. Invest in research that reveals their authentic experience. Use rapid ethnography, field research, and in-depth onsite evaluations to understand the context of work or engagement within which your product will be adopted.
*
Use research methods that fit your projects and organizations. Review the methods used by innovation leaders in your industry to advance your UX research practices. Select from these to inform product decisions during the design process (use brief, iterative phases or parallel customer research if necessary to manage scheduling).
*
Find ways to (simply) communicate the in-depth discoveries about your users and communities. Draw up personas (profiles), workflow scenarios, and rich pictures from your research findings. Build a user experience knowledge base that contributes to new design thinking from your team “living with” representations drawn from real user experience.
*
When researching user experience, consider all the touchpoints and interactions surrounding the product, including its initial discovery, the initial interpretations about its use, and the impact of brand on experience and perception. Learn about the full lifecycle of customer experience - how the product will be found, shared, reused, or returned to over time.

Defining designers

For many designers the whole idea of being put in a box and categorised is not one we like to spend much time on...Now we don't have to - it's been done for us by the US Department of Labor.

It is a comprehensive breakdown. An excellent resource for students looking into professional practice statistics and industry structures etc...

simplicity [squared]

The latest issue of the B&F enews produced at the Byron Office is up. If you receive the enews in your inbox and use Windows you probably noticed some weird browser stuff in the latest August 2005 issue - Bailey in the Shanghai office of B&F came to the rescue so check back to get the "real" version :). The publication comes out about every two months and features the latest projects by the China based design and production team and the research and strategy lab in Byron Bay, Australia.

For more information about Birds & Fish Communications click here

Let's hope so...

This edit from Design Talkboard seems to align with what I read everywhere.

"Every sign from the business community today signals a growing realization of the importance of design - both communication and product design - to American industry’s global competitive advantage. Design innovation is seen as the driving engine - across all business sectors - for creating value in a world economy where production costs and prices are being driven ever lower."

The trick is making it actually happen... :)

I think the problem with the above statement is however that one cannot assume that communication and product design from America will be the most relevant to many people elsewhere...One needs to be careful about making this assumption.Providing people have other options, they may well explore the potential of Chinese design as the most obvious example.

Chatting at the front...

The following extract editied from a conversation I've just had with a friend from Shanghai is kind of illuminating about several aspects of the China phenomena, including culture, comerce, education and societal attitudes.It is a very long post - however I think it offers some small insights...

red13 says: (12:01:03 AM)
I find that a lot of people just see that pretty surface.

red13 says: (12:01:26 AM)
But when you dig a bit deeper, not much interesting stuff going on here.

Ian says: (12:01:43 AM)
I guess the focus of everyone is related to business

red13 says: (12:02:20 AM)
MONEY

Ian says: (12:02:28 AM)
But [for example] in the UK style press there are often articles and images from Beijing in particular that suggest a development in conteporary culture, fashion, music etc

Ian says: (12:02:35 AM)
MONEY

red13 says: (12:02:49 AM)
But where is it? I don't get it...

red13 says: (12:03:16 AM)
everyone says shanghai is so wonderful and avant-garde, but i don't see any of it in daily life.

Ian says: (12:03:44 AM)
Mybe because you are there and you are dealing with it on a daily basis you kind of get blocked - almost as a coping mechanism....so you miss details?

red13 says: (12:04:05 AM)
sure, there are a few who are passionate about art/design/fashion but in the end, most people just want the $$$

Ian says: (12:04:14 AM)
I think there is more likely an avante garde in Beijing

red13 says: (12:04:19 AM)
Maybe... been here too long?

Ian says: (12:04:29 AM)
yes that [$$$] drives it most definitely

red13 says: (12:04:41 AM)
yes. Charles was there last week, and he says lots more experimental stuff there.

Ian says: (12:05:21 AM)
But everywhere is like that to an extent - more so than ever, kind of desperate in a way too. For me it is only a part of the real "big" picture of life tho'

red13 says: (12:05:39 AM)
performance art and so on

Ian says: (12:05:52 AM)
Yes I think Beijing is more open to it - less pre-occupied with commerce

Ian says: (12:06:23 AM)
Still into the commerce tho', that's China no?

Ian says: (12:06:44 AM)
there is so much coverage on China now here in Australia

Ian says: (12:06:52 AM)
all the time in the media

red13 says: (12:07:15 AM)
Beijing has longer history with arts too.

Ian says: (12:07:25 AM)
yes that's true

red13 says: (12:07:55 AM)
and more foreign influence too. Many foreigners studying there.

Ian says: (12:08:24 AM)
I noticed that the university websites in China seem more foreigner friendly these days

Ian says: (12:08:32 AM)
more in English

red13 says: (12:09:03 AM)
they realised they can charge more money to foreigners!

Ian says: (12:10:03 AM)
it is interesting becaue that has implications for the quality of Chinese education. I know for example that creativity is an area that is really yet to be addressed in a serious way in the Chinese education system

Ian says: (12:10:14 AM)
How will western students react to that?

Ian says: (12:10:41 AM)
Or will they accept it aspart of the "China experience" - even at Uni...

red13 says: (12:11:45 AM)
some are starting to wake up to the creativity issue. So many 'weekend' schools are getting into that. They charge 120 rbm an hour to just get little kids (starting at 1 year old or so) to just play around!

Ian says: (12:12:33 AM)
I teach this area a lot at college and I have lots of material about it

red13 says: (12:12:37 AM)
I know... it is a great idea. Whay don't you come here and do that!

Ian says: (12:12:45 AM)
guess that is why I've started writing about it

red13 says: (12:13:14 AM)
and most of these places are really crappy too... Nothing much happening.

red13 says: (12:13:24 AM)
just some dancing and singing.

Ian says: (12:13:42 AM)
well I have many ideas - it's the logistics....$....I am sure it will come together at some point tho'

Ian says: (12:13:52 AM)
dancing singing

Ian says: (12:13:53 AM)
hahah

red13 says: (12:13:59 AM)
better do it quick! competition is fierce!

Ian says: (12:14:00 AM)
karaoke

Ian says: (12:14:05 AM)
yeah I know

red13 says: (12:14:43 AM)
yes! exactly! they just preparing their kids to be karaoke champs!

Ian says: (12:14:57 AM)
REAL creative !

red13 says: (12:15:45 AM)
I was just talking to my kick-box teacher today, and he was mentioning that the older generation sees it as being 'wrong' if you are content/happy with your life Isn't that odd?

Ian says: (12:16:10 AM)
Why do they think that?

red13 says: (12:16:44 AM)
well, seems that life should be about hardships to some extent. And if you're happy every day, you're not taking life seriously.

Ian says: (12:17:34 AM)
well I see the logic but I don't aspire to that - I think contentment is bliss - when i feel that I know I am doing well

red13 says: (12:17:49 AM)
For example, his mother disapproves of his girlfriend cause she's mostly a happy person. She's seen as being childish.

Ian says: (12:18:22 AM)
So perhaps then the impetus to "succeed" make money etc is less?

Ian says: (12:18:35 AM)
And this is seen as not psoitive

red13 says: (12:18:46 AM)
Of course, I think their thinking is totally off in this case! No wonder they grow up into such anal adults!

Ian says: (12:19:12 AM)
yes I know! Some really restricting concepts

Ian says: (12:19:27 AM)
not healthy

red13 says: (12:19:49 AM)
You should work hard, make money and live a serious life. how awfully boring! No wonder our students liked us so much!

Ian says: (12:20:05 AM)
hahaha

Ian says: (12:20:34 AM)
yes the teachers represented some escape/adventurefrom that way of life...

red13 says: (12:20:51 AM)
but you know what...i see that trait in Charles. It's only recent that he's become chill.

Ian says: (12:21:15 AM)
your influence no doubt

red13 says: (12:21:41 AM)
yes! exactly! we are their parent's nightmares! outspoken, confident, able to think.

Ian says: (12:21:46 AM)
It is good to see him heading in that direction

Ian says: (12:22:09 AM)
Probably many younger people are actually beginning to be like that

Ian says: (12:22:29 AM)
Some of the more switched on students were like that

red13 says: (12:23:05 AM)
Well, mine and the people around him. But still very new to him. But he's enjoying it! he brought me this cheesy toy dog from beijing. It barks and follows you around. I was in shock! It's awesome!

Ian says: (12:23:26 AM)
heheh fantastic

red13 says: (12:23:37 AM)
Yes, that's true. the younger ones are more open to that sort of attitude towards life.

Ian says: (12:23:57 AM)
I always liked Charles sense of humour - very subtle and cheeky in a way

red13 says: (12:24:36 AM)
ya... if i could only get him to stop watching 'friends' every night!

Making sense of organisations

The words of Karl Weick are quite interesting...

"Your beliefs are cause maps that you impose on the world, after which you 'see' what you have already imposed"

"Specifically, I would suggest that the effective organization is garrulous, clumsy, superstitious, hypocritical, monstrous, octopoid, wandering, and grouchy"

" If an organization is narrow in the images that it directs toward its own actions, then when it examines what it has said, it will see only bland displays. This means in turn that the organization won't be able to make much interesting sense of what's going on or of its place in it. That's not a trivial outcome, because the kind of sense that an organization makes of its thoughts and of itself has an effect on its ability to deal with change. An organization that continually sees itself in novel images, images that are permeated with diverse skills and sensitivities, thereby is equipped to deal with altered surroundings when they appear."

Get in the swing again :-)

Ok well I know it's been a few weeks since I have seriously offered any words up. Things are chaotic with family, job and project needs clashing to make life hectic to say the least.

Tonight however I stumbled across this blog and felt it was an appropriate link to post. Danwei is a site I have not seen before but at least at first glance it seems relevant.

The concept of Open Space that was raised on CPH127 is pretty inpiring. Reading some of the comments, most notably these words by Chris Corrigan...

The principles of Open Space are also worth noting:

* Whoever comes are the right people
* Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
* When it starts is the right time
* When it's over, it's over

and the law of two feet: if you find yourself in a situation where you are neither learning or contributing, go somewhere where you can.

It was refreshing and reminded me that I have in fact experienced such "spaces" and found them very conducive to creativity. I feel that at one point while managing the Design Centre I achieved that kind of balanced dynamic environment.

Rewarding failure - does it happen?

There are many references to the elusive nature of true innovation online and in recent business texts, most notably Tom Peters. It is well documented that people who strive for innovation often experience failure before success is achieved. Contemporary texts posit that it is essential to reward or embrace failure - or at least make it acceptable within the scope of an organisation's agenda. Going outside the lines should be encouraged - or so the rhetoric of the gurus goes.

Can anyone tell me an example of where this has happened? Does business actually reward those who go out on a limb to make things happen even if they don't succeed? I'd like to see examples before I am actually convinced.

Global Weave

The above link is to an archived version of the article I published in DESKTOP magazine in 2004 on COLLABOR8©. Here's the link to the relevant page of the DESKTOP site.

COLLABOR8© is a concept to engage design students in an international collaborative design project reflecting the emergent paradigm of multidisciplinary teams and virtual work spaces. For more information about the project click here.

Heroic Speech

Kevin Robert's (Saatchi & Saatchi) recent speech to students at Beijing University captures my imagination, makes me feel confident and more assured that I'm on the right track - even in the face of considerable opposition and apparent failure in terms of some of the projects and "skunkworks" I have implimented over the past two years:

Inspirational Players Explode Paradox
Choosing between opposing forces limits possibility. Innovation and reducing costs. Young and old generations. Short and long term.. Don't settle for “Either / Or”. Inspirational players refuse to make choice. They work with two competing ideas in all their complexity with equal passion and resolve. Instead of getting the best of neither, you get something better than both.
http://www.saatchikevin.com/talkingit/beijing05.html

And further...

Peak Performance is about reaching and sustaining the highest levels of performance imaginable. It is a book, a theory, a practice, an attitude, a philosophy, a spirit that knows no boundary. It goes beyond management and leadership, both 20th century ideas.

Peak Performance engages the force of the future.


Inspiration.

* Inspiration unlocks human potential.
* Inspiration unleashes potential.
* Inspiration is contagious.
* Inspiration is emotional.
* Inspiration is about action.
* Inspiration delivers real results.

Peak Performance is about dream, challenge, focus and action. First you need an Inspirational Dream.

An Inspirational Dream is the most powerful force for change there is. I have seen wonderful things happen when people have the guts to live their dream. Martin Luther King didn't say I have a business plan.

http://www.saatchikevin.com/talkingit/beijing05.html

I have questions about this despite my willingness to listen to these ideas. Those questions are about the reality I often face - I am inspired but those around me are not. For whatever reason, personal, historical, professional or idealogical, inspiration can undoubtedly be undone by non participation, cynical people lack of motivation.

How far does "user experience" design extend?

Usability, user - experience design, and service design, it seems to me [correct me if you think I am wrong] have considerable overlap. I'm writing this as much for my own benefit than anything else here. Just to clarify my thoughts on this...

As you know I have been involved in design education for a significant part of my career, and I am, in the light of the amount of discussion and focus these areas of design practice attract,making connections between my original understanding of the area as being mostly concerned with user interfaces, websites, software etc. [GUI for example].

What can we say about the "usability" of design education programs? Is that important? Is developing curriculum not in fact a kind of "service design". Students being the "user"...

The service is the experience...

If one for example looks at say IDEO as a pertinent example of a practice providing a global service in this area the argument is clear. All user experiences virtual and 'real world" can benefit from innovation and design strategy that addresses usability.

Yet it is equally clear that the majority of businesses and institutional organisations are yet to even consider such a notion. It is often not even a blip on the radar. Sure, "customer service" is seen as important but the experience and the impact of design on the user - experience is out of the range of the business agenda.

I think "coherence" is an issue. For example consider the case of a large organisation that actively promotes "flexibility' as a key tenant both within the organisation, and to the consumer/client, but develops multiple computer-driven systems that exclude the possibility of flexibility in the name of "customer service". The fallout is apparent "consternation" at points where there is divergence from rigid processes that misalign with the "system".

Workplace cultures that are hostile to diversity of strategy amongst departments and workgroups risk sacrificing qualities such as flexibility, thereby losing ground in the current disruptive climate where the ability to respond quickly and intuitively is increasingly paramount.

What is the outcome for client [and in fact staff]where a service/product does not respond in ways that meet individualised needs...?

New look CPH127

The new look CPH127 is clearly the improvement that the team was looking for. The interface is better organised and definitely displays better. Well done everyone who was involved with the upgrade...

If only ;)

Nice article about what appears to be an ideal...
Can it really be true?

Organisational Dinosaurs?

Check the link above...it is heartening for me at present to read this, given the recent posting I have been making regarding the moribund bureacracies and their resistance to change.

One can be forgiven for a feeling of isolation and alienation in the face of the brutal logic of the "system". far more satisfying is the experience of the interactivity of the wiki, the blog, the web board. This is especially so I find when like minded individuals can gather to discuss topics of relevance to their creative interests.

"Digital technology is providing people with the tools to produce and share content like never before, and it is set to throw the relationship between them and institutions into turmoil, say experts... "I am predicting 50 years of chaos," says leading digital thinker Clay Shirky. "Loosely organised groups will be increasingly given leverage.

"Institutions will come under increasing degrees of pressures and the more rigid they are, the more pressures they will come under. "


Co-opting the creative revolution

In my current [primary] role I can already see the impact of rapid technological change on the structures of the organisation. People's interpretation of the change and the intended use of the digital interfaces and supporting structures, for example, are divergent. This misinterpretation or lag in terms of a organisationally global understanding and utilisation of the technology, causes great"consternation"[not my word] amongst those directly involved, responsible, and accountable in the implimentation of a system. It is an interesting if painful phenomena.

I cannot say I am happy about this - I simply observe that it appears from experiential evidence to be true. the effect is, as Shirky states, "chaotic".

Changing cultures

A lot of my recent refelctions have been related to the problem of creating change and introducing innovation within bureacracy...I have long seen myself as a fairly adept "change agent" confident in diverse contexts both local and international, but I know one cannot win every battle.I have been researching the links on the topic of organisational change, leadership and innovation...

At this link I found the following extracts which seem applicable...

"What lets risk-takers mine primal sources or soar with creative currents? These "on the edge" individuals: a) are not overly preoccupied with making mistakes or with social disapproval; they are able to tolerate the anxiety of separateness, b) have a strong enough ego to admit when they are wrong or in trouble, and c) analyze, emotionally experience and learn from trial and error.

Creative risk-takers don't just tolerate contradiction, uncertainty and isolation; they seem to often invite them. But why? University of Chicago psychologist Salvatore Maddi posits three personality factors that, singularly or in combination, compel creative endeavor: 1) the drive to transform the tension of unresolved emotional conflicts from childhood into individual expression, vindication and mastery, 2) the drive of a "lonely crusader" determined to challenge the group's or the organization's need to preserve the status quo, and 3) the drive of profound self-awareness and alienation: "the person (must) construct a framework of meaning that is personal rather than imposed externally."

And with this foundation, "creative persons are precisely those that take the cards that make them anxious" (May).

And more...

"Four Steps for Creative Risk-Taking

Here are key steps and strategies for developing your "Creative Risk-Taking" potential:

1. Aware-ily Jump in Over Your Head. Only by jumping into the fray can you quickly discover how adequate your resources are with respect to the novel challenge ahead. This approach precludes a strategy that eliminates all risk in advance. (Okay, check to see if there are any alligators in the water.) You may need to encounter realistic anxiety, exaggerated loss of control and even some feelings of humiliation to confront your "Intimate FOE." But often the reward for the risk is a unique readiness to build knowledge, emotional hardiness and skills for survival, along with evolving imaginative mastery.

2. Strive to Survive the High Dive. There's no guarantee when grappling with new heights or depths, but four fail-safe measures come to mind: a) strive high and embrace failure -- failure is not a sign of unworthiness, but a learning margin between perfection and achievement, especially as one explores the fine line between vision and hallucination, b) develop a realistic time frame -- recognize that many battles are fought and lost before a major undertaking is won, c) be tenaciously honest - continuously assess the impact of outcomes, changes within yourself and your environment, and the rules underlying your operation, d) establish a support system - have people in your life who provide both kinds of TLC: Tender Loving Criticism and Tough Loving Care.

3. Thrive On Thrustration. Learn to incubate or be stuck between thrusting ahead with direct action and frustration. Creativity often requires being more problem-minded than solution-focused. Increasing tension or "thrustration" (Rabkin) can shake the habituated, settled mind and may transform a dormant subconscious into an active psychic volcano -- memories, novel associations and symbolic images overflow into consciousness. You're in position to generate fertile problem-solving alternatives. Problems are not just sources of tension and frustration, but are opportunities for integrating the past and the present, the conscious and the unconscious, the obscure and the obvious. Here lies creative perspective.

4. Design for Error and Opportunity. Innovative and risk-taking individuals and organizations are more attuned to a range of possibilities than to fixed or ideal goals. These systems prefer the risk of initiation and experimentation to preoccupation over deviation or imperfection. Floundering through a sea of novelty and confusion often yields new connections, long- range mastery and an uncommon big picture. A narrow, safe course creates the illusion of achievement and short-lived control. Of course, limited predesign means opportunity for errors. In open people and systems, startup misplays are vital signs for self-correcting and self-challenging feedback.

Remember, errors of judgment or design don't signify incompetence; they more likely reveal inexperience or immaturity, perhaps even boldness. Our so- called "failures" can be channeled as guiding streams (sometimes raging rivers) of opportunity and experience that so often enrich - widen and deepen - the risk-taking passage. If we can just immerse ourselves in these unpredictable yet, ultimately, regenerative waters."

Ok, I don't subscribe to every word of the above but there is aenough there to make it worth the read...some interesting links conceptually to some of Tom peters ideas about failing big and often...cool!

More here.

Historical context of recent changes in China's economy...

Interestingly, at least in the context of this blog, the Economic Development Board fo Australia [CEDA] has recently published a report that includes some interesting material providing a little historical context...

...China's rise in the last decades of the 20th century and the early 21st century represents a re-emergence. China was easily the world's ;argest economy for most of the past 1500 years; as recent as 200 years ago, it accounted for perhaps one third of the global economic output. In the 21st century, it is poised to assume something like that importance again. But in sharp contrast to much of the previous millenium, 21st century China will most likely trade aggressively with the rest of the world as both producer and consumer...

Australia China Connections June/July 2005

Motivation, Innovation, Bureacracy

Fundamentally, state run organisations appear slow and often unresponsive to those outside the structure of the organisation. How does innovation get oxygen in this context? I have been reflecting and writing upon the topic of motivation, and how it might relate to organisational culture. In order to get some perspective and distance myself [somewhat] from my own biases, I have been conducting research to establish some idea of the work that has been done in this area. Further to this the comments regarding motivation and how it interfaces with innovation posted on cph127 have further piqued my interest...

The extract reproduced here from the link above relates more specifically to the context of organisations with beauracratic structures that almost certainly, inherently inhibit innovation.It is instructive in clarifying the causes and some strategies in dealing with the problem at least from a management point of view.

Employees in most organizations would like to feel that their ideas can make a difference in their workplace. For many people, in fact, there are few things more motivating than seeing--and assisting with--the successful implementation of an idea they suggested. The scarcity of this motivational force may be one of the biggest reasons why so many government employees feel that they are powerless and unable to change "the system."

All too often, supervisors overlook the possibility that their employees may be an untapped gold mine of good ideas. Sometimes this may be out of hubris, with the manager feeling that he/she knows best. In other cases, managers may ignore line employees' ideas out of insecurity, feeling threatened by subordinates who prove to be highly competent and creative.

No one has a monopoly on good ideas, however. Managers who are aggressive about eliciting the ideas of their staff find that getting everyone involved in the effort to improve the operation has an incredible multiplier effect on the rapidity of the change process and the commitment of employees to those changes. To do this, managers need to foster a climate of openness that gets employees engaged in the process of innovation and organizational renewal.


The following two links are very clear in their assertion that beauracracy is fundamentally a block to innovation within organisational culture...

"Some confuse the bureaucracy with the cause of the success - rather than - the parking brake on that success."

"The bureaucratic obsession with rules leads to the ignoring of results."

"Classical" bureaucracy, we are told, worked well in a stable environment, when tasks were simpler and change more glacial. But bureaucracy cannot cope with our age of "breathtaking" change, with its complex and interdependent social problems, because it operates through a detailed sub-division of tasks and the constant generation of new rules.

Ends and means get inverted, as Robert Merton argued, and the bureaucratic obsession with rules leads to the ignoring of results.

For the serious design professional whose role and in fact natural instinct is to bring new ideas and impliment them, this is an eternal frustration that inevitiably requires [it appears] either a forfeiting of this professional fundamental, or a change of role to a more suitable and accomodating climate...The question remains - Can bureacracy cope with innovation?

And what kind of world are we designing?

This is not a blog entry about the London bombings per se. It is a rant about disruption, disassociation, confusion and the re-imagining of where designers fit in with things as they stand in the post 9/11, Madrid, London scenario…

I’ve been a generalist designer for about 25 years now. I have developed work in a wide diversity of locations and contexts. These days despite being busier than ever before, arguably more successful than ever before [at least in terms of income, status, responsibility, autonomy etc], I feel a sense of ennui, of dislocation from my path as a professional, a loss of direction and this is of great concern to me…

Tom Peters introduces his book “Re-imagine” with a chapter about business in a disruptive age, ranting, graphically writing “was” vs “is” scenarios, sound-bites, making challenging statements like, “If you don’t like change, your going to like irrelevance even less.” I find myself going back to this stuff and the book as a whole every few days or so. So, ok - it’s a good book, I’ve said as much elsewhere.

I was just offered a job in China, before that one in India…After careful consideration both positions aren’t quite the right fit. Don’t get me wrong – I want to be in China particularly. I have this fascination with it. I’m sure it shows through here. Just not the right fit…I’ve got a newborn son, and a beautiful partner – the most important thing in my life is my family. It’s not the risk factor – just not the right location actually [Guangzhou - not Shanghai or Beijing]. Risk is cool, but it needs to be the right risk.



Back to Tom. One of the slides in his downloadable presentations says “China should be on your mind”…Well Tom – it most definitely is. I can’t wait to return. But it has to be right for my family. Ever tried to live in a culture/community where you are just so busy working that you cannot get it together to learn the language other than to speak the basics so you can get around, buy stuff and look foolish? It’s an amazing experience but tiring. What am I trying to say here?

I’ve been fortunate to have worked long enough at my craft so as to straddle the digital divide. In this sense I mean I remember the role of designer prior to the Mac, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash etc. – and I have been able to come to terms easily with the evolution and to embrace the whole digital workflow environment of the digital desktop studio. Hell, I even actually love computer technology. I don’t think it answers all my problems but it certainly helps in widening the scope of what is possible. This blog and my other sites are a simple, personal testaments to that. I and countless others have the ability to publish to a global audience - it's passe to assert that these days.

What I’m getting around to expressing can be summed up in one question – a question both personal and more broad in it’s application. That question is, "Where to from here?"

Did you notice how Tony Blair referred to the “design” of the terror attack on London? It’s true it was most definitely a “designed’ event. A template used perhaps in Madrid as well. Digital technology may have played it’s part in triggering the bombs themselves via the ubiquitous mobile phone – a true design icon for the contemporary era if ever there was one.

Elsewhere, there are debates emerging about the power the individual has now to participate in the documentation of “history” itself. Citing the examples of mobile phone video and images documenting the “on the ground” experience of the tragedy…

I don’t think I am alone in contemplating this paralysis at this juncture...how do we find the right "fit"?...And what kind of world are we designing?

More leapstuff...

This link [above] gets into the leapfrog topic in detail with specific references to China.
It outlines an array of categories of lepfrog and is well worth the read...

Leapfrogging!

I have just stumbled across this link, which I think has some relevance as an example relating to the issues of rapid accelerated development which in fact "leapfrogs" over current uses of and standards of technology in western/"first world" countries. It is heartening to see stuff like this. It is the kind of "leapfrog" I am referring to. I'll try to find more examples and information to support this angle.

Getting to grips with Chinese business culture...

Design is central to much human endeavor. Visual communications are central to industrial and business processes in relation to information systems and promotional or marketing activities within cultural, social, political and industrial structures. Although not defined as such, design, is often perceived as an industrial and business process with a distinct, if often misunderstood, place in the cycle of market driven forces. These points are evident in the majority of societies and cultures. Given the widely acknowledged “big picture” emerging, along with the global realization that ‘the rise of China’ is a significant driver of economic development, the opportunities afforded by this phenomena have implications for design and for design education that are worthy of attention. It follows then that study and research into developing strategies that assist in the multi-faceted task of promoting understanding, co-operation and resources for delivering and promoting cross - cultural design practices with China is at least valuable, relative to the above statements. The DFAT [Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] report [29/10/2003] states:

China - the world's sixth-largest economy, …has more than doubled its exports from $US150 billion ($212 billion) to $US325billion since 1996… China's GDP is predicted to overtake that of Germany by 2010 and to rival Japan's by 2030, with growth in demand for agriculture commodities to grow by an average 15 per cent and minerals and energy imports by 13.5 per cent a year to 2010.

John Kerin and Christine Wallace [Sydney Morning Herald] October 30, 2003

Nevertheless, while this appears on the surface to be a “excellent opportunity for all manner of enterprise there are very significant potentials for difficulty. Not the least of these are culturally based issues:

One has to know the importance of these two aspects, guanxi (relationship or connections) or mianzi(face) while doing business in China. Guanxi is very important in the Chinese society. Chinese will only do business with those who they know or are familiar with. In the absence of good connections, there is virtually no chance of meeting key people with whom to conduct business with. …One must be prepared to present gifts occasionally to build a better relationship…Mianzi also plays a vital role in business in China. Supervisors must know its importance in order to be able to manage the subordinates well. He [sic] should never comment on the wrongdoing of the Chinese openly, especially in a public. A good supervisor is to make suggestions in a diplomatic manner which is quite unlike the western way of management. One must be able to appreciate the staff by giving them mianzi by crediting them openly.

http://web.singnet.com.sg/~roederer/difficul.htm [3/11/03]

This underestimated aspect of working with China is discussed in this account of the experience of other South East Asian business when dealing with the Chinese context….

In an interview with Asia Times Online, David Chua, Deputy Secretary General of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia and one of the organizers of WCEC, hinted at some of the difficulties overseas businessmen are facing in China: "Business practices in China are somewhat different. Some business norms such as mutual trust and keeping promises we have taken for granted may not be so in China. We did not have adequate knowledge in this area in the past.

Southeast Asia-China: Threats, opportunities
Eddie Leung Asia Times Online Aug 2, 2003

A typically western perspective may be to assume that other Asian business cultures would have significant alignment in values, practice and overall approach to that of China. Leung [Aug 2, 2003] highlights the singular context prevalent in China thus illustrating how easy it is to run into problems understanding the issues at hand and reading any given situation.

Design is Changing [Part 4]

Traditional design problem solving works when one can clearly define the problem. This has led to the evolution of specific ways of thinking applicable with delineated professional boundaries each possessing their own vocabulary and patterns of practice and thought.

In today’s world societal and technological change have evolved at increasing pace to the situation we face today where problems we face are not necessarily clearly recognizable. Many problems can be said to be unframed. In this environment, we need flexible, creative open-minded approaches that enable a multi-perspective mode where we examine the issues at hand from multiple viewpoints, redefining the problem through the eyes of a multi-faceted range of inputs. In this kind of approach, we may see real potential for innovation to occur.

If we look at what traditional design represents generally, we see an industry where design has evolved to really represent the generation of form and image. Designers operate, as I have pointed out above, in distinct disciplines i.e. graphic, interior, fashion, web etc. We have created a view of ourselves from within the industry and from outside, of a profession which excludes “others”. The emphasis in the process has been strongly toward “what” we are creating. Much less emphasis is placed on “how” we do that, thus fostering a picture of a somewhat mysterious and internalized process not necessarily shared with the client or other stakeholders. We have set ourselves up as critical thinkers who make calculated judgements about what our clients need. This has become the very core of the profession – it’s what we are paid for.

The process is as in Berlo’s communication model complex, coded communication. It is “our tribe” communicating with “your tribe”. We have traditionally worked by ourselves, or with teams of our peers inside the design discipline. We see ourselves as problem-solvers. We base our education of designers on this, almost to the exclusion of all else. Design is problem solving I myself tell students all the time. We fix our client’s problems.

In the contemporary context however, it maybe argued that in a new paradigm of constant change and ever increasing complexity we are not leaders anymore. We are neglecting our potential for facilitating leadership and innovation. Design can be leadership if we take a wider perspective and face the difficult challenges ahead. Designers need to recognize that they are no longer the single provider of solutions, but that there will be other players in the process.

Instead of the “exclusive” model we have fostered we need to be more inclusive and more transparent in the way we operate. Whereas we usually emphasise the tangible “what” [ form] over the magical “how”[process], we need to bring equal emphasis to the “how”. This is challenging stuff, as it requires a new transparency. That means we will work with others concurrently in a parallel process, rather than the usual sequential process of problem solving [step 1, step 2 etc]. Rather than the designer producing solutions out of an unseen, internalized process, we would be better served by a transparent, inclusive, external visual process. As leaders we must become facilitators of all thinking styles. The leadership design model is that of a promoter of diverse inputs from multi-disciplinary perspectives and skill bases rather than a lone hired gun brought in to solve the problem and “save the day” as it were.

Finally – By fostering a cross tribal, clear and decoded, demystified process we place our profession in a leadership role. The cross discipline team spanning diverse and relevant professions is the contemporary team structure. In this way, we not only “fix the problem” but we generate opportunity that is not apparent in the old world models of design process.

We must seize the opportunities in this scenario and make changes in our attitudes to how we achieve our leadership role.

© Ian McArthur 2005

Design is Changing [Part 3]

Designers may have to face up to the facts that we are not necessarily the one’s who will forge the future as leaders. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that other professions are acquiring the edge with leadership. At the minimum, they are learning new leadership skills that we may be ignoring or simply not seeing. This is kind of challenging to think about. After all, aren’t we the ones with all the ideas? Well - maybe not. Is this a problem – or is this a big opportunity? Despite the tendency to think of ourselves as leaders maybe we do not think of design as leadership. There is a difference there in case you missed it. Let’s look closer…

What is required of us in this new context? What is design leadership? How can we be involved in the process of leadership? These are important questions.

It is in fact all about increasing the scope of design – expanding our notion of design and what this ‘mysterious’ activity called design really is.

In traditional design education programs, we have tended to focus on the “how” of design. In other words, we have been focusing on tools, techniques, acquiring software skills, mastering the tactical responses that a designer can employ to solve discipline specific problems. This has evolved to include in higher-level programs, design management and planning for recognizable problems within the general terrain of the designer. However, we must now question whether this is adequate. The situation definitely suggests a renewed emphasis on the “how” of design - the processes and skills that enable designers to solve problems and generate innovations.

The “how” of contemporary design may be broken down into three structural components, of which two are widely acknowledged and utilized within design practice. A third category represents a new area of skills yet to be fully assimilated into what designers are generally perceived to do.

The first category of skill can be described as the mastering tools and technologies. This usually involves working with digital technologies; computers and peripherals [scanners, cameras etc] and software programs and systems: Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, HTML, AutoCAD etc. It could be noted that often this kind of work is carried out by individuals working alone.

A second category is the skillset involved with problem solving, as defined elsewhere in this article. This is acquiring and mastering the ability to work within the traditional territory of design process on structured, but mostly small problems on the scale of designing a website, advertisement, visual identity and exhibition etc. For the most part this level of work is normally carried out by individuals and teams comprised of designers working within a single design discipline. The process here utilizes the category one skills of tools and technologies.

Given the increasing complexity we are dealing with, a new and rapidly emerging need for designers with a third category of skills is now evident. At this point, there are more questions than answers about this. Globalization has brought with it challenges that make much of our previous work appear very simplistic – consequently there are skills required by designers that are new and not yet clearly defined.

We now need to become adept at working with unstructured problems. As alluded to earlier, many contemporary problems are difficult to define clearly. This means we need to be strategic in our approach. Synchronization and organization of parallel processing of complex, unstructured problems is becoming increasingly sought after by business requiring solutions and innovation from multi-disciplinary teams. We must ask questions about how we work with other professions and importantly about how we educate our up and coming designers – the future of our profession. If we miss this opportunity, we miss the possibility to lead as designers.

Training in this kind of process is missing from most design education programs. The point here being that other professions have already realised the trends and directions and are preparing themselves to cope with the inevitable changes. To make this easier to process, let’s make comparisons between where we are as a profession now – and where we need to head to as a profession.


©Ian McArthur 2005

Design is changing [Part 2]

In today’s global business environment, there is an emerging need for multi-disciplinary teams. Design problems are increasingly complex and less easily definable - thus demanding input from a wider variety of perspectives and professions. We need to ask questions about the skills designers need to operate effectively in this situation. Is our profession capable of tackling the challenges inherent in the contemporary context?

When faced with the task of design and implementation of a globally applicable branding system capable of being applied appropriately and consistently throughout an organisation in all cultural contexts and markets, the typical single-discipline design team is faced with a task that they cannot solve effectively with the design alone. The job is more than simply designing a logo and applying it to corporate communication systems. The input of a range of industry professionals is required.

The traditional skills of designers is not appear adequate to maintain a leadership role today, despite the obvious flexibility of design professionals to adapt to technological change and to take on design management as a core competency. Corporate business is already applying a multi-disciplinary approach because it requires innovation in the face of the problems it is encountering.

Although not exclusively so, design has often been a relatively linear process familiar to many as problem solving. The usual process has been to; define the problem; analyse and break it down; ideate a range of possible solutions; select the most likely solution to implement; and in conclusion evaluate to see how effectively we solved the problem. Projects had a definable beginning and end. The role of the designer often began after the major part of the product was complete. We were often brought in to “package” the product for consumption for example. To make it look pretty, make it sell to a target audience. Generally, the designer worked alone, or as part of a single-discipline team.

The world outside your studio window has changed since you started reading this article. It has become more complex, more competitive, and faster. The only way to cope in this environment is to innovate. The complexity and speed of the changes and the corresponding problems we face in business today is beyond the scope of one person to cope with. There are so many diverse aspects to the problems facing business and societies today that the teams whose responsibility it is to create innovation must consist of individuals with very diverse backgrounds and skills, each contributing their own expertise to part of the problem puzzle. Nobody has all the answers.

Design is no longer just product development, visual identity or packaging. In many cases, the problems we are faced with are multi-faceted, containing a diversity of issues and far reaching implications.

Timeframes are compressed. We have to achieve solutions faster. Technology helps us do this, but it is not enough. There is no longer time for the linear sequencing of various processes to bring products to market. It all has to be done at the same time! This requires a different set of skills and processes. We are now in the era of parallel processing. Today’s designer is often required to work in a parallel process with other professionals as part of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team developing aspects of the process and product or solution simultaneously. What kind of tools and skills do we need to operate effectively in this scenario? How do we educate design students for this kind of work? These are important questions for design professionals everywhere.

© Ian McArthur 2005

Design is Changing [Part 1]

Most designers see themselves as professionals who are considered a part of the vanguard of society. The history of design as a profession since the industrial revolution has contributed to this perception. We have come to see ourselves as instigators and purveyors of change within the modern world. As designers our ideas, we maintain, are of the cutting-edge variety, assisting in branding and business systems, visual communications, product design, fashion design, media and entertainment processes the environments we live in. Many designers see themselves as making considerable contributions to society through the creation of messages that are important for a myriad of reasons.

Although often misunderstood, the design profession has made a profound impact. Clearly, designers have played significant leadership roles. For example, in the urban environment, graphic design has been instrumental in transforming the landscape at least since the turn of the last century. Accompanying the proliferation of the automobile was the evolution of the roadside billboard. For better of worse these sprang up wherever roads were developed for the cars and trucks that evolved out of the need to transport people, produce etc… Advertising, and commercial art as it was once known as, became prevalent in the form of billboards, signage, and visual identity on all available surfaces. Look around, and if you have not already considered this – you are immersed in graphic design. This is a global phenomenon typical to both west and east.

This type of highly visible impact has led designers to feel quite rightly that they are instrumental in ongoing and important changes and development within society. The impression that we are leaders of such change is strong. Design continues to play important roles within society and in industry.

However, thinking of designers as leaders may be of a previous paradigm. In the past designers were asked to solve important, but essentially straightforward, and often relatively simple problems. The problems were more often than not recognizable and definable. Designers mostly work within a single discipline. One has traditionally defined oneself as a graphic designer, a fashion designer or product / industrial design, an interior designer or architectural designer. This is changing quickly - but many have not noticed the changing role and context of design. In the contemporary context, business and societal challenges are often far greater with very complex implications, consequences and motivations.

© Ian McArthur 2005

New skillsets for Designers...

In order to qualify and provide additional clarification and examples regarding the above linked blog entry about emerging requirements for dsign graduates and practitioners I decided to elaborate further here.

I have referred to the following projects/people/organisations that i think are exemplars of the new paradigm that has been referred to elsewhere as looking distinctly different to our traditional/contemporary notions of what a designer does...

Please have a look at:

NextD
Omnium Project
Tom Peters
Massive Change

To be continued...

Swimming amongst the people...

Tom Peters refers to the current era as "a disruptive age" defined by "the war on terror". He speaks about this in the introduction to his book "RE-IMAGINE" [good book - check it out].

The innovator within an organisation is often the outsider - the "freak". Again Peters refers to this aspect of organisational culture in "RE-IMAGINE". It occurs to me that in an ironic kind of way one can draw an analogy between Peter's 'weirdo' and the famous quote from Mao who at one point, famously noted that "the guerrilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea," entering into conventional warfare only after a long struggle to whittle down the enemy.

Like Mao's guerrilla, the innovator often must move within an organisation doing in Peter's words, "weird stuff". Long live disruption ;)

More on this soon...

The worst of things and the best of things...

I just saw the flag art posted on cph127...really nice work from a brazilian artist Icaro Doria.You can see more here.

It brought back the dilemmas one faces when dealing with China. I recall a visit to a small factory outside Shanghai where pieces of antique furniture salvaged from all over China by furniture traders on behalf of largely foreign dealers were reconstructed back into into "antiques" for the foreign market. For example a chair that is sold as antique may actually only have one leg that is original. The furniture workers, some as young as 7 years old [my estimate], cleverly create the illusion of age through special techniques [like burying the pieces after finishing them].

The working conditions were appalling. The air was thick with sawdust and thinners. They worked on apparently oblivious. I was really shocked. This was say, 20 km from downtowm Shanghai.

Such is the dilemma of values. If they did not work their families would be even poorer. I can only say that I think are improving. Generally life appears better now for the average person.

I can contrast this with my visit to the Volvo factory in Pudong also in 2003 where I saw an immaculate, safe workplace where workers were encouraged to develop themselves and their skills in a supportive and productive environment.



The ethics and principles of Volvo in regard to the workplace, safety, the environment and the people were clearly implimented in a transparent manner. My hope is that this is the real direction. It was evidence enough in itself.

From a different place

Such contrasts in the perspective we hold...A friend recently me sent a cd from the "Get it Louder" exhibition that was/is being held in China at present. As I showed some colleagues it was pointed out that the video style was very "eighties" in feel. Having seen the situation inside China I did not have that perspective. My feeling is that it is quite contemporary, and in a sense, that eighties thing is still somewhat "now" if we look at pop trends.

The other thing that struck me was the way the presentation was coded - as a VCD. Since I returned from Asia I have not encountered this format at all. At first we couldn't make the cd work - then I remembered it would work in Quicktime - just a different way of doing things. that sums up a lot for me about the way we perceive this place that we know so little about but don't realise that.

The contrast thing is a theme I think I will return to for several reasons. Firstly and most obviously the contrasts within China are enormous. More importantly, within the context of the overall nature of the material presented here, the contrast in eastern values vs western values I have alluded to, is not to be underestimated in any way. One could argue that there is almost a polar opposite in approaches. The more pleasing analogy is the idea of a yin yang dichotomy that is complimentary. that would be the diection I would go in based in what I have seen and experienced so far. I know others will/would disagree.

These images are of Puxi [top] and Pudong [below]. The old and the new Shanghai. Rich/poor; dense/space; ancient/futuristic; rough/smooth; dirty/clean; brown/blue; warm/cold; heritage/real estate; displaced/official; lo-rize/hi-rize; amazing/amazing!



The "lowai" is apt to feel that things have been turned upside down. The "businesman" is likely to be lulled into an initial but false sense of security. The person who appears to be least influential in the meeting is actually leading the process. You will need to put time into developing "guanxi" and to guard against losing "mianzi". Yes you are a long way from home toto. Enjoy the ride and learn as much as possible. There is no other way. Your values don't apply.

...and that is actually a very good thing for you to experience.

Irony and the communist state...

Ok, picture this...I've been dilligently adding material to this blog for several days and decide it is time to alert a range of people about it. Of course given that China is a big focus for - and a lot of my network is inside China I contact friends, colleagues and associates there.

Imagine my surprise and then bemusement this mornign to learn that Blogspot is a site that is banned by the Chinese government. I should have realised.

Reality bites...ironic given my positive take on China...

Logical response is to look at alternative means to get my material out and in the long run that will mean developing my own blog interface. A nice learning curve for me :)

It's also a wonderful example of the challenges China presents the unsuspecting foreigner.

A gold rush is a deceptive notion...

NextD is asking for people to take part in their research about opportunities and challenges for designers in the current market.

As far as China is concerned there appears to be myriad opportunites - almost a gold rush. but also incredible challenge...





Undoubtedly, China is a place of incredible extremes, futuristic and medieval at once, culturally deep and perplexing. Business culture is perhaps the single most challenging obstacle because the will of Chinese people is there to embrace change - but on their terms I think. Westerners often have difficulty with this.

Personal exploration vs "the client"

Reflecting on this topic I am concluding that mostly students will create work of a personal nature - at least that's what I've experienced. Even when there is an imperative to conform the the brief, meet the client's needs etc...



It's what students do and in fact what they should do...

This work [left] is from a group of Chinese students given the problem of selecting and articulating a range of design principles through form generation or performance. The point is that these same students are now very effectively working in industry fulfilling client needs having developed a palette of creative strategies through experimentation during their studies.

Design education programs should of course be delivering learning outcomes that create awareness of industry expectations but a balance should be struck to give students the time to explore...