An Entrepreneurial Research Based Organization Lecture Notes

Guest Lecturer: Duncan Hitchens VP Lynntech, Inc

Lynntech-research company located in College Station

·         “technology pipeline”

·         combination of many different expertise

·         creates patented ideas that are then sold  to major companies

·         major funding is provided by the US Government

·         examples of innovations; fuel cells, ozone sterilizers, preclinical studies (longer life-time hip replacements), environmental remediation, cancer diagnostics, sensors, etc.

Getting started

·         Many companies are unofficial outgrows of universities (ex-MIT University)

·         Create a financial model (Lynntech saw the opportunity to be funded by the government)

·         Be both a business person and a scientists

·         Understand big company and a small company culture

·         Maintain tight ownership control of the company

·         Find people with a passion for technology “Blue Collar” Ph.Ds., self-direction, and motivstion by the mastery of something

Organizational Structure for Creativity:

·         The combination of people from different scientific backgrounds

Managing the Creative Design Process Notes (Part I)

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

·         Hemispheres of the brain clash as one tries to read a narrative. For example if a word is green and spells out red, one might say the color of the word is red.

·         Human right brain- creativity, negotiation, abilities that can’t be digitized; left brain- analytical, computers can immolate activities.

·         In the Information Age you can get stressed by Information Overload (like Bing commercials)

·         More options is not the best at times, they can lead to decision making paralysis, blaming oneself for any failures, and too much choice can lead to clinical depression. Example- Rudy the movie

·         “We are swimming in an Ocean of Data & Information” (too much information and very little knowledge, experience and wisdom)

·         “We must move from a Paralysis of Analysis” (this occurs when one has too much information)

·         “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook”

Managing the Creative Process

Entrepreneurship:

·         Means the art of generating value to customers, the practice of starting new organizations, particularly new businesses, generally in response to identified opportunities

·         Activities- are never the same “cookie cutter” shape

·         Entrepreneur- one who “undertakes”

·         There are huge differences between entrepreneurship and small business, the difference is the speed of wealth creation, risk, and substantial innovation.

·         Requires:

Creativity- imagining how the world could be different, includes curiosity, exploration, play, and creativity, people need to take risks and fail confidently

Design- stages include design brief (list of design goals), analysis, research, specification (requirements of a design solution), problem solving, presentations. Design during production- development, testing. Post-production design feedback and redesign also exists.

Innovation- expected by customers, an application of something new, (the world has changed from “invention” to “innovation”) One must refrain from “innovation killers”, and negative phrases.

Portfolio Entry 2- Team Graded Assignment T-1: TBP AND TCC

Team Branding Profile (TBP) and Team Creativity Challenges (TCC):

 

This assignment had two parts: (1) the TBP, and (2) the responses to the Team Creativity Challenges

(TCC).

The learning objectives of developing a Team Branding Profile (TBP) for the team to which

I had been assigned in the course are to (1) encourage us to see the team from multiple

points of view, and especially not only as a group of unique individuals who need to work together, but

rather as a cohesive team capable of completing successfully, effectively, and efficiently the team

assignments in the course; and (2) be able to translate who the team is into a formal and explicit

document.

The learning objectives of developing responses to the TCC as a team are to (1)practice problem solving in a team setting; and (2) have fun while getting to know each other.

Enjoy!

TBP:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5VW54czbPqvMjVlZTk4YzYtNzIzNC00OTc3LThlZDMtZGRkZjUwZDRmYzlm&hl=en&authkey=CKmIsvMC

TCC:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5VW54czbPqvYzU5OGE4ZDQtYWQyMy00ZjliLTkwNTctODhkNzVmNmNjNzM4&hl=en&authkey=CPG8lpUN

Sketches for Innovention

Aggie Security Identification System (ASISE)

External View

Internal View

Brainstorming for the Next Great Aggie Innovation (using the skills learned from Blake Godkin)

1.       Divergent Thinking

a.       Strive for quantity

b.      Capturing essence

c.       Make associations

d.      Strive for novelty

Topic Area 1- Creative Problem Solving 01: Creative innovations that improve current campus processes or procedures

Topic Area 2- Creative Problem Solving 02: Creative inventions that solve a current campus problem or bring improvement

Problems:

·         Waiting around for laundry

·         Not sufficient space for locking bikes

·         Inconvenient parking

·         Walking outside to get to class

·         Bad traffic for getting to class

·         Finding classes

Current process that could use improvement:

·         Security

Ideas

·         Mounted Bike Locks (association: rec locks & bike racks)

·         Bike Freeway (association: highways & bike roads)

·         Scanner and Computer System for Residence Halls (association: ID’s for access to residence halls & security alarms ADT)

 Chosen idea: Scanner and Computer System for Residence Halls

Convergent Thinking

a.       Be deliberate:

·         Time to be applied: yes

·         Game Plan: Have a chip installed in all University issued student ID’s, and place airport like “detectors” that will read it and detect it every time one passes, the number of people entering the buildings would also be detected and recorded  in a system.

·         Budget: Not applicable

·         Good Solution for others: yes

·         Creative: yes

·         Elaborate ideas:  The detectors would be placed in all main doors of buildings. Cameras would also be placed near all entrances, recording the area 24/7. Detectors could read if one is entering or leaving the building. The same system to enter a building by swiping a student ID would remain the same. If the detector senses that a person has entered and no chip was read, then an alarm would go off and security would be notified. In order for outside visitors to enter, they would need to purchase a temporary ID with a chip inside it. Due Date: October 7th

b.      Be affirmative

Positive aspects:     

·         In case of fire: Fire Marshalls would know how many people are inside the buildings

·         If a student was to be missing, the computer system would show when was the last time he/she entered the buildings or assigned residence hall

·         Because temporary passes would be sold, the school would make a profit

c.       Seek out novelty: Security + Student  ID’s

d.      Check with the objective:

Does it solve the problem? Yes

Social Entrepreneurial and Innovation Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

Rash realities of our generation

·         Huge population

·         Lack of resources for the population

·         Too many vehicles

·         Too much “stuff”

·         Too much poverty (Haiti, Mumbai, India)

·         Too much environmental impacts (smog, water contamination)

·         High levels of vulnerability

·         Too many social disparities

Companies- Millennium Project of WFUNA, Engineering Challenges (National Academy of Engineering), Fast Company, Better World Books (reselling books), Developing World Markets (loans to underprivileged people, ex-giving a poor woman money to purchase a sewing machine for her to create her own business), Equal Exchange (fair trade coffee), Herman Miller (easily disassembled and recycled office furniture), New Leaf Paper, Organic Valley Family of Farms (National Marketing Network), Seventh Generation, Sustainability, Accion International, Acumen Fund, Aspire Public Schools, Building Educated Leaders for Life, Calvert Social Investment Foundation, Ceres, Citizen Schools, City Year, Civic Builders, Civic Ventures, Common Ground, etc.

Examples of Social Entrepreneur- Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation, Launchpad

·         Goal- to benefit disadvantage communities, pioneer innovative and systematic approaches, to capture a unique approach to economic and social problems.

·         Definition on a social entrepreneur- A pragmatic visionary who achieves a large scale, systemic and sustainable social change through a new invention, a different approach, a more rigorous application of known technologies or strategies, or a combination of these. Ex. Richard Branson and Mother Teresa

·         Traits included- an unwavering belief in the innate capacity of all people, a driving passion to make that happen, they are practical, yet they also take risks, a zeal to measure and monitor their impact, a healthy impatience. THEY ARE THE CHANGE DRIVERS.

Purpose of this lecture- social innovation project (DELL competition)

CHUD- Program at Texas A&M University

Patents and Intellectual Property Notes

Guest Lecturer: Darrell Kuhn

Office of Technology Commercialization

Intellectual Property (IP)

·         Patents

·         Copyrights

·         Trademarks

·         Trade Secrets

Constitutional Intent (September 17, 1787) - securing ideas

Used for: protecting important assets, licensing, secures monetary compensation for university/ company and inventors, legally protected market presence, identifies contributions to the filed by university/ company and employee inventors.

Famous inventions used on a daily basis: beta sweet-carrots, blue bonnets, 1015 onions, Metal Bender End Treatment (ET), Macu-clear, Syn Fuels International, Terrabon (turns garbage into fuel)

Patents:  set of exclusive rights granted by the state to an inventor for a limited period of time (20 years), it is a contract with the government. It gives you the right to exclude others from practicing your invention.

Types: utility, design, plant variety

What question to ask: Is it worth patenting?

Patents usually cost about $30,000 ($26,000 in the prosecution phase, the rest on the post-grant phase).  International can cost $100,000.

Claim: Defines the boundaries of your idea, is defendable in a court of law

What can be patented: machines, articles of manufacture, compositions of matter, etc.

Can you improve an idea made by somebody else? Yes

Non-Obviousness:  red car vs. yellow car (painting cars).  What is the major cause of death in fires? Smoke inhalation.

Utility: needs some practical utility

What is not patentable?

·         Equations

·         Data

Inventorship: if one contributed by giving an idea

Copyrights greatly differ from patents, one cannot copyright ideas, and they are only patentable. Copyrights are registered with the Library of Congress, not with the Patent Office. Copyrights usually last 50 years plus the author’s life.

Trademarks: identifies the source of the good, filling fee is $335.

Personal Feedback on “Disposable Technology”

As I began to work on my Individual Assignment I-3 “The Next Great Aggie Innovention,” I began to think of the purpose of creating disposable technology. This was also a topic that was discussed in class prior to today. The disposable technology that was most specifically talked about was I pods and cameras. It is unbelievable how many companies such as Apple and Sony design and manufacture items that will be replaced in only a couple of months. The sad thing is that as consumers, we become guinea pigs and react exactly like their expectations. Every time we see a new “generation” of tangible technology we automatically desire to have one. And almost every time, we run to the nearest store and purchase it for a very expensive price.

This of course is music to the ears of every engineer that designs the product. The consumers’ devotion to purchasing the next technology allows all the employees of such companies to live and obtain a paycheck. Maybe this process is part of a capitalist economy, yet I refuse to be a robot that buys these appliances with no will.

The problem is that there is no simple solution to the problem because whatever you do, you will be at a disadvantage. If you choose to purchase it, you will waste vast amounts of money. Yet if you refrain from purchasing it, then you will not be technologically up to date and co-workers will have an advantage over you. This could easily stagnate your career.

And so you may ask yourself “what do I do?” To be honest, there is no right answer that will avoid both consequences. But what one can do as a consumer, is to refrain from buying every generation. Purchasing disposable technology and replacing old technology every five years or so could greatly help your wallet and prevent you from becoming technologically ignorant.

Random Innovations

These are some random innovations I have always dreamed about having:

• TV in shower with touch screen and laptop
• Device that can allow you to read and memorize books in seconds

Creative Thinking Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

·         Do you trust your brain or eyes?

Optical Illusions

Muller-Lyer Illusion

Black and white marks-picture of Jesus

Klein Bottle

·         Boxing Comparison

Revolutionary idea-Challenger 

Conventional Idea- Champion

·         Synesthesia- condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color

·         Gardner’s Seven Intelligences

1.       Word Smart (linguistic)- express with words

2.       Math Smart (logical-mathematical)- logical, consider proportions

3.       Picture Smart (visual-spatial)- think in pictures, art

4.       Music Smart (musical)- reflect on music

5.       Body Smart (bodily-kinesthetic)- trained responses

6.       People Smart (interpersonal)- interact well with others

7.       Self Smart (intrapersonal)- understand themselves

Ability that needs to be perfected- Synchronize, multi-tasking

Janusian Thinking- creators’ ability to actively conceive multiple ideas simultaneously.

Selective Combination- seeing a way to combine relevant information once you’ve detected it. Differences allow symbiosis.

Reproductive Thinking- math classes, problems that look the same and are solved in the same manner

Intuition and Flow Notes

Dr. Jorge Vanegas

Class is about metaphor “Oh the places you’ll go” by Dr. Seus

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” Albert Einstein

·         What came first the Intrapreneur or entrepreneur?

 Entrepreneur-mentioned in newspaper, monochronic people (day by day, week by week, etc.)

Intraprenuer- one who supplies ideas, can control ability to achieve optimum behavior, goes into a state of polychromic time (flow, continuous movement).

·         Flow- total absorption can engender peak pleasure and creativity, more children are in this state. 90% of children are intuitive, after 12^th grade on 10% remain.

The Whole Brain Model- Ned Herrman “The Four Quadrant Model of the Brain”

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist after he grows up” –Picasso Environments truly differ from each other. Examples shown at www.thecoolhunter.net

What does my creative environment look like? Clean, modern, bright lights, stiff chairs, white

·         Person “in flow” is fully aware of their actions, but not of the awareness itself. Once one is interrupted, anger and frustration is evoked. If one cannot reach flow, one will experience anxiety. An example of flow is when an athlete is performing a sport. Freeing the mind is different from focusing the mind. Focus needs an object of attention, the object is the final result that she wants to create.  To evoke flow people find the perfect combination outside of the routine.

What is your flow? Relaxing, drinking a hot cup of chocolate, wearing pajamas, folk music (Regina Specktor, Ingrid Michelson)

One poet described flow as being in a state of ecstasy.

Tension and stress block creative thinking. And so disconnect…

Message of this lecture: everything you do is a story to be told. The mind and vision works much faster than the vocal cords.

Flow is the result of intense concentration.

Personal Branding Profile Feedback

After finishing my Personal Branding Profile, I realized my mind was full of puzzling questions about what I wanted to do with my life. I always believed I wanted to be an engineer, however when I entered my junior year in high school, I had an epiphany to be an architect. And so I applied to the School of Architecture at Texas A&M University. After being admitted, I accepted the offer at once, and enrolled without any hesitation.

Two weeks ago, I entered my first day of classes and realized art and architecture were not what I was expecting.  As a very analytical, OCD person, who happens to love “crunching numbers” I was disappointed with the lack of mathematic background in the Environmental Design Program.  Ever since that day I have a question in my mind that keeps asking “What if civil engineering is a more suitable career for me?”

And what if it is… After completing the Jung Typology Test (JTT) and the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (ILSQ), I discovered my personality is known as an ISFJ. An ISFJ is also known as a nurturer and the guardian portrait of the protector.

An ISFJ is a hardworking individual with a strong sense of responsibility and excessive criticism on oneself. They believe in the innate goodness of others and often help others by being sensible and the best to depend on.  They usually keep their emotions to themselves and store personal information and memories in their unconscious, however as most emotions are shut out, they are forced to find an outlet for their feelings. They are usually found studying traditional higher education refraining from conceptual analysis and theory. They are goal oriented and need positive feedback from others to succeed.

They are time-conscientious and oriented. They also value tradition and truly feel overburdened amongst change. They can deal with disability and neediness better than others, yet are shy and less talkative. Due to their hardworking nature, they often embark on extremely hard duties in which they prefer to work alone. Their efficiently remarkably improves while there are alone, and they treasure the value of money and success.

After discovering all this information about myself, I realized the description fit my personality in the most perfect manner. Maybe I do need to quit architecture and study civil engineering. The only problem now would be to make up my mind between one or the other. I suppose time will make the difference. All I can do now is see both fields with a positive mentality and discover myself as well as my true passions. After all my happiness is the most important thing, everything else is secondary.

Portfolio Entry 1 - Individual Graded Assignment I-1 - PBP

Personal Branding Profile (PBP):

The learning objectives the Personal Branding Profile (PBP) were

to (1) encourage me to see myself as a  unique individual from multiple points of view; and (2) be

able to translate who I am  into a formal and explicit document or creation of any type.

My PBP was an animated PowerPoint presentation. The animated effect was created by designing numerous slides of pictures and presenting them with hundredths a second to create an illusion of movement within the slides. The presentation also answers a series of questions about my personality.

Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5VW54czbPqvM2U5ZjU5MjgtMjQ1Yy00NTVkLThmYTItNmY5NWY1MTlkMmVj&hl=en&authkey=CI3WlVM

Fundamental Concepts of Problem Solving Notes (Parts I & II) Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Guest Lecturer: Blake Godkin

Problem Solving

·         Problem-avoidance: When one simply avoids problems, (present in architecture, business, prevents creativity)

·         Problem-minding: When one knows the problem, and is attempting to find the one answer, (math)

·         Opportunity-finding: When one finds and knows the problem, welcomes the problem, (finding blue oceans with no “sharks”, only opportunities)

·         2010 CEO Global Study

“Creativity is the most important leadership quality”

·         Conceptual Knowledge:  What is Math?  What is an adjective? What is a noun?

·         Procedural Knowledge: How to?

Divergent thinking

·         Divergent thinking: new ideas, for example: brainstorming idea (office show clip)

·         Defer judgment: “withhold evaluation” refrain from positive and negative judgment

·         Kinect (Project Naval): technology for game

·         Guidelines:

1.       Strive for quality-helps adoption rates

2.       Capturing essence

3.       Make associations

Examples:

·         McDonalds toll tag idea to pay at the window

·         ITunes presentation (only problem-cannot be sent)

·         Cell phone + Chia pet =Sunflower phone (biodegradable phone, once it is no longer functional one can plant it, water it and then a sunflower plant will grow because sunflower seeds are embedded in the cell phone)

4.       Strive for novelty- going for the “wild and crazy”, “it is much easier to tame an idea, then to invigorate a dull one”, INNOVATION.

·         “Piggy-backing”- when one combines other people’s ideas (not considered stealing or copying). For example: Martin Luther King’s speech on the 11^th amendment

·         Problem Statement- should not be bombarded with criteria, or be looked at from a different perspective. There should be multiple possibilities for example: what is ½ of 8?

·         Exercise:

Problem Statement: In what ways might we move around on campus?

Convergent Thinking

1.       Be deliberate:

·         Give time so the ideas may be applied

·         Define a game plan

·         Set a budget

·         Find a solution that is good for you and group and that meets the value system for creativity

·         What is novel?

·         Elaborate ideas

·         Keep due date in mind

2.       Be affirmative-positive judgment

3.       Seek out novelty

Examples:

·         Play Pumps (playpumps.org), problem in Africa, where water systems could not pump water, and so merry-go-rounds were built that mechanically pumped water when kids played in them

·         Kenaf- bamboo like plant created by Architecture for Humanity, the plant is used for clinics and later consumed by the inhabitants of the communities

·         Undetected land mines- inexpensive land mine detection, seeds are placed in areas were land mines might be present, if the plants germinate and the flowers are red as opposed to blue then nitrogen oxide is present in the area and a land mine could be present

4.       Check with the objective-does it solve the problem?

Personal Space Notes

Guest Lecturer: Professor Rodney Hill

Commercials Shown Before Class

·         McDonalds Fry Commercial

·         “Best Commercial Ever” (use protection)

·         Budweiser Commercial (referee training)

·         Shoe

Personal Space

1.       Usually in the United States (0-8’)

2.       Intimate touching (1’-6”)

3.       Close phase (1’-6” to 2’-6”’)

4.       Far Phase (2’-6” to 4’0”)

5.       Social Phase (4’-0” to 7’-0”)

6.       Business (7’-0” to 12’-0”)

7.       Public Close (12’-25’)

8.       Public Far Phase (25’+) flight distance

Shown in

·         Tables

·         Seats

·         Couches

·         Benches

·         Public spaces

·         Homes

·         Work

Distances differ within different countries

·         Primary involvements

·         Secondary involvements

Different meanings of Gig ‘em

·         Go get them (Aggieland)

·         Hitchhiking (America)

·         Good job (America)

·         Insult  (Arab counties)