Challenge and Selection

The challenge was to create a more innovative environment in my campus. With

no one knowing exactly why our institute follows the way of low production of new

technologies, I started out trying to understand better the complexity of the

problem involving departments, students, teachers, companies, politics and

society in creating and motivating creativity on the people inside it. As a student

and 20 years old boy, I had no experience outside math and physics that my

engineering course was teaching me, but had - and still have - motivation to learn

and study things outside my area of expertise. In that way, I joined the student

representation of my course and a research group in the institution to learn

observe and talk with people. At the end of it, I choose to create drawings to

visualize more clearly the complexity of the problem and to share it with

colleagues for insights.

Application

I started out to think in this problem two years ago when I raised that question.

Since then, I did some research on startup and companies cultures, also I started

to understand how the government and the public education administratively

works and why the public workers and students were demotivated to innovate

and to pursue their wills - at the moment I was president of the student

representation of my course. On that way, I not only held conversation with

colleagues and teachers but also members of the administration of my campus

about it. All of them had something to add to the understanding of the problem.

Not restricted to my area, I went to a startup meetup, a Social Good event and

many lectures of the innovative area, one of which was with a CEO of a company

called WeGov here in Brazil that focus on innovation in the public service.

Furthermore, I spent time hearing podcasts and reading topics of politics,

economy and other themes related with culture and environment for innovation

on the public service. By the time, I was able to join a lot of information from

different areas and start my own projects to test the assumptions I had. However,

one moment I stopped and tried to build a study group for innovation in the

campus to deal with the core challenge. That was the moment I used the visual

thinking tool.

I have put all information I have gathered in drawings with the understanding and

correlation with all the departments of my campus and I submitted that to my

colleagues for insights. The drawings showed the relations of the campus with

external companies, inside departments, students, educational problems,

barriers that exist in communication, autonomy of students, teachers and

members of the administration, and questions of how to innovate, motivate, be

effective and create a sustainable system of research and innovation inside our

institute. All of which I imagined and have noticed in the way that had some to do

with the lack of creative and innovative culture in the institute.

At the end of it, my colleagues gave me various insights and that showed me that

my first assumption I had - a group of study that would solve the problem – was

not sustainable. The insights showed that maybe others solutions could be more

adequate in solving the problem. Today, we are trying to implement many ideas

we had in the next stages of design thinking.

Insight & Approach

When researching and asking questions, I learned that people always have some

solution in mind, but that was not always the best solution. At the moment they

try to implement those ideas and fail, the time spent to win the absurd

bureaucracy added to the exhaustive routine they have is very frustrating, that is

a great factor of demotivation and it is passed away from the older to the younger.

I visualized that the poor comprehension of the full system was creating bubbles

of conscience in each department. Furthermore, this comprehension was

different even between students and teachers of the same area.

My insight in that case is that when I collected all the information and passed it to

my colleagues, their insights and ideas were more creative and could win more

barriers in the system. Next time I will focus on gathering more information for a

more depth analysis of the problems to pass that on, in hope of empowering

people and to find new interesting solutions.


Challenge and Selection The challenge was to create a more innovative environment in my campus . With no one knowing exactly why our institute follows the way of low production of new technologies , I started out trying to understand better the complexity of the problem involving departments , students , teachers , companies , politics and society in creating and motivating creativity on the people inside it . As a student and 20 years old boy , I had no experience outside math and physics that my engineering course was teaching me , but had - and still have - motivation to learn and study things outside my area of expertise . In that way , I joined the student representation of my course and a research group in the institution to learn observe and talk with people . At the end of it , I choose to create drawings to visualize more clearly the complexity of the problem and to share it with colleagues for insights . Application I started out to think in this problem two years ago when I raised that question . Since then , I did some research on startup and companies cultures , also I started to understand how the government and the public education administratively works and why the public workers and students were demotivated to innovate and to pursue their wills - at the moment I was president of the student representation of my course . On that way , I not only held conversation with colleagues and teachers but also members of the administration of my campus about it . All of them had something to add to the understanding of the problem . Not restricted to my area , I went to a startup meetup , a Social Good event and many lectures of the innovative area , one of which was with a CEO of a company called WeGov here in Brazil that focus on innovation in the public service . Furthermore , I spent time hearing podcasts and reading topics of politics , economy and other themes related with culture and environment for innovation on the public service . By the time , I was able to join a lot of information from different areas and start my own projects to test the assumptions I had . However , one moment I stopped and tried to build a study group for innovation in the campus to deal with the core challenge . That was the moment I used the visual thinking tool . I have put all information I have gathered in drawings with the understanding and correlation with all the departments of my campus and I submitted that to my colleagues for insights . The drawings showed the relations of the campus with external companies , inside departments , students , educational problems , barriers that exist in communication , autonomy of students , teachers and members of the administration , and questions of how to innovate , motivate , be effective and create a sustainable system of research and innovation inside our institute . All of which I imagined and have noticed in the way that had some to do with the lack of creative and innovative culture in the institute . At the end of it , my colleagues gave me various insights and that showed me that my first assumption I had - a group of study that would solve the problem – was not sustainable . The insights showed that maybe others solutions could be more adequate in solving the problem . Today , we are trying to implement many ideas we had in the next stages of design thinking . Insight & Approach When researching and asking questions , I learned that people always have some solution in mind , but that was not always the best solution . At the moment they try to implement those ideas and fail , the time spent to win the absurd bureaucracy added to the exhaustive routine they have is very frustrating , that is a great factor of demotivation and it is passed away from the older to the younger . I visualized that the poor comprehension of the full system was creating bubbles of conscience in each department . Furthermore , this comprehension was different even between students and teachers of the same area . My insight in that case is that when I collected all the information and passed it to my colleagues , their insights and ideas were more creative and could win more barriers in the system . Next time I will focus on gathering more information for a more depth analysis of the problems to pass that on , in hope of empowering people and to find new interesting solutions .