Designing the Future of Learning + Work

Truths

Our goal at Setser Group is to improve the human condition. Our hashtags are #FutureOfLearning and #FutureOfWork. We have the mission, vision, and values in place, but how do we build for the future? In such a rapidly changing environment of uncertainty, how does anyone plan for the future? Let’s take a look at our process.

We start with a talent network. Our team’s collective expertise out-innovates traditional thinking. We look for experts with an insatiable curiosity. With that, we imagine the future we want. The fundamental elements of our designs include diversity, equity, and sustainability. A project can’t move forward without those key design elements.

We know that future plans must be flexible by design and not limited by traditional concepts of time and place. We’ve created new possibilities with C-suite as a Service and Innovator-in-Residence partnerships. We use market research scans to determine market position and strategies to pursue market leadership. Our innovation audits reveal an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and threats to organizational readiness and outcomes. Our digital maturity and readiness assessments determine the people, process, and digital solutions suite to ready organizations for scale.

We always look for the “wow” experiences in our projects. You’re missing an opportunity if you don’t include the wow. How do you get the wow?

Three of our team members share their design insights below.

Laura Noonan

Senior Engagement Manager

For me, being part of Setser Group is all about helping our clients see future potential and creating solutions for this future together. Designing for the #futureoflearning and #futureofwork demands that we are constantly learning and expanding our perspectives. We are the outside eyes and ears for the partners we work with, bringing in new ideas, strategies, and approaches to help them challenge past assumptions and shape a new vision for the future. Whether I'm helping a state retirement association expand its digital presence and serve its members in new ways, or supporting a college focused on creating equitable access and outcomes for adult learners, I'm constantly energized at Setser Group by solving big challenges to create a more equitable and sustainable future for us all.

Marc Bush

Senior Engagement Manager

One strategy that I use is to try as much as possible to make the work personal. Because we're working on topics within education - both K12 and higher ed - I could envision myself, my kids, or people close to me as students and consumers of the models and products that we help to bring forward. What would I design for myself? For my family? For friends? Nothing is for everyone, and it's important to understand and design for and represent people who are not like you and your immediate community, but this is often a starting point.

One example is thinking about new school models for GreatHearts, a charter school network. I was very interested in their classical education model and character education curriculum, and I envisioned their offerings as ones that may appeal to my family and my children. We had conversations around the dinner table about what features of the offering could make it even more appealing.

Morgan Draughon

Director of Operations and Digital Design

For me, being part of Setser Group is about walking the walk on being the #futureofwork. The way we operate is truly people-first, innovative, and focused on improving the reach of the clients and communities we serve every day. Each week our team discusses the current challenges facing students, employees, educators, and leaders across industries and sits at the table ready for conversation, learning, and growth. It is also a joy to watch our project teams engage in innovative, creative, and thought-provoking solutions to the challenges our clients face. I think our greatest strength as people is our ability to connect with one another and Setser Group truly connects ideas, people, and strategies to advance the #futureoflearning and the #futureofwork.

Tools

When we think about the future, most of us are either dreaming or dreading. But there is a better way. We can leverage new, innovative tools to design the better future we are seeking. Start sketching out a design board today by using the resources below.

D.School

The Stanford d.school is a place where people use design to develop their own creative potential. D.School has curated a collection of resources from their classes and workshops for you to explore.

PEST Analysis

MindTools has a tool that helps you to analyze the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, and Technological changes in your business environment.

Design Thinking for Educators

IDEO offers a toolkit to support educators in collaborative design thinking. The toolkit will guide you through equitable change in schools with a community-led, equity-centered, and design-driven process.

ASQ Quality Resources

ASQ has the world's most comprehensive library of quality resources. From Six Sigma to Pareto charts, you will find them here.

Impact Tulsa

Marc Bush, Senior Engagement Manager at Setser Group, walks you through the design process we used with our client, Impact Tulsa.

Slack

You’ve assembled your team from across nine cities and four time zones. How do you work in a digital headquarters? Setser Group relies on Slack’s real-time and asynchronous collaboration features every day.

Triumphs

A shining example of #FutureOfLearning and #FutureOfWork design is our work at Winston-Salem State University's Brilliance Lab. The Innovation Festival, RamPitch competition, summer program, and a finalist for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas all attest to Lab’s great success. The Lab brings together the future of both learning and work into a single initiative that seeks to close the black and brown wealth gap in the United States.

As part of the WSSU Brilliance Lab’s Innovations Festival, Dr. Wanda White explains how WSSU is a national leader in closing the digital divide for HBCU students.

Want to share Setser Group on social media?

How do you design the future? See the Setser Group process and learn more here: https://www.setsergroup.com/connect

#FutureOfLearning #FutureOfWork #DesignThinking #Innovation #SetserGroup

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