Grand Challenge Design Studio

I’ve spent the last few months focused on Grand Challenges, using Visionary Talk to highlight models, frameworks, and pertinent case studies that would benefit any large-scale change initiative. Remember, a Grand Challenge is a big, bold goal that takes on a socially intractable problem by building alliances of organizations and activists who can attack that problem on multiple dimensions. This week I’ll cover the Grand Challenge Design Studio.

One of the first events of a Grand Challenge, the Design Studio, brings together the leaders responsible for building the coalition that will take on the wicked problem in front of you.

In April of 2022, The Huntsman Mental Health Institute held a Design Studio to support its Grand Challenge to eliminate the stigma around mental health and substance use disorders. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute is not running everything; they are the infrastructure supporting an ecosystem. The Design Studio builds and engages that ecosystem.

We brought together:

During the Design Studio, our group was focused on:

  • Building rapport with the invited stakeholders
  • Establishing a clear understanding of the key elements and goals of our Grand Challenge
  • Creating an engaged and invested brain trust
  • Forming the six core groups needed to support and propel the initiative forward
    1. Leadership team
    2. Program Summit Group
    3. Equity Working Group
    4. Communications & Outreach Group
    5. Financial Strategies
    6. Metrics

Watch the video to learn:

  • What to cover in your Design Studio
  • Who to include
  • How to use jumpstart storytelling to build rapport
  • Why equity should be a focus from the start and
  • The roles of each of the six core groups

Do you want to learn more about the Design Studio, Grand Challenges, or leading large-scale change initiatives? Email to schedule a call.

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