Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Small-business people often concentrate on what their business does and fail to devote attention to what their business is — its purpose and its meaning to stakeholders and community. This course is for businesspeople who want to think together about how to design and build living, thriving, prosperous businesses that are positive contributors to community life, that honor the employees who create the wealth, and that care for the planet we inhabit.  It is based on John’s 35 years running a design/build business and his book Companies We Keep: Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place.  The class will be a radical primer about making everyday business a rewarding adventure.  It will mix philosophy and practice, and will tackle employee ownership, company growth, personnel, benefits, community service, multiple bottom line thinking, long term planning and succession, and all aspects of the social entrepreneurial journey.

• Competency Level: All Levels
• AIA credits: 14

Course Objectives

• Understanding the company as community;
• Learning the basics of democratic decision-making and teamwork;
• Preparing for and leading utterly productive meetings;
• Examining the fundamentals of employee ownership;
• Planning for long-term continuity, succession, and legacy;
• Digging into compensation strategies, benefits, pensions, and reserve funds
• Thinking like Cathedral Builders (long-term strategic planning)
• Surviving in a tough economy
• Using profits to create strong social and environmental bottom lines;
• Building strong local economies; and finally, perhaps most importantly;
• Conducting business in a richer, more meaningful way (hopefully!).

Suggested Reading
John Abrams.  COMPANIES WE KEEP, Reinventing Small Business for People, Community, and Place

When you register for the class, please submit the following:

• Specific case study problems, issues in your business, aspirations you have for your business, or new business ideas that you would like to dig into inparticipatory group discussions;
• The name, type, and size of your current business (if you have one or work inone).

Class Schedule
The course will be tailored to the specific needs of the class. There is a wealth of material to cover, and some basics (above) will be explored in lectures. But a large part of the workshop will be based on the submissions received prior to the class, so that we can all work together to solve real-world issues and problems, and find ways to make new opportunity for the participants.

Depending on numbers, we may break up into café-style small groups for in-depth teamwork for parts of the workshop. If a large percentage of the class is involved in design and/or building, course discussions will reflect that. The course will be conducted using facilitation and teamwork methods developed at South Mountain Company over the past 30 years.

There will be a freewheeling, learn-as-we-go element to the class. Most of all, we'll learn together and have fun doing it.

Schedule: 9-5, Saturday and 9-noon Sunday.

Course Outline
SATURDAY:

• Introductions
• Review binder: Group prioritization of course content and emphasis;
• Innovation and Company Design;
• Meetings and Decision-making;
• Preparing for and leading utterly productive meetings;
• Basics of democratic decision-making and teamwork;
• Workplace Democracy and Ownership;
• Fundamentals of employee ownership;
  - Legacy and Succession
  - Types of succession
  - Transitioning to EO
  - Generation One to Generation Two
• Nuts and Bolts
  - Path from first client contact to completion
  - Compensation, benefits, pensions
  - Evaluations and employee issues
• Class case studies

SUNDAY:

• Thinking Like Cathedral Builders
  - Strategic Planning
• Surviving in a Tough Economy, Thriving in the Next One
  - Internal Communication
  - Diversification
  - Marketing
  - Local Economies and the Next Economy
• Class case studies
• Aspirations and Goals
• Reading list
• Wrap-up and Next Steps