An insider’s guide to idea couture’s ever-evolving … and Propietary Idea Couture Inc. Idea...

/rethink/reimagine/reset

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/San Francisco /Toronto /London /Mexico City /Shanghai

An insider’s guide to idea couture’s ever-evolving culture

IC Culture Handbook

ideacouture

Confidential and Propietary 2012 Idea Couture Inc. Idea Couture LLC. Idea Couture Ltd.


Contrary to popular belief, we are notany of the following:

/Who are we?

/we area passionate team coming together to

c r e a t e c h a n g e .

Namely, a strategic innovation, customer insights

and experience design firm. We help clients

harness design thinking for purposeful innovations

and transformations that truly improve the state

an advertising agency,

management consultancy,

fashion house,

model agency,

interactive agency

o

r

art gallery.

of the world. For half a decade, our eclectic team of design-thinkers, anthropologists, economists, and technologists, futurists, sociologists and artists has tackled some of the toughest challenges for some of the world’s most admired companies.

In an organization with transformation ingrained in its

Dd Nn Aa, it would be

i m p o s s i b l e to write an employee handbo

A mission as big as ours has no instruction manual for how things are done. That also means there’s no limit to what you can become here. We created this book to give you a sense of our culture, work style and passions. Most rules are made to be b r o k e n,

ok

so we’ve saved you the

trouble and skipped that part

altogether. View this as a guide

and let comm

on sense and

intuition lead your way.


/San Francisco /Toronto /London /Mexico City /Shang-hai

ideacouture


w h yIdea?

WhyCouture?

Ideas are everywhere, waiting to be drilled into. Ushered by awareness and empathy, we chase the evolving frontier of innovation all over the world, seeking white space opportunities, amplifying weak signals, and developing creative solutions to take businesses to greater heights. An idea is nothing if it can’t be articulated and acted upon. Brilliant thinking that can’t be executed has

You wouldn’t wear a shirt that didn’t have all of its but-tons, and we wouldn’t outfit our clients with solutions that weren’t tailor-made. Whether it’s creating a new product

idea, service, or business model, we weave structure,

detail, compassion and an elevated design aesthetic into

the fine fabric of our operations. Off-the-shelf solutions don’t inspire change. Companies yearn to be seen as unique entities that require humanized, handcrafted ideas. When our products walk down the runway, y o u ’ l l k n o w .

no purpose. This is where

elbow grease comes into play.

We create the opportunities our

clients need in order to activate an

emotive chain reaction and put it

to work.

/Our Origins

Idea Couture was founded in 2007 by Idris Mootee, Scott Friedmann, Cheesan Chew and Keith Lui. They dreamed about a new kind of professional service firm, designed to solve the highly complicated and often wicked problems emerging in industry and society. They believed that strategy doesn’t live in a PowerPoint or Excel document – strategy needs to be visceral, tangible, human, emotional and sustainable. They also believed that businesses should be the agents of change and progress, by encouraging the spread of technology, improving productivity, powering human imagination, adding a third bottom line, enhancing quality, and making products and services more humanistic.

Since then, Idea Couture has grown to become a radical voice of dissent in the design and consulting worlds. We have several major offices located around the world, and hire new employees every month. We’re blessed to work with some of the largest pharma, healthcare, technology, consumer electronics, financial services, consumer packaged goods and media companies in the world.


Y o u ’ l l s e e , h e a r a n d l i v e t h i s s a y i n g e v e r y d a y a t I C . Strategic innovation forces us to

tear apart our preconceived notions, challenge our comfort zones and trust our ability to build new and controversial work. Out of date theories are designed for yesterday’s problems. Our work serves an unknown future that doesn’t operate within an existing set of rules. The future is not predictable, so we need a new, empathetic worldview – one that respects employees, shareholders and the environment in the modern world. W e l o v e s h a r i n g u n p r e c e d e n t e d p e r s p e c t i v e s w i t h o u r c l i e n t s .

/rethink /reimagine /reset


Why use just one side of the brain, when you can use both? d-school + b-school TM is the marriage of two opposite yet symbiotic ways of thinking. Our interdisciplinary methodology merges the imagination of a creative and design agency with the analytics and acumen of a business consultancy.

Alongside experts in

you’ll face projects ranging from exploring

business white space to new product

development to corporate transformation.

Our integrative approach gives rise to

creative solutions that recognize and

embrace complexities, contradictions,

uncertainties and paradoxes.

/ d e s i g n ,

/ e n g i n e e r i n g ,

/ e c o n o m i c s ,

/ h u m a n i t i e s

/ a n d t h e s o c i a l s c i e n c e s ,

A Luxury

BRAND

Think of names like

H e r m e s ,

B u r b e r r y o r

M e r c e d e s B e n z ,

and many qualities come to mind. A headstrong dedication to perfection in details. A commitment to quality in any circumstance. A culture of prestige that taps into human emotion. Our clients expect the same from IC. We want to bring them the feeling of falling in love. Each and every idea we deliver must emulate our high standards of value. Think unconventionally. Design strategically. Deliver stylishly.

Fast, Sharp DECISIONS

In photography, the term ‘decisive moment’ refers to the point at which the entire story or action is crystal clear. At IC, we serve a similar function of bringing clarity to complex business systems to help clients draw parallels in their decision-making process. With expert resources in a variety of fields, we stay adaptable and resilient during opportunities to survive or thrive. Sometimes, all we have is a moment to change a client’s trajectory. That’s the moment we snap into action to capture the gems that are so easily lost.

/


Please view our office as gathering place to socialize, share ideas, create dreams and act on them. We want you to feel comfortable being yourself, whether that means wearing funky clothes or bringing in your pet. Imagination and quirkiness power our work. In many places, people have to stifle their imagination, empathy and creativity. Here, all we ask is that you c h e c k y o u r e g o a t t h e d o o r .

environment because we hire smart, autonomous individuals who enjoy working in a matrix

reporting environment. We are proud and protective of our culture because we believe it fosters great work. Your presence and opinions

are now a part of that. However, we’re always seeking to improve

ourselves. Let us know when t h e r e ’ s a b e t t e r w a y .


“ I n g e n u i t y ” i s t h e p r i c e o f e n t r yWe work at the intersection of

substance, style and speed. We want

vigorous business solutions packaged

in sophisticated frameworks, and

we want it two minutes ago. Being a

hyper-specialist in one field throws

people on a hamster wheel and makes for a grand waste of time. So instead, we’ve a d a p t e d a global philosophy that merges American creativity, European elegance and Asian productivity.

Prepare to jump to and from projects, pack your bags for a trip, or bid farewell to an idea on short notice. Everyone thinks and works outside their job

descriptions, so expect to play many roles. You never know what new skills you’ll learn and what contacts you’ll make.

Some projects require laser-like focus, while others call for a flexible army knife.

“ C o n t i n u i t y ” i s a b - n o r m a l

“ C o m b i n a t i o n s ” a r e u n e x p e c t e d IC houses a wealth of skilled, knowledgeable and passionate individuals. When we get together, great ideas happen, but the substance of our work comes together as we carry these ideas through from concept to deliverable—articulating them in an executable format for our clients. We pay extreme attention to detail, with the belief that only our best work is adequate.

Powerful change results from unexpected

combinations of people placed together

to work on a demanding project. At IC, we

Working teams at IC are formed and dismantled every day. You could be on several at one time, serving different roles. Find patterns in your work to boost your knowledge and productivity, but don’t expect to do the same thing twice twice.

New

hires may experience the rare occasion

when they find them

selves with

downtime.

As any IC em

ployee will tell you, “It never

rains, but it pours.” Use free m

oments to

research, work on internal projects that

benefit IC or w

rite a blog or magazine article.

Those around you will love the extra help!

don’t have time to flaunt

our skills in a meeting or

brainstorming session.

We don’t believe that the

person with the loudest voice should dominate the conversation. You’ll find an opportunity to push yourself every day. Know your limits, try to break them, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.


“ I n t u i t i o n ” g u i d e s u sWe work on a

0 9 t o 0 5 s c h -e d u -l e , but you’ll see people coming and going at all times of the day. We expect your best work, but trust you to know how, when and where that happens. Our open offices are designed for optimum /ideation,

/collaboration,

/discussion

/and debate,

but we also have quiet spaces for mediation, reflection and that vintage

activity known as ‘silent work.’ Go where the energy works for you. Just

make sure your team knows where you are and

how to get

in touch with you.

I’s

&

C’s

of

ide

a C

outu

re

Th

e

/offi c e /

“ C o n t e x t ” depends on the projectSometimes employees will find it more productive to work from home or a café (look for the “Working From Home” status on their Gchat). You’re welcome to do so, but check with your project managers and project lead, and be accessible via email o r p h o n e s h o u l d t h e y n e e d y o u .

However, we recommend you spend most of your time at the office because big

ideas and learning opportunities are born through collaboration with people from

other disciplines. 06

“ I n t e r a c t i o n ” b r e e d s k n o w l e d g e As you’ll soon discover, there are a lot of perks that come with the IC experience. We celebrate birthdays with cake breaks, take group lunches, enjoy weekly treats, and break

open some booze on the last Friday of the

month. These events are opportunities to

socialize, share your thoughts and learn about

“ C r e d i t ” i s e a r n e d

work your colleagues are doing. If you feel something is missing,

then make it happen. T r y f i r s t , t h e n a s k f o r p e r m i s -

s i o n .

Idea Couture is a meritocracy. It doesn’t matter where you come from orwhat your advanced degree says you’ve done – you’ll need to prove your capabilities to the team by dealing with problems you’ve never encountered. At IC, seniority doesn’t mean a fancier title. It means being invited to participate on projects with greater complexity and ambi-guity, or being trusted to run projects yourself. These challenges won’t be handed to you, so expect them to come as the result of

hard w o r k & t r u s t .


/

from the intersection of business and design, behavior and technology, or empathy and economics. They require new forms of stimuli, and that

Cre

ativ

ity is

in

the

bone

s of

our

bu

sine

ss. I

t is

embe

dded

into

ho

w w

e w

ork

and

live

ever

y da

y. Yo

u w

on’t

find

a cr

eativ

e di

rect

or h

ere

– cr

eativ

ity is

not

pr

oprie

ty, b

ut p

art o

f /belief s/

“Intersections” c r e a t e i d e a s

“ C r e a t i v e ” g o e s w i t h o u t s a y -i n g

is our value as an organization. If you don’t have new input to push your ideas further, gain some inspiration by having a conversation with an anthropologist, using a tactic from our Innovation Toolkit, or referencing our scan archive.

G r e a ti d e a s s p r i n g

ever

y ap

proa

ch.

In a

dditi

on to

go

al-o

rient

ed p

lay,

we

know

whe

n to

zo

om in

and

pul

l ba

ck to

ext

ract

the

mos

t mea

ning

from

ou

r dat

a. P

lay

and

imag

inat

ion

are

bala

nced

with

rigo

r an

d an

alys

is.

We step out of our comfort

We distinguish ourselves from compet-itors with stellar ideas, so when you’re outside the office, mum’s the word. We have code-names for a reason. Keep your work and belongings in safely locked places and use a shredder on company-related materials and cre-ative assets. Ask your Project Manager about the proper handling and dispos-ing of material you’re unsure about.

“Courage” e v e r y d a y

“ C o n f i d e n t i a l i t y ”

zones

every day to come up with groundbreak-

ing ideas other companies wouldn’t

dare conceive of. You’ll engage with some of the biggest companies in the world, coming to us with their toughest problems. We’re not interested in the path of least resistance, but rather getting the heavy lifting done, with time to spare.

The biggest mistake a new IC’er can make is expecting that he or she, alone, should be able to answer every problem all the time. Sometimes courage means the wilingness to ask for help. The messy problems we solve can bring out challenging constraints in our work and ourselves. There’s always room to find another point of view. Try and find the right balance between pushing your comfort zone and reaching the point of no return.

beyond the grave


Yo u ’ r e p r o b a b l y f a m i l i a r with many famous bears throughout history. We think it’s time for some new faces, so let us

introduce the IC d-school and b-school bears! Like

every employee at IC, each customized bear has

a unique style and swagger. One of the first things

you’ll do when you get here is design your own and

add it to our collection.

/Take a bear,

/dress a bear,

/share your bear.


/ I n v e n t i n g s o m e t h i n g

/ C o m m u n i c a t i n g c r e a t i v e l y

/ Taking leaps of faith / Playing / Humanizing work

/ C h a l l e n g i n g a s s u m p t i o n s

/ Trumpeting change

/ Practicing compassion

/ Making great ideas better

/ Taking responsibility / Working in a team / Sharing a different per

/ Saying yes / Saying no

S u c -c e s s09

What does it take for someone to be suc-cessful at IC? If the following activities stoke your fire, you’ll probably blaze a trail here.

s p e ctive


“Your standards are too high.” Standards can never be too h i g h to strive for.

“That’s not in my job description.”You’re right— you were hired to exceedyour job description.

“I want to lead a project.”S e e above. When you’re ready, y o u ’ l l g e t y o u r c h a n c e .

“It was MY i d e a .”No it’s not.

Ideas are born of a process, and the team that surrounds you were a part of that process. It either “our” idea, or it’s the client’s idea that the process produced.

10T h i n g s w e d o n ’ t w a n t t o Hear:

“I want to be an innovation strategist.”It is not what you want, it is whether you’re ready.

“I am very creative.”Everyone is creative here. Patting yourself on the back isn’t going to get you very f a r.

/

“Internal stuff doesn’t have a d e a d l i n e . ”

“I thought someone else was doing it.”Our projects are too complex and detailed to leave any assumption to chance. Get clarity and talk to your l e a d .

“This really frustrates me.”Chances are, it will frustrate other people too. Take action. Design a process. Make a tool. Do what it takes to fix what’s broken and ask for forgiveness later.

N o o n e w i l l e v e r c r i t i c i z e y o u r d r i v e .

“Just get a designer to make it p r e t t y . ”T h o u g h t h e y ’ r e r e m a r k a b l y g o o d a t i t , other people aren’t there to make your work more attractive or creative. They have busy schedules and projects that make it impossible for them to make a PowerPoint or proofread every article.

Internal projects shape us and improve our work. And the “client” has very

high standards. So treat these projects with the utmost respect./

/

“This is how we did it at my old job.”W e s t r i v e f o r i n n o v a t i o n s , n o t r e - c r e a t i o n . Our clients have unique needs that we approach with a fresh eye, so please check preconceived notions at the door.

“I want to be on the cover of M/I/S/C/ magazine.”No employees can be cover models regardless of how attractive or stylish they look.

An insider’s guide to idea couture’s ever-evolving … and Propietary Idea Couture Inc. Idea...

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