Definition of Radical Design. Part I Questions from Part I: Who talks about radical design? Who teaches it? Where. David Moses 91.

Transcription

1 David Moses Paper #1 Definition of Radical Design For this paper it is necessary to define what is meant by the word radical. Webster s dictionary defines the word radical as one who advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions. 1 So radical design may then be considered to be anything that attempts to change the current state of a product whether that product is art, an architectural building, computer software, computer hardware, or an institution in a revolutionary way. Part I Questions from Part I: Who talks about radical design? Who teaches it? Where does radical design fit, how do people think about radical design, the process, product design, how do people work with design? My discussion of questions posed in Part I MIT through a course offered on Open CourseWare and the Harvard Business School through case studies have developed materials that deal with radical design. MIT s Open CourseWare course entitled 4.181: Architecture Design Workshop: Researching User Demand for Innovative Offices, deals with radical design by teaching students about the unrealized potential for radical design innovation in architecture. 2 In a case study written by Professor Stoddard of the Harvard Business School and Professor Jarvenpaa of UT Austin they show how reengineering may be accomplished by first creating a radical design model. An article by CNN on radical design I found particularly interesting dealt with the design of New Zealand s America s Cup yacht. 3 For the America s cup team New 1 Referenced URL: 2 Referenced URL: Researching-User-Demand-for-Innovative-OfficesFall2002/Syllabus/index.htm 3 The article that deals with New Zealand s America s Cup yacht may be found from CNN s website at this URL:

2 Zealand s second yacht has a false appendage hanging under the hull-one of the more radical designs in the 151 years of the America s Cup. 4 The design of the appendage was accomplished by building a false underbody that is attached to the hull that includes the appendage. This appendage adds to the length of the yacht and therefore increases the speed of the yacht. 5 There remains a question regarding the legality of the innovation of the New Zealand boat, and rules observers think that it may be possible for challengers of New Zealand to bring a case to the Arbitration Panel. 6 So, as you may see the radical design of the New Zealand yacht quite possibly allows the boat to beat its competitors with the increased speed gained from the false appendage hanging under the hull of the boat. Part II For Part II of the paper I shall concentrate on both structures created by the architect Frank Gehry. As well as the radical design of a company s processes that may be accomplished through what is termed reengineering. I shall first present the architectural work of Frank Gehry, who has many supporters and a few critics. The Radical Design of architect Frank Gehry Frank Gehry, the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, is an architect that has pushed the frontiers of his profession. In the four decades that Frank Gehry has been designing buildings he and his architecture firm have designed buildings in America, Asia, and Europe. Noted architectural critic Paul Goldberger has stated that Gehry s buildings are powerful essays in primal geometric form and... materials, and from an aesthetic standpoint they are among the most profound and brilliant works of architecture of our time." 7 4 Referenced URL: 5 Referenced URL: 6 Referenced URL: 7 New York Times, November 1989.

3 The most famous building Gehry has designed, the Bilbao Guggenheim, is one of the world s most impressive buildings in the style of Deconstructivism. 8 Much like many of Gehry s buildings, the Bilbao Guggenheim consists of radically sculpted, organic contours. 9 It is claimed by Gehry s architectural design firm that the Bilbao Guggenheim does not have a single flat surface in the entire structure. A special feature of the building is that a large quantity of the Bilbao Guggenheim is sheathed in paperthin titanium panels. 10 Gehry used the latest in technology to design the building. Gehry made use of CAD (computer-aided design) and computer visualizations a great deal in the design of the Bilbao Guggenheim. Computer simulations that were created with CAD and computer visualizations allowed Gehry to design a building that would have been impossible for architects of earlier eras to design. MIT s Stata Center, located in Cambridge Mass., represents a recent structure that Gehry has designed. CBS News columnist Dan Dubno remarked positively of the Gehry designed Stata Center saying that Gehry has succeeded in designing a radical, flexible, unexpected place where fortuitous creativity is already flourishing. 11 Columnist Alex Beam, Boston Globe columnist and critic of the Gehry designed Stata Center stated after viewing the structure when it was first shown to the public in May of 2004 that it is a complete mess, although, in fairness, it is still a job site. There are cracks in the flooring and in the poured concrete columns, broken glass in skylights, and exposed plywood panels everywhere; this last element is part of Gehry's interior design. 12 The Stata Center is made up of so-called neighborhoods that represent a quadrant of offices bounded by two streets, a bathroom, stairwells, and elevators. 13 Some MIT professors have been critical of Gehry s designing the Stata Center to include these so-called neighborhoods saying that they represent an inflexible design Referenced URL: 9 Referenced URL: 10 Referenced URL: 11 Referenced URL: 12 Boston Globe, May 4 th Also referenced URL: 13 Referenced URL: 14 Referenced URL:

4 Reengineering: Radically redesigning a company s processes For this section of the paper I have concentrated on a Harvard Business School Paper by Professors Stoddard of HBS and Jarvenpaa of the University of Texas at Austin. To reengineer properly a given company must radically redesign its processes into cross functional ones, and further must make all necessary changes to the design of the organization, culture, incentives, and technology systems. 15 Reengineering is a two-step process. First, a company creates a design for the makeup of the reengineered company. Then a given company implements that design. The reengineering designs must be radical: breakthrough designs provide a long-term road map for change at a company. 16 Few companies have enough money to implement fully a radical design such as reengineering the first time around. Since, radical designs represent revolutions that are too disruptive and quite costly and are generally viewed as unduly risky and countercultural. 17 Companies that implement reengineering fully are companies that are facing an imminent crisis, such as loss of market share in one of their key products, and have little choice but to go for broke or take the risky revolutionary path. 18 It should be noted that companies that are not facing a crisis might actually do themselves more harm than good by trying to embrace radical changes in a revolutionary fashion. 19 These companies should try an evolutionary path instead of a radical one, which will allow them to get started with eventually moving towards a radical vision. Getting started with an evolutionary path will allow a given company to change programs, and gain direct measurable benefits in the short-term. Eventually over time this given company moves toward the radical vision through incremental cumulative changes. 20. Reengineering represents a completely revolutionary business process that led to billions of dollars in corporate cost savings (and unfortunately cost many people their jobs). When a given company decides to implement reengineering the company lets each of its employees know that there will be limited space in the new company for current 15 P.1 Reengineering design is radical; Reengineering change is not. Harvard Business School Press P.1 Ibid 17 P.1 Ibid

5 employees and that if you would like to remain at the company you should prove that you have the skills and capabilities to remain at the company. 21 Implementing Reengineering Upon implementing reengineering a given company will make changes to the company such as downsizing, cost cutting, and changes to the organizational structure that will challenge the fortitude of the company. Although making changes to a company through reengineering will make change at the given company occur quickly, it is likely that revolutions in this manner may lead to chaos and organizational and individual loss of identity. 22 It may be true that implementing a reengineering process is evolutionary, but reengineering designs must be radical. Reengineering is about radical planning and developing a long-term road map for change. In order to create radical visions, it is necessary for design teams to be allowed to start with a clean slate and further that there does not exist any sacred cows. 23 Reengineering Designs In order to develop breakthrough designs it is required to have a radical path. The radical path brings together the outsiders and builds the enthusiasm and excitement that induces out of the box thinking. 24 An example used in the paper on reengineering design by Professors Stoddard and Jarvenpaa is of a company through a radical path, developing the vision and design in 90 days to then implement reengineering at a given company. The members of the design team at the company, consisting of the brightest from the field, worked together with outside consultants to standardize the processes against the best in the class. 25 There do exist problems inherent in following a radical design path before implementing reengineering at a given company. Often design teams develop group think over the immediacy of needed change. This in turn leads the design team to begin to believe that there is only one path for successful reengineering implementation P.4 Ibid 23 P.4 Ibid 24 P.7 Ibid 25 P.7 Ibid

6 the revolutionary path, and that it is possible for change to occur quickly and further that this change is free from current organizational realities. 26 Final remarks on Reengineering through a radical design approach In order for a given company to achieve a successful result from reengineering they must start by developing a radical design that provides the long-term outlook and creates the enthusiastic energy for the change that must occur. What management of a given company must understand is that unless a company is in the midst of a survival crisis they should not attempt change to the company as revolutionary as reengineering. 27 But in the great majority of cases that executives of companies are faced with an incremental implementation of reengineering is preferred over a revolutionary implementation that will allow a given company to move towards that radical design in a measured, deliberate fashion. 28 Conclusion Frank Gehry has pushed the frontiers of architecture in designing some such buildings as the Bilbao Guggenheim and the MIT Stata Center in a revolutionary manner. He has been assisted by the latest in CAD and computer visualization software to achieve his goals. Gehry s supporters note that his works from an aesthetic standpoint are some of the most exceptional architectural works of our time. Critics of Gehry s work point to the high cost of his projects, and also the bizarre color choices, the total disregard for architectural harmony with the built and natural surroundings, and the mammoth scale of Gehry s projects. 29 Concerning reengineering it should be noted that reengineered designs are radical in nature. However, unless a company is facing a crisis they should not implement the reengineered design in a revolutionary manner, but should do so by way of an evolutionary approach. 26 P.7 Ibid 27 P.14 Ibid 28 P.14 Ibid 29 Referenced