PHASE 1: INSPIRE

Detailed Instructions

Week 2

 

Overview

During the second meeting, keep students engaged as they continue to examine attributes of a good product or service and prepare pitches. Students will build their team norms, examine the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, understand the significance of the Company Code of Ethics to help in decision making, and learn about the roles available to them within the Management team.

 

Mentor Preparation

  • Review detailed instructions to become familiar with materials and activities
  • Review videos and materials in advance on the JA Canada Resource Portal
  • Prepare for Group Norms/Team Canvas using a whiteboard tool or shared doc (i.e. Google doc or Word doc)

Note : All documents and videos referenced in the detailed instructions are available on the JA Canada Digital Campus.

 

 Please note that anywhere this icon is shown, resources have been adapted for the virtual Company Program.


Agenda

  1. Attendance (5 min) - Record Keeping Tool 
  2. Ice-Breaker (15 min) 
  3. Defining Group Norms (30 min)   
  4. Leadership style and roles (20 minutes) - Slides
  5. Importance of Prototyping (10 minutes) - Slides
  6. Brainstorming Continued (10 minutes)  
  7. Questions and Wrap-up (5 min) - Slides
  8. Small Group Session (15-30 min) 


Activities

1.    Attendance (5 min) 

        • You may have new students who join since the first week - ensure that you have some time to introduce new students 
2.    Ice-Breaker (15 min) 
        • Continue to do icebreakers as they are a great way to get everyone acquainted and comfortable with each other!
3.    Defining Group Norms (30 min)  - Slides 36 - 45 

        • A norm is an informal guideline about what is considered normal social behavior in a particular group. Norms form the basis of collective expectations that members of a community have for each other. Explain the importance of effective teams having commonly shared norms and values. Provide an example from your work environment that shows how a norm works. If you can’t think of an example, use this one: “In my workplace, people stop for lunch any time between about 11 and 2”.

        • Whether you are a member of a sports team, group preparing a classroom project, or an employee on a team in the workplace, every team goes through the same 5 stages (slide 36)

        • Explain to the members of the Company, that forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning are the nature of any team journey. OPTIONAL: Refer to the 1.2.01 What is Norming slides for more information on the 5 stages.

        • Since operating a company requires a lot of team work, it is important to establish team norms. Review the Whose Norms are These? (slides 37 -44) to provide sample norms from large companies. These may serve as examples as they create their own team norms. 
        • Review and complete the Building Your Team Norms discussion.

        • At the end of the discussion, students should select a small list of the best norms that the entire group seems willing to support. Explain that all norms evolve a little over time; however, it is better to begin with some commonly held understandings about how the group will interact together. If you are conducting your meetings online, encourage students to think about the norms they can set for an online meeting. 
        • Use your whiteboard or shared doc to record your norms.
        • This is a good opportunity to introduce the terms unanimous, consensus and stalemate. (slide 36)
a.    Unanimous: Everyone is in complete agreement.
b.    Consensus: May not be the first preference of individuals in a group but it is a decision to which everyone can give their consent. Good consensus process relies heavily on problem-solving, questioning, empathy, and self-sacrifice.
c.     Stalemate: An even draw in terms of those in favour and those opposed. Further discussion is required to move forward.

        • Record the shared norms for everyone to review and endorse.
        • Explain that once the leadership team has been selected, each member of the company will be asked to sign a Code of Ethics (this will be covered in detail in Week 3).

4.    Leadership style and roles (20 min) Slides 47-49

        • Explain that everyone will have a role within the company and be an important member of the team. Some students may choose to nominate themselves for a management role and choose to take on a leadership role.
        • Present one or two of the suggested videos to start a discussion on the different styles of leadership:
            • First Follower: 
            • Steve Jobs - Tips for Management: 
            • The Science of Happiness: 
        • Review the core roles and responsibilities within the company using the Executive Team Role Descriptions.
        • It is up to the team to choose how many roles are actually needed for their company (dependent on size, interest, etc.). The organizational charts are examples only – roles can be shared or combined.

    Essential roles:        

    ●     President

    ●     VP Finance

    ●     VP Marketing

    ●     VP Sales

    ●     VP HR

    ●     VP Production  

    ●     VP IT

    Optional roles:

    ●   VP Corporate Social Responsibility


     


    5.    Importance of Prototyping (10 minutes)  Slides 50-52

          • As students are working through ideas, review with them the importance of preparing a prototype. Review the Prototyping slides  (slides 50-52). A prototype is defined as:

    an initial or preliminary version from which your product is developed to provide insight into the functionality of your design and inform changes needed.

          • The biggest benefit of prototyping is that it prevents important factors from being overlooked and it stops you making any assumptions that could be revealed as inaccurate later on in the process.
          • Prototyping is important for several reasons:

    a)   Evaluate and Test Your Idea

    Ideas and drawings of a design can sometimes be a far cry from the real world in which the product will be used. By creating a prototype, it is possible to sit down with a preliminary version of the product vision and determine what works and what does not. Often glaring omissions emerge that, initially, weren’t obvious. 

    b)    Clarifying Production Details

    By prototyping before production begins, it is possible to take a glimpse at the production process and see if any steps can be changed, combined or even removed. This streamlines production and minimizes production costs. An idea without a prototype is just a theoretical concept. Prototypes often greatly enhance product pitches.

    c)    Selling Your Idea

    It is also far easier to sell to potential customers when they can hold a prototype during your pitch. It can be difficult to get commitment with only a vague concept.

          • Students can create prototypes using materials around their house/school or purchase low cost materials or using online technology if available.

    6.        Brainstorming continued (if required and if time permits) Slides 

          • Allot time for students to continue working on their brainstorming and Product or Service Research.
          • Optional - If students are still not sure about their idea you can help students clarify the difference between innovation and invention. Discuss the two words asking the students to offer examples of what they would consider innovation versus invention. The Innovation or Invention video (slide 53) can be used to spark the conversation. Look up the definitions if necessary. You may also wish to review 1.2.041 Product Inspiration Slides with students.
          • Optional - Continue to use a whiteboard too or shared doc to allow students to brainstorm. Consider using the Brainstorming Week 1-3 section under Planning and going through the guide and template provided.
          • Spend time with groups or individuals discussing their ideas to get a sense of what might be presented during pitches.
          • Remind students about the Product and Service Approval Form to ensure that their products qualify for the program.
          • Discuss the selection process with students and review the Pitch Evaluation Criteria the group will use. Be sure to answer all questions students have and highlight that this is a very important decision for the company to be successful. 
          • You may want to allow students to do this in their breakout sessions or small group sessions. Advisors should join these sessions to help guide students and answer questions.

    7. Questions and Wrap-up (5 min) Slide 54

          • Create an opening for students to ask any questions about the meeting prior to wrapping up.
          • Students will not have time to practice or finish pitches at the next meeting, therefore they must prepare in advance.

    8. Small Group Session    (15 to 30 min)

    In this week's small group session, continue to get to know your students. You can give students the opportunity continue working on their brainstorming but you can also opt to cover the following:

    SMART Goals (15 min) Slide 55

          • View the SMART Goals video. Slide 55
          • Explain that as a Company, students will eventually create goals together. For now, ask students to share with you their personal SMART goals (they would have been asked to complete this at orientation). As Advisors, keep track of these goals and help support students to reach them throughout the program. 

    Professional Social Media Profile (15 minutes, optional - can be covered at anytime)

          • Social media is becoming a very important tool and it will be discussed in relation to marketing later on. A professional social media profile is also an important tool much like a resume.
          • As students are preparing their nomination speeches, encourage them to reference the Professional Social Media Profile Checklist and videos in the JA Canada Digital Campus.
          • You may want to encourage students to build a profile and utilize it in their nomination presentation.
          • This is a good time to mention that later on when applying for employment students will be able to reference and leverage their JA experience therefore be sure to include it on resume and social media profiles under Organizations they have been involved with.
          • Mentors could consider displaying their own professional social media profile as examples.

     Next Steps

    Students:

          • Complete Product and Service Research for one idea and prepare to pitch to the group.
          • Watch the video Business Models on the JA Canada Resource Portal.
    Mentors:
          • Prepare for the product pitch process. 

    ____________________

    Transition to Phase 2: Unite

    In the past, JA Central Ontario has asked students to determine their student management team before selecting a product/service. This year, teams have the the flexibility and option to do what works best for them. 

    In Week 3, you have the option of:

    • continue the brainstorm process with your team
    • OR have students pitch their ideas and vote on their product/service to form their Companies if they are ready

    In Week 4, you have the option of:

    • have students pitch their ideas and vote their product / service (if not completed in Week 3) 
    • OR elect their Management team. 

    By the end of Week 5/6, you should have both your product/service selected and your management team elected.