Golden ticket
Houston author and consultant opens 'Wonkaland for business' studio and lab
Brad Deutser is taking his approach to business consulting and creative thinking to a whole new level with the Deutser Clarity Institute. The idea accelerator, think tank, and learning lab opens next month in Uptown.
"The Deutser Clarity Institute has captured the imagination of leaders across the country," says Deutser in a release. "Even with the available science on environmental design and leadership learning, we took a chance and pushed creativity and innovation to the farthest reaches to develop a fundamentally different space, way of learning and learning curriculum. We are also producing game changing research which will influence how leaders drive engagement." (Deutser serves on the board of InnovationMap.)
It's the first location for the Houston-based consultancy, which has a diverse staff made up of academicians, business leaders, professional athletes, and more. Deutser — who published his business strategy book, Leading Clarity, last year — has a goal to translate scientific studies and research into immersive education for business leaders. The institute's website describes it as "Wonkaland for business" and is supposed to surround its visitors with an imaginative space for clients' creative exploration.
Here are some design elements you can expect at DCI, according to the release:
- A 6-by-6-foot glass "Clarity Performance Index"
- A 10-by-10-foot energy obstruction grid
- 15 magic spinning cubes (games on two sides, whiteboard on one side and clarity exercise on one side of each cube)
- A "higher thinking" leadership game/journey on the ceiling
- A mirrored reflection room with exercises on each mirror and window pane
- The brain labyrinth
- A positivity beam
- A "leadership weave" which is a live research project on leadership competencies by industry.
- Tactile and engaging tools, like: magnets, stickers, colorful markers, multi-sized sticky notes and more.
Along with its grand opening, DCI is releasing its findings from a study on employee engagement. According to the release, the study analyzed over 13,500 employees in 13 areas that correlate to performance of organizations. Three of the 13 areas — vision + values, leadership, and team capability — have the biggest impact on employee retention and engagement.
InnovationMap is co-hosting the grand opening of the space.