Design Thinking Script

This presentation is intended to help you better understand the Capstone– the final project that looms over you throughout the program. Trust me – it’s not scary. In fact, it’s a great way to showcase what you’ve learned. And we want to help you do what other students across the country are doing– so that you can remain competitive, move forward in your career, and do something great.

What is a Capstone?

The concept of a capstone comes to us from architecture– the last stone in a structure that holds everything together. See the image here? That’s a capstone.

For our purposes in academe, a capstone is a student’s culminating project within an academic program. Could be undergrad, could be grad. The intention of a capstone is that it be something you can show off upon graduation– a concrete way of demonstrating what you’ve learned in a way that is industry-relevant and that pushes you forward in your career.

For you, it will be the summary and synthesis of your work here in, the Master’s program– woven together to result in whatever you feel best showcases what you’ve learned. It involves you collecting information and insights across the program, applying what you’re learning in each course to whatever it is you want to come away with when you graduate –

A capstone can be literally anything. It can be an intrapreneurial project that you implement at your current place of business – working with a mentor at your organization who will champion your ideas and help you shape the final product– a new work flow, a new system design, anything you envision needing improvement. This could be presented in a series of flow charts, supported by recorded interviews with individuals frustrated with obstacles to a seamless process. It can be a collaboration with a community group – a plan for healing garden where you work with local architects and secure funding, a business plan to help an animal shelter expand its reach. It could even be a detailed proposal for a new position– for yourself– at your organization or an organization you’ve identified as a great fit. This would require work with HR, benchmarking other similar positions, and garnering support from stakeholders for this new role that you might fill upon graduation. As we will continue to say throughout the program – define “health” broadly.

A capstone also requires support – not just from us on the academic side of things, but also from individuals within your current or desired organization – or whichever place you’re choosing to intervene. You can’t simply walk up to an animal shelter without having introduced yourself or cultivated a relationship – and tell them you want to help them expand. You can’t walk into your boss’ office and simply tell him or her that you want a new position– you have to create the relationship and identify the need – and demonstrate your value. Why should those around you believe that you can solve what needs to be solved? Proof of your expertise and your knowledge is crucial– that’s what a capstone is about. A way to get this started? Find a mentor immediately. Share with them your dreams and hopes. Could be a family member – but often, our family doesn’t know the ins and outs of our organizations, and may not be objective – we love them, and they love us – and that’s part of the difficulty! So I’d suggest you seek someone outside, and someone who you believe will push you to excel. This is important your immediate circle, someone you know, who will ask you the hard questions .

And this is why we’re asking you to brainstorm now – starting in this first course of the program. I want you to come away from this MHA with processes and products that really COUNT – fundamentally changing the organizations and environments in which you find yourselves. I want employers to say – those MHA grads are forces to be reckoned with – they truly are Driving the Future of Healthcare.

Our friend Dr. Csikszentmihalyi talked to us a few weeks ago about Flow. In his book, The Psychology of Flow (1990) – he writes about “optimal experience.”

He believes that optimal experiences occur when body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.

This stretch is what the Capstone is about. Please consider thinking about it as something to take joy in – an innovation that you’re going to bring to life yourself, and then have bragging rights too.

I’d ask the same of you regarding the entire program– an MHA isn’t easy– it’s not supposed to be– but my hope is that you’ll learn a lot along the way and it will be useful to you. SO just humor us, go this capstone with reckless abandon and let yourself experience Flow. Let’s see what you can do! And– keep calm and finish your Capstone. 

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