Research Paper

Stony Brook University Innovation Lab
Christina Scalice
109056948

C. Scalice
[Date] Stony Brook University Innovation Lab 1
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary………………………………..…………..2
II. History & Mission/Vision …………………...……...…………3
III. SWOT Analysis………………………………………..………4
IV. Target Markets & Positioning…………………………...……..5
V. Marketing Recommendations & Implementation……….......…8
VI. Operations Recommendations & Implementation………....…17
VII. Conclusion……………………………………………………24
VIII. Appendix………………………………………………….…..25
IX. References…………………………………………………….36

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Executive Summary
The Innovation Lab is a collection of spaces on campus that are designed to facilitate all
stages of innovation and entrepreneurship while promoting cross disciplinary collaborations. It
includes the Innovation Lab and Innovation Design Studio at Stony Brook University. Students,
faculty and alumni can receive an orientation and become members of the Innovation Lab to
utilize its tools and resources. Using the list of members, three target markets are determined for
the Innovation Lab including women, non-engineering students and faculty members. These
target markets can be reached by planning/executing workshops to attract them to the facility.
Based upon data collected from a student focus group, case studies and research on
Innovation facilities at other universities, three marketing recommendations and three operations
recommendations are made to improve the Innovation Lab. In regards to marketing, the
Innovation Lab should redesign its online branding to accurately represent and highlight the
services/resources it provides to members in order to meet their expectations, increase promotion
of project development by staff and members occurring in the facilities and increase consistency
in communications to members. In regards to operations, the Innovation Lab should increase
consistency in Human Resources related functions including hiring and onboarding processes,
increase motivation and empowerment of employees to attain organizational goals and increase
transparency of organizational structure including responsibilities of each role.

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History & Mission/Vision
stages of innovation and entrepreneurship while promoting cross disciplinary
collaborations. The mission statement of the organization is to “inspire minds to think, create
and innovate at Stony Brook University.” Current facilities include the Innovation Lab and
Innovation Design Studio. The original facility, the Innovation Lab, opened in February 2015 as
a cross disciplinary space that encourages collaborative learning while providing the tools and
resources necessary for students to prototype their ideas and test the finished products. Tools
such as 3D printers, a vinyl cutter, a green screen, sewing machines, arduinos, and more allow
students to experiment and bring their ideas from concept to reality. Members have access to the
tools at no cost and can utilize the student staff for assistance. The Innovation Design Studio
followed in March 2016 as a team collaboration space where ideas come to life. Equipped with
whiteboard walls, iPads, voice activation, a Wormhole to the other space, and a smartboard,
students are encouraged to collaborate in the space and develop a plan before they put it into
action. More than your typical study space, the Innovation Design Studio allows members to use
the convenient space to their advantage while exploring endless possibilities.
The Innovation Lab’s vision is to institute a cross disciplinary cultural idea of innovation
in all aspects of Stony Brook University and develop one location that encompasses all services
for innovation and entrepreneurship from brainstorming to creation. The Innovation Lab strives
to establish partnerships with clubs, classes, colleges and centers located on and off the Stony
Brook campus. The facility promotes the thought process that technology isn’t a boundary, only
a stepping stone for the future and what has not been created yet.

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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Open to the entire Stony Brook
University community at no cost
 Offers tools, resources and
educational workshops necessary to
promote innovation and
entrepreneurship
 Opportunity for cross disciplinary
networking and collaborations
Weaknesses
 Lack of necessary staff to run
operations efficiently
 Inconsistent branding, marketing and
communications
 Low attendance at workshops and
events
 Lack of funding to advance the
technology and resources available
Opportunities
 Potential partnerships with on and off
campus organizations
 Utilize staff members to create
projects that can be promoted
 Expansion of facilities to include all
stages of innovation and
entrepreneurship in a centralized
location
Threats
 Private facilities at Stony Brook
University with tools/resources to
assist in innovation and
entrepreneurship
 External 3D printing and prototyping
services
 Workshops at “Campus Lifetime”
conflict with many other
organization’s meetings and events

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Target Market & Positioning
After completing an orientation session led by Innovation Lab staff members, individuals
must fill out a google form to complete their membership. This form records their name, status
(student, graduate student or faculty), major/minor or department, how they heard about the Lab,
reason for joining and workshop interests. After becoming a member, the individual must swipe
their Stony Brook ID card in an iPad scanner. An app is used to track the name of the member
and records the time and date they entered the Innovation Lab. According to the data collected,
three different target markets have been determined. The optimal way to attract these target
markets to the Innovation Lab is to plan/execute workshops and special events that tailor to the
target’s interests. These events bring the individuals into the space where they can gain exposure
to the Innovation Lab and its resources. From that point, they can become members and further
involve themselves in the facility.
The first target market the Innovation Lab should focus on is females. According to
Figure 1, 76.6% of members are Male and 23.4% are female making approximately three
quarters of members male. Michigan State University’s Innovation Center (MSU Innovation
Center) and University of California, Irvine’s Applied Innovation (UCI Applied Innovation)
have both hosted female focused events in their facilities. MSU Innovation Center hosts the
Fashion 411 Speaker Series that invites individuals to share their struggles and accomplishments
during their journey to success in fashion. The series was implemented to empower students to
learn about startups in the fashion industry (MSU Innovation Center, Events). MSU Innovation
Center additionally hosts the MSU Women in Entrepreneurship's discussion meetings about
various topics regarding their mission to “inspire and support women interested in

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entrepreneurship through a collaborative, innovative and empowering network” (Women in
Entrepreneurship). MSU promoted the Small Business Association (SBA) InnovateHER
Challenge by holding a food and discussion event that explained the demand for
products/services related to women and families (MSU Innovation Center, InnovateHER
Challenge). The event went over the guidelines for the competition and encouraged attendees to
enter for a chance to present their ideas at the InnovateHER: Innovating Women for Business
Summit in Washington, D.C. (Office of Women’s Business Ownership, Small Business
Association). UCI Applied Innovation hosted “GIRLBOSS” which was a panel of female
entrepreneurs to share their journeys and give feedback/advice to aspiring women (GIRLBOSS,
UCI Upcoming Events).
The second target market the Innovation Lab should focus on is non-engineering
majors. According to figure 54.5% of members are from the College of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, 27.5% from the College of Arts and Sciences and 5.7% from the College of
Business. All other majors made up only12.3%. Pennsylvania State University’s Maker
Commons (Penn State Maker Commons) offers multiple introductory level workshops to attract
individuals with little to no experience. These workshops include Introduction to Simple 3D
Modeling, 3D Printing Overview, Introduction to Prototyping using littleBits and Introduction to
Arduino Programming (Workshops, Pennsylvania State University). This gives non engineering
majors the opportunity to learn technology related skills which might not be readily available to
them in their fields. The MSU Innovation Center’s promotion of the InnovaterHER Challenge
that was previously mentioned is also applicable to attracting non engineering majors. This
event can bring a variety of individuals who are interested in women's studies, business, political
science or social justice.

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Finally, the last target market the Innovation Lab should focus on is faculty
members. According to figure 3, 98% of members identified themselves as students and 2%
identified themselves as faculty. UCI Applied Innovation hosts Lunch and Learn and One
Million Cup Irvine, both of which can be appealing to faculty members on campus. Lunch and
Learn is an informal platform where Experts in Residence can present various topics and answer
questions while refreshments are served (Lunch & Learn, UCI Upcoming Events). One Million
Cup Irvine occurs every Wednesday morning and gives startups the opportunity to pitch to an
audience that assists them in giving feedback, act as a focus group and ask questions all while
enjoying free coffee and tea provided by UCI Applied Innovation (One Million Cups Irvine, UCI
Upcoming Events). These events have an increased professional tone where faculty can feel
comfortable. They can attend and continue to help individuals learn and grow through their
advice and feedback. Networking is a vital aspect of career progression at any level and this
gives faculty the opportunity to network with current students, alumni and professionals.

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Marketing Recommendations & Implementation
The Innovation Lab should redesign its online branding to accurately represent and
highlight the services/resources it provides to members in order to meet their
expectations. When inquiring about perception of the facility based on the website, a
Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student who is a member of the Innovation Lab stated,
“It is a very poor representation of the Lab. This shows things that weren’t made in the Lab and
aren’t available there. You do so many cool things in the Lab, why aren’t you showing those
things? This is very disappointing.” This statement was specifically in reference to figure 4,
which is featured on the rotating banner of the home page of the website.
The home page is the first thing an individual sees and sets their expectations of the
facilities as well as determines whether they want to pursue additional information and become a
member. The University of Central Florida’s Engineering Leadership & Innovation Institute
(ELI2) utilizes a banner that features four rotating photos shown in figure 5. They highlight the
phrases “create, innovate, collaborate and deliver world changing solutions.” Each photo
features an action shot that coincides with the word or phrase at the bottom (ELI2, University of
Central Florida). Berkeley Innovation also utilizes a rotating banner very similar to the one on
the Innovation Lab website. They have four photographs that each have a short description
underneath with a link to one of their pages. Figure 6 shows how Berkeley promotes their
recruitment, projects, resources and general about by using the links to drive traffic to each page
(Berkeley Innovation, University of California, Berkeley).
A Biomedical Engineering graduate student and Psychology undergraduate student
expressed their desire for “pictures of tools with names beneath them and showing what they are

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and even what model.” Purdue University’s Artisan and Fabrication Lab ( Purdue AFL) has tabs
on their website for each of their five spaces - the Artisan Lab, Fabrication Lab, Unclean Room,
Demonstration Room and Prototyping Studio. Figure 7 shows an example of how each facility’s
page includes what the purpose of the area is and what resources are available there with
thumbnail pictures of each tool that can be enlarged when you click on them. New York
University’s Leslie eLab (NYU Leslie eLab) provides a “Prototyping Lab” section that includes
a bulleted list of all the tools available. The more complex prototyping tools like the 3D printers
and laser cutter have their make and models displayed as well. There are hours listed for training
sessions and a contact option to schedule one. Below training information is a link to a third
party website where you can reserve the prototyping tools for fifteen minutes at a time. The
website also features the name and headshot of “Prototyping Lab Guardians” who assist students
in this section of the NYU eLab (Leslie eLab, NYU Entrepreneurship). An MBA graduate
student stated when she hears “Innovation Lab” she imagines resources that include “people who
can help show you how to use equipment.” This feature on the NYU eLab website allows
students to see there is staff readily available to assist them with the tools and be able to
recognize them as they work because of the featured photo.
The Innovation Lab should start with changing the photographs on their rotating
banner. According to figure 8, 83% of focus group participants stated that staff pictures
shouldn’t be the focus of the website or any social media platforms. Figure 9 shows a screenshot
of the SBU Innovation Lab Facebook page that uses a staff picture as its cover photo. A
Biomedical Engineering student stated, “All I see is people in the Lab, not what is done in the
Lab.” A psychology student responded in agreement that she didn’t know what is actually going
on because all she saw was the staff in pictures. Similar to ELI2, the Innovation Lab uses the

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slogan “Think. Create. Innovate.” The rotating banner that is featured on the bottom of the ELI2
website can be imitated on the Innovation Lab’s website using its own slogan. According to
figure 10, 50% of focus group participants expressed interest in seeing action shots in these
featured positions on the website and social media platforms. Three pictures should be chosen
that are taken in the facility or at a hosted event that correspond with the three pillars that the
Innovation Lab uses to describe its organization. By choosing these three photos to represent
think, create and innovate, the rotating banner can then remain static and be updated once a
semester with new shots from the previous one. Having an update once a semester will assist in
keeping pictures up to date while still being consistent. Individuals can look forward to seeing
what pictures end up featured for the semester on the website banner.
In addition to a new rotating banner, the Innovation Lab should update the tools and
resources on each of its facility pages. Ideally, the concepts from the Purdue AFL and NYU
Leslie eLab should be combined. As an individual clicks on each facility page, a picture of the
facility should come up with a short blurb about its purpose. Underneath that should be a list of
tools and resources with pictures of each as well as the exact brand and model. For example, a
photo of the 3D printers with the description “Lulzbot Taz 5”. Having a picture of the tool with
its model allows individuals to associate a photo with the resource. The specific model allows
them to research on their own different specs and details about the tools before they enter the
Innovation Lab and prepare their prototypes and projects. The Innovation Lab has a “3D Print
Team” that is solely responsible for the 3D printing service that is provided to members. Similar
to the NYU Leslie eLab website, the picture and names of this team can be featured along with
the tools and resources. This helps members know what staff members they can go to with
questions about 3D designs and prints.

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The Innovation Lab should increase promotion of project development by staff and
members occurring in the facilities. One of the main purposes of the facilities is to bring ideas
from concepts to prototypes and eventually a functioning business. A Biomedical Engineering
undergraduate stated one of his expectations of the Innovation Lab is for it to be “crowded with
people working on projects.” Another student stated that when he visits the website he wants to
see “a project going on in the Lab that you can click on for more information. According to
figure 10, 50% of focus group participants want to see projects featured.
The NYU Leslie eLab had a significant support and focus for the startups that utilized
their space. When giving a tour or presentation, the manager, Adam Cragg, makes it a talking
point to discuss the many successful companies that have come from NYU and how they were
supported by the staff and resources available at the facility. The NYU Leslie eLab also has
prototypes and finished products by these companies in their facility. For example, Vengo, a
startup that created a slim vending machine that offers “point of purchase marketing and treats”
had their product in several places in the facility for people to use (Vengo, NYU
Entrepreneurship). Adam explained that Vengo was even featured on an episode of Shark
Tank. Having products in the facility empowers aspiring entrepreneurs by seeing that success is
a realistic possibility. NYU is also in the development stage of a concept called “Made By
NYU” which “showcases and celebrates the many startups founded by NYU students, faculty
and alumni” (Made By NYU, NYU Entrepreneurship). The startups are broken down into the
categories “hustling”, “scaling” and “made it” to represent the different stages of development
the companies fall under. As an individual clicks on each company, it has its own page that
gives details of the product/service, its founders and their association with NYU as well as a list

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of any NYU resources they utilized to get their company going (Made By NYU, NYU
Entrepreneurship).
University of California Berkeley’s Berkeley Innovation (Berkeley Innovation) hosts
cross disciplinary students who work on different projects to gain hands on experience in all
stages of product design and development (About, Berkeley Innovation). The website has a tab
dedicated to projects that links to Berkeley Innovation’s Behance portfolio. Behance is an online
platform that joined Adobe to give individuals the opportunity to showcase their creative
work. The Berkeley Innovation Behance has 11,712 views and 22 different projects featured
(Berkeley Innovation, Behance). An individual can click on the page and follow the product
from the objective down to the finished product. The page is concise, easy to read/follow and
features pictures of the process for each section.
MSU Innovation Center also has a less detailed section of their website dedicated to
informing individuals about startups that have utilized its resources. Under Spartan Innovation,
there is a portfolio tab that lets an individual scroll down to see a list of developing and
successful companies. Each company has their logo and full name featured. When you scroll
over the graphic, a short description pops up with contact information one person and the link to
the company's website. Although this is less prominent/detailed than other university project
tabs/features, it still helps promote successful MSU startups and inspire students, staff and
alumni to bring their ideas to a functioning business (Portfolio, Spartan Innovations).
The Innovation Lab utilizes a hashtag “#SBUcreate” that focuses on empowering
individuals to experiment and create in the Innovation Lab facilities. This hashtag can be
applicable to the concept that NYU has created with their “Made By NYU” promotion. The
Innovation Lab should start a promotion “SBU Created” that features projects and startups

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founded by Stony Brook University students, faculty and alumni. Features of MSU Innovation
Center, Berkeley Innovation and NYU Leslie eLab can be combined to design this
promotion. The Innovation Lab should start by creating a tab on their website called “SBU
Created” that has a short description stating the intent of the page which is to showcase projects
and startups founded by the Stony Brook University community. The page should be designed
with two columns of projects and each individual project had a square picture and either the
name of the project or startup below it. Like MSU Innovation Center, the individual can scroll
over the picture to get a short description of the project and a link to more
information. Following the link should be a picture of the finished product and a logo if
available. Underneath will be a longer description of the project and any Stony Brook University
resources that were utilized to make it successful. Similar to Berkeley Innovation, the page can
start with projects that the Innovation Lab’s cross disciplinary team has completed but the
aspiration should be to include all members of the community. Once a project is completed and
approved to be featured on the “SBU Created” page, it should be posted on social media
platforms Facebook and Instagram as well with a picture of the product and founders and a short
description no more than four lines.
The Innovation Lab should increase consistency in communications to
members. Currently, there are no schedules in place for any social media platforms, website
updates or emails. Consistent communication makes it easier for members to know when events
are occurring, what is going on in the Innovation Lab and how they can get more involved. It
also gives interested individuals time to plan events and visits to the facility into their
schedules. According to figure 11, 83% of focus group participants prefer their communications

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to come through Facebook and 33% also thought additional emails for periodic updates were
acceptable. A Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student explained that “each platform
serves its own purpose” meaning different types of communications should go through the most
effective communication channel depending on the context.
The Columbia Startup Lab has a simple method of communicating with the Columbia
community. Chris McGarry, manager of the Columbia Startup Lab, explained that they send out
monthly newsletters to a mailing list that includes any updates or events coming up in the
facility. Twitter is their only social media platform and has been very successful having 9,603
followers (ColumbiaEship, Twitter). Chris stated “We have more twitter followers than the
Football team and that’s pretty impressive.” The Columbia Eship twitter feed consists of
relevant retweets about entrepreneurship, links to blog posts about new startups and photos of
events and tours. For all other promotional purposes, the Columbia Startup Lab asks other
departments for assistance. Managers will contact the colleges of business, engineering, etc. to
advertise events and recruit new startup teams through their channels. This helps get the word
out about the Columbia Startup Lab to a diverse group of students in different disciplines.
MSU Innovation Center mainly uses Twitter and email for communications. There is an
option to sign up on the website to join the mailing list. It is described as “occasional
enewsletters and invitations to keep you up to date on MSU IC events and activities.” MSU
Innovation Center uses the service “MailChimp” to design and send any communications via
email. They recently sent out a Summer eNews Brief that included any news articles the facility
was featured in and upcoming events. Everything in the newsletter had a small picture, short
description and link to see more information and full articles. MSU Innovation Center is active
on its Twitter account which is linked to the homepage of its website. The facility has 1,898

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followers and tweets daily (MSU_Innovation, Twitter). Most of the feed features new MSU
technology that becomes available to be licensed. All pictures are consistent with a green MSU
Technologies banner and the phrase “New #MSU tech for license” with a link an individual can
click on to view more about it. The twitter feed also features new MSU patents, relevant
retweets of articles and events on campus.
ELI2 utilized Facebook and Twitter as its main platforms of communication. The
Facebook page has 677 likes and shares links of relevant articles, quotes and promotes different
ELI2events. There is a facebook event page created for each one that was shared but generated
minimum traffic with an average of only about 20 interested people. The facebook page also had
photo albums where pictures from each event were uploaded to their respective album. The
schedule for event promotion consisted of posting about the event 3-5 days prior, one day prior
and the day of. The Facebook page also promoted events of other clubs and organizations pages
in the UCF community (eli2ucf, Facebook). ELI2 also has a Twitter that has 125 followers but
has been inactive since April. Prior to April, the twitter feed consisted of pictures of events and
projects, promotion of upcoming events and relevant retweets from other UCF pages (eli2ucf,
Twitter).
The Innovation Lab should start implementing a monthly newsletter that will be sent out
via MailChimp. This service allows the newsletter to be designed in a template that will remain
consistent and be sent out to the list of members. This service can track data including the
number of opens and what exactly the individual clicked. The newsletter should include
upcoming events, workshops and any news articles that featured the Innovation Lab. For each
feature, there should be a picture, a small description and a link to click for more information and
if necessary for events RSVP forms. This will also assist in driving traffic to the website where

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there will be more information available to interested individuals. When asked how often they
would want to receive a monthly newsletter, according to figure 13, 100% of focus group
participants said once a month would suffice. The Innovation Lab should focus its event
promotion outside of the newsletter on Facebook. It requires no effort from individuals to see
promotions when already scrolling down their Facebook feed in comparison to opening an
email. Facebook posts should follow a schedule of posting 3-5 days prior to the event, the day
before the event and the day of the event. Facebook event pages should be created for larger
scale events such as Wolfie Tank in order to track potential attendees and keep all of the
information in a consolidated place. Workshop promotions should follow the same posting
schedule and have a short description of the time, place and topic. By keeping promotions
consistent and concise, members will find it easy to stay informed and potential members can
find information easily.

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Operations Recommendations &
Implementation
The Innovation Lab should increase consistency in Human Resources related
functions including hiring and onboarding processes. This will help increase the efficiency of
the selection and interview process while staying objective. It will also decrease turnover by
making sure the individuals hired are right for the position. Performance reviews will give staff
the opportunity for feedback as well as give management the opportunity to access their practices
and make changes when necessary.
Nestle has a hiring process that consists of multiple stages. It begins with an online
recruitment using campaigns to target specific groups. Recently, Nestle wanted to increase the
number of recent college graduates in its staff and ran the “Nestle needs YOUth” initiative. The
organization also promoted recruitment on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter
and LinkedIn. After the application process is completed, the organization requires a situational
strength test that gives potential employees a look into the realistic responsibilities of the role
and culture that is expected at Nestle. Following this test, applicants are given a numerical and
telephone/video screening and if they pass those, they attend an assessment centre day. This day
will include a strength based interview, written exercise to assess analytical business skills,
presentation to test reactions to specific scenarios and a group discussion to access the applicants
interaction with a team. This data is compared to a consistent set of key behavioral indicators
including traits such as pride, team supporter, project manager, etc. If the applicant is successful
to this point, they will be offered a position at Nestle. This process gave Nestle a 21% increase
in productivity, 12% increase in customer satisfaction, 33% increase in positive perception of the

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brand by candidates, 50% increase in volume of applications and 50% decrease in turnover.
(Nestle: The Role of Training and Development in Career Progression, Nestle).
Harrah’s Entertainment focuses on three main components in regards to hiring,
onboarding and performance reviews. First, Harrah’s finds the people appropriate for the
job. Following that, socialization is a key factor to successfully integrate a new employee into
the culture and position. Lastly, the organization wants to ensure the employee is successful
long term and remains motivated and empowered. After an application to Harrah’s is completed,
potential employees must complete two tests. One is a short 20 question test for an entry level
employees and a longer version for potential supervisors. Any position above a supervisor used
more intensive testing including the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Gordon
Personal Profile Inventory, Hogan Personal Inventory and a leadership opinion
questionnaire. These are examined by a director of assessments who holds a doctorate degree
who determines the results. After these standardizes evaluations, employees had an interview
with Human Resources and their department manager. Each individual who participates in an
interview must have completed a hiring and training course developed by Human
Resources. Following interviews, the candidate experiences a realistic job preview where they
would see both the positive and negative aspects of their role. After initial hiring, there are two
follow up interviews after 30 days of employment and after 45 days of employment. The first
meeting asks the employee how the job is going and the second inquires if the role met the
employee’s expectations (Delong & Vihayaraghavan, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc: Rewarding
Our People).
The Innovation Lab should start by developing and implementing a standardized test
prior to an applicant being called for an interview. There should be predetermined metrics that

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an applicant must achieve in order to be eligible for the interview process. This will help weed
out the many applications that are received for positions and give managers more time to put
toward onboarding and socialization of employees that are chosen. Upon completing the
standardized test to the liking of the hiring managers, the applicant will be given an interview
offer. This interview should take no longer than 30 minutes and include a predetermined list of
questions. The first few questions should be standard across all interviews and the following
should be specific to the role that they are applying for. If the interview is successful, the
applicant should be invited to a second round at the facility they are being considered for and
experience what a real shift is like. They should be informed of all aspects of the position
including the negative ones so they are fully aware of expectations. Upon hiring, the new
employees will receive an orientation by a manager that goes over all policies, procedures and
expectations/responsibilities. There should be a follow up interview after 30 days to inquire
about the progress of the employee, how they are fitting in with the culture and answer any
questions or concerns they may have. This helps the employee feel supported in their new role
and gives an open channel of communication between them and their manager.
The Innovation Lab should increase motivation and empowerment of employees to
attain organizational goals. This is mutually beneficial for both employees and managers of
the organization. It helps employees stay satisfied in their positions and continue learning and
growing individually to create a positive and strong team. It also helps the organization grow by
aligning the goals of the Innovation Lab with individual employee’s goals.
Harrah’s had an organizational goal to increase customer service and satisfaction across
all locations while promoting collaboration and teamwork. This was a difficult task because in

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the gaming industry, interaction with customers was discouraged. For example, if an employee
shook hands with a customer, they immediately had to show the cameras that there was no
money exchanged between them. Many employees found it easier to keep their distance instead
of increasing engagement which was negatively affecting customer service. To combat this,
Harrah’s created a gainsharing program that rewarded employees for improving customer
service. If departments met the quarterly satisfaction goal, they received a payout up to $200
depending on the level of performance. The cash bonuses acted as an incentive to both work
together with your department and improve teamwork as well as improve customer
service. Results were determined by a survey players took called the Targeted Player
Satisfaction Survey where customers rated various aspects of service with an A-F grading system
(Delong & Vihayaraghavan, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc: Rewarding Our People).
The Innovation Lab should develop its own incentive program to motivate and empower
employees. Although the department can’t offer monetary incentives, the facility has numerous
unique services that it can offer as an incentive. One of the goals of the Innovation Lab has been
to increase customer service and create a positive and collaborative culture. A survey can be
sent out every semester to members to rank customer service, positivity and other key indicators
the management team is focused on improving. A predetermined score will allow staff members
to attain their reward. One example is giving staff access to a staff only 3D printer so they can
print at their own leisure without having to be put on the queue. The staff must hit the
predetermined score every semester in order to have access to the printer. This can be applied to
any goal the organization has in a semester. It can begin with increasing customer service and
expand to a number of things such as completing project deadlines, executing better
opening/closing procedures or making sure all the equipment in the facilities is

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functioning. Each new goal must be feasible and measurable to keep the incentive program
fair. If the staff doesn’t hit the predetermined score, there should be an action plan developed
and executed by management to ensure the goal is hit the following semester.
The Innovation Lab should increase transparency of organizational structure
including responsibilities of each role. Having a defined organizational structure decreases
confusion amongst staff and lets each member know exactly what the expectations are of their
position. It also gives employees a clear indication of who they should go to with specific
questions or concerns. It generally makes operations run more smoothly and efficiently.
ELI2 has an organizational structure that begins with a Director and Assistant Director
that are responsible for running the programs and events as well as overseeing the facility. There
is an Academic Director, Creative Director and Marketing Director that are in charge of their
respective departments. ELI2 also has a Director for the Innovation Lab and a Director for the
Manufacturing Lab so each space has an individual that oversees daily operations and
logistics. There is a Project Manager and Events and Logistics Coordinator for the facility as
well. ELI2has a team of Department Representatives of professors from the College of
Engineering and Computer Science to advise in the best interest of the department. There are
student interns hired who handle all social outreach for the facility (The Team, ELI2).
The Columbia Startup Lab falls into the organizational structure of Columbia
Entrepreneurship. This structure starts with the Founder and Senior Managing Director who also
is the Senior Advisor to the President on all matters related to entrepreneurship. The Director of
Entrepreneurship launched the Columbia Startup Lab which has its own Manager and Assistant
Director of Special Projects who oversee all operations and communications regarding the

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facility. The Columbia Design Lab, another entrepreneurship related facility, also has its own
Manager. There is a program coordinator who handles all marketing, alumni engagement and
daily administrative tasks at the Columbia Startup Lab (About, Columbia Entrepreneurship).
The NYU Leslie eLab is primarily run by full time faculty members until roughly 5pm
when eight student interns run the facility until closing. The staff works under the provost so
there is no loyalty to a specific college or discipline. There is a board of advisors who oversee
the entrepreneurship program at NYU which includes advisement of the NYU Leslie eLab. The
facility has a Senior Director who oversees all programming and events. There are two Program
Managers who develop entrepreneurial events, classes and workshops, assist in matching
aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors, as well as oversee daily operations of the facility. The
NYU Leslie eLab has a Program Administrator who provides support in managing operations
and events at the facility. A Communications and Community Manager handles all digital
marketing and communications strategy and execution (About Institute, NYU Entrepreneurship).
The Innovation Lab needs to start by defining an organizational structure that will be
followed going forward and will be shared with staff members. Figure 13 suggests a flat
organizational structure to increase efficiency, clarity and communications amongst staff
members. All roles need to have defined responsibilities in order to ensure that expectations for
the organization are being met. The structure would have the Director at the top who oversees
all aspects of operations, marketing, strategy and events. There would be three lead positions
that manage the two spaces and one who manages all marketing and communications. Those
positions will report to the Director and be responsible for their own respective teams. These
teams would be cross trained in all areas of the Innovation Lab but would be staffed in one
location per semester. The Innovation Lab should propose an increase of full time faculty on the

C. Scalice
staff. Currently, all positions but the Director are students at Stony Brook University. By
changing the three lead positions to full time faculty members, it will increase efficiency
significantly. The responsibilities of the roles re
quire a large amount of time which is difficult for a full time student to dedicate. The previous
examples all have primarily faculty run organizations with assistance from student interns.
Increasing transparency by sharing all of this with the staff will increase trust, communication
and productivity for the Innovation Lab.

C. Scalice
Conclusion
stages of innovation and entrepreneurship while promoting cross disciplinary collaborations.
The first facility, the Innovation Lab, opened in February 2015 followed by the Innovation
Design Studio in March 2016. In order to reach optimal efficiency of the Innovation Lab
facilities, target markets, marketing recommendations and operations recommendations were
determined based on research of Innovation facilities at other universities in addition to data
collected from the Innovation Lab and a student focus group.
Based on these findings, three target markets were determined including females, non-
engineering majors and faculty members. These markets can be reached by hosting workshops
in the facilities that appeal to each market. The Innovation Lab should redesign its online
branding to accurately depict the resources and services it provides to members, increase
promotion of project development occurring in the facilities and increase consistency in
communication to members. The Innovation Lab should also increase consistency in Human
Resources related functions including hiring and onboarding processes, increase motivation and
empowerment of employees to attain organizational goals and increase transparency of
organizational structure including responsibilities of each role. Implementing these
recommendations will assist in the Innovation Lab acquiring its vision of developing one
institution to promote a cross disciplinary cultural idea of innovation and entrepreneurship across
Stony Brook University.

C. Scalice
Appendix
Figure 1
This figure shows the comparison between male and female members of the Innovation Lab.

C. Scalice
Figure 2
This figure shows the majors or departments of members of the Innovation Lab.

C. Scalice
Figure 3
This figure shows the comparison between student and faculty members of the Innovation Lab.

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Figure 4
This figure shows the pictures included in the rotating banner on the Innovation Lab website.

C. Scalice
Figure 5
This figure shows the pictures included in the rotating banner on the Engineering Leadership and
Innovation Institute’s website.

C. Scalice
Figure 6
This figure shows the pictures included in the rotating banner on the Berkeley Innovation
website.

C. Scalice
Figure 7
This figure shows a screenshot of how the resources available are listed on the Artisan and
Fabrication Lab’s website.

C. Scalice
Figure 8
What do you think needs to be improved on our website and social media?
Participant 1 N/A
Participant 2 “I see pictures of the staff at these events but what did you make here?”
Participant 3 “Staff pictures humanize you guys but shouldn’t be the focus.”
Participant 4 “The cover photo is not the spot for team pictures.”
Participant 5 “All I see is the people in the Lab not what is done in the Lab.”
Participant 6 “I don’t know what’s actually going on. All I see is you guys.”
This figure shows the amount of people in the focus group who agreed that staff pictures
shouldn’t be the focus of any website or social media platforms.
Figure 9
This figure shows a screenshot of the Innovation Lab Facebook page.

C. Scalice
Figure 10
What would you want to see featured on our social media platforms?
Participant
1
N/A
Participant
2
“Action shots of people working in the Lab.”
Participant
3
“Showcase projects completed in the Lab.”
Participant
4
“Action shots of people working together, collaborating and brainstorming.”
Participant
5
“Different projects so you can see what is possible with the resources.”
Participant
6
“Completed projects. Showcase staff work as well as member work. Show
what can be done and give others ideas.”
What do you expect to see on the homepage of a website?
Participant
1
“Open hours.”
Participant
2
“Open hours and a list of tools available.”
Participant
3
“Action shots. A monthly spotlight on a project going on in the Lab that you can
click on for more information.”
Participant
4
N/A
Participant
5
“Easy to navigate and use.”
Participant
6
N/A
These two tables show the amount of focus group participants who expressed interest in seeing
action shots and/or projects.

C. Scalice
Figure 11
What would be your preferred method of communication regarding the Innovation Lab?
Participant
1
N/A
Participant
2
“I wouldn’t want to take the time to go check the website for updates. Facebook
is the easiest and if you use eye catching pictures I can click for more
information.”
Participant
3
“Facebook or social media.”
Participant
4
“Email is okay for periodic updates but mostly Facebook.”
Participant
5
“Facebook.”
Participant
6
“Facebook or Twitter. Email is okay for periodic updates.”
This figure shows focus group participant’s preferred method of communication about the
Innovation Lab.
Figure 12
If the Innovation Lab send out a regularly scheduled newsletter, how often would you want to
receive them?
Participant 1 “Once a month.”
This figure shows how often focus group participants would want to receive a newsletter about
updates and events regarding the Innovation Lab.

C. Scalice
Figure 13
This figure shows the recommended organizational structure of the Innovation Lab.
Director
Innovation
Lab Lead
Innovation
Lab Staff
3D Print
Team
Design
Studio Lead
Design
Studio Staff
Marketing
Lead
Marketing
Team
Workshop
Coordinator
Graphic
Designer

C. Scalice
References
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