The document discusses the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University which aims to foster creative chaos through interdisciplinary collaboration. It summarizes a study that found more diverse teams led to more conflict during the process but more innovative, higher quality end products. The ETC provides orchestration and support for diverse teams through its project-based curriculum and emphasis on skills like improv to embrace uncertainty and shape experiences. Graduates are described as collaborative, innovative problem solvers comfortable with ambiguity.

1. Creative Chaos
Making the Magic!
!
Drew Davidson

2. A Little About Me

3. Creative Production
Design & Development !
Communication & Collaboration!
Leadership & Management!
Schedule & Budget!
Trust & Respect

4. Creative Chaos
Ambiguous Ideas & Uncertain Results!
Rapid Prototyping & Iterative Design!
Flexible Process & Comfort with Unknowns

5. Making Stuff
Intellectual Property!
Not Ideas, What is Created!
Sharing Development!
Do the Work, not What They Want

6. Making the Magic
New, Useful, Good!
Design Process!
Production Plan!
Problem Solving!
Applied Research!
Critical Creation

7. How?

8. CMU Tepper Study of ETC
Laurie Weingart!
Sr. Assc Dean of Education & Carnegie Bosch Professor
of Organizational Behavior and Theory, Tepper, CMU!
Gergana Todorova!
University of Miami!
Kenneth Goh!
University of Western Ontario

9. ETC Study Methods
How Does Expertise Diversity Translate into Innovation?!
60 ETC Projects (2008-2011)!
Teams Surveyed 4 Times during Semester!
Observations & Interviews!
Independent Ratings of Final Product

10. ETC Study Measures
Team Processes!
Conflict & Communication!
Coordination & Leadership!
Faculty Ratings!
Innovation, Quality!
Useful, Usable, Desirable

11. ETC Study Results
More Diversity Leads to:!
More Conflict during Process!
and!
More Useful, Usable, Desirable Products!
Higher Quality & More Innovation

12. Further ETC Data*
Gender, Ethnicity, Work Experience!
Project Type, Team Size, Instructors!
Familiarity, Leadership, Valuing Diversity
*2014, Anna Mayo
CMU Tepper Doctoral Student

13. Creativity is Chaotic
Creative Process is Inherently Chaotic!
More Diversity is Better & Harder!
Failures Happen, On Going Challenge!
Orchestration, Support

14. Orchestration & Support
ETC - 2-Year Professional Master’s Program!
Around 150 Students (40%/40%/20%)!
Diverse Faculty!
Interdisciplinary Teams!
Project-Based Curriculum

15. Art | Technology | Design
College of Fine Arts!
School of Computer Science!
Communication & Collaboration across Disciplines

16. Entertainment Technologies
Games, Animation, Theme Parks, Museums,
Augmented Reality, Mobile, Robotics, Interactive
Performances, Websites, Film, CrossMedia…!
Education, Training, Health, Medical, Civics,
Entertainment…!
And More…

17. Immersion Core Courses
Building Virtual Worlds!
Visual Story!
Improv!
Fundamentals

18. Improv
Yes and…!
Shaping Experiences!
Comfort with Chaos!
Something from Nothing!
Serve the Story

19. Workshops & Lectures
Skills, Process, Strengths, Conflict Management, Playtesting,
Aesthetics, Design, Intellectual Property, Branding,
Entrepreneurialism, Public Speaking, Pitching, Interviews,
Professional Communication, Portfolios, Resumes, Critique,
Analysis, Personal Health, Project Management, Agile
Development, Producing, Storytelling, Field Overview,
Professional Development, Life-Long Learning…!
And More…

20. ETC Projects
Balanced Teams!
Group Product Grades!
Individual Process Grades!
Performance Reviews!
Life-Long Learning

21. Festivals
Public!
BVW!
Transformational Experiences

22. ETC Grads
Collaborative, Innovative!
Expect & Embrace Diversity!
Creative Problem Solvers!
Comfortable Doing Things They’ve Never Done Before

23. Pro Tips

24. Feedback
10 years worth in 2 !
When you’re screwing up, and nobody is
saying anything to you anymore, that means
they gave up. - Randy Pausch

25. Valuing Diversity
Gender, Sexual Orientation, Ethnicity, Socio-Economic,
Culture, Religion, Age, Disability, Expertise…!
Inclusive & Supportive!
Actions & Words!
Product & Process!
Discuss & Address!
Culture & Community!
Difference & Progress

26. Responsibility
For the Work!
For Dealing with Colleagues!
For Mistakes, Failures, Regrets!
For What They Don’t Know!
For Being Their Best

27. Comfortability
With Responsibility!
With the Unknown!
With New Challenges!
With Failures!
With Themselves

28. People (Can) Suck
Supervisor!
Client!
Colleagues!
Bureaucracy!
Public!
You

29. Reputation
Good Colleague, Good Team Member, Good Attitude!
Not How Smart or Talented, Not Better!
Continual Process, Manners!
Actions as Well as Words

30. Reputation
Fun to Play With (Not, Have Fun Playing!
Quality, Quantity, Effort!
Be Good, Be Pleasant, Be On Time!
Awful - Average - Awesome

31. Collaboration

32. Not So Much

33. More Like It

34. Less Talk, More Rock

35. Less Talk, More Rock

36. Less Talk, More Rock

37. Constraints
Creativity Needs Context!
Yes and…!
Sometimes No

38. Failure
Learn From Mistakes, Develop Grit!
Fail Faster, Experiment, Explore!
Rapid Prototyping!
Iterate toward Solutions

39. Experience
Ultimate Design Goal!
For the User, Player, Guest…

40. Transformational Experiences
Design for Impact!
Creativity for Good!
Changes in Our Daily Lives

41. ETC Creative Good Fund

42. Creative Chaos
Making The Magic !
Diversity is Valuable
& Challenging!
Process & Support