1. Creating a Vibrant Workplace: Health and Wellness Dojos Open IDEO Challenge 2013 Fred Krawchuk

2. Agenda Purpose Background Desired Outcomes Project Considerations Design Components Cost Summary References

3. Purpose The focus of this concept is to recommend a practical, low-cost approach on how to integrate health and wellness within a given workplace and its local community

4. Background This proposal applies a proven way that has been used successfully over hundred of years to help train people to adopt healthy habits The term dojo derives from the traditional Japanese martial arts; it means the “place of training.” Its origin is from the Sanskrit word Bodhi-manda, which translates to the “place of awakening.” A dojo is a place to awaken and learn new ways of being in the world. (Richard Strozzi Heckler, “The Leadership Dojo”) A health and wellness dojo could be a public park, local YMCA, or a conference room It’s not so much about the structural elements as it is about its purpose A health and wellness dojo is a space of commitment in which people engage in a collective practice for health and wellness learning and transformation

5. Desired Outcomes Establish a health and wellness dojo that provides for the needs (mind, body, and spirit) of an organization and its local community Provide ongoing health and wellness training that benefits employees, families, and the local community Integrate health and wellness with the values and culture of the organization Design a collaborative platform to: Share wellness knowledge, resources, and opportunities Connect health resources to needs of the employees/community

6. Project Considerations Design of a health and wellness dojo should include a shared understanding of what stakeholders mean by health and wellness People will have different needs and perspectives regarding fitness, such as performance enhancement, resiliency, diet, exercise, and/or a sense of well-being Successful design is more than just building capacity (such as hiring a health and wellness expert)…it’s about creating a program that connects locally available resources to employee needs in order to vitalize the workplace Physical fitness is one component of health One could have lots of physically fit people in a workplace, but the environment could still be toxic How people treat each other, what they value, and how they interact with the local community are also indicators of mental and emotional health

7. Design Components of the Health and Wellness Dojo Practices Coaching/ Teaching Support Resources Learning Space Training Partners Purpose/I ncentives Organizational Will/Capacity

8. Design Component: Purpose Understanding why an organization will focus on health and wellness will help widen the support base, assuming employee needs are taken into consideration Organizational values should reflect health and wellness to help generate support Designers can build a bridge between organizational needs and required resources in order to create an appropriate and sustainable wellness program

9. Design Component: Individual Practices People learn in different ways (visually, orally, kinesthetically) and along different lines of development (physical, intellectual, emotional, etc.) Consider a variety of practices that stimulate physical, emotional, and interpersonal growth Meditation, yoga, somatic movement, martial arts, strength, and endurance training are beneficial possibilities

10. Design Component: Collective Practice A health and wellness dojo provide the space to build new individual and collective skills Collective training can provide a common language and framework for health and wellness across an organization Focus on simple exercises that promote embodied learning (not just intellectual understanding) To help integrate the value of health and wellness within the culture of the organization, consider collective practices such as somatic movement

11. Somatics: Simple Aikido-based movement exercises Help people learn embodied techniques for conflict resolution, making requests, and finding new ways to take collective action Promotes healthy interactions between people, which also improves the vitality of the work environment Provides a common language and framework for health and wellness conversations Bridges individual health practices with the organizational value of wellness

12. Design Component: Trainers Competent and passionate teachers Provide an integral component to a dojo Attract and incentivize employees who want to grow Look inside the workplace to discover talented trainers willing to share their passion with fellow employees Seek ways to exchange services between the workplace and local community Medical professionals Experts in diet and nutrition Physical fitness trainers Executive coaches Meditation teachers

13. Design Component: Space Consider space for both movement and quiet reflection Look at existing space for the initial site of the dojo (inside and outside of the organization) Conference room Local park Yoga studio YMCA Parks and recreation facility Religious center School auditorium Fitness training center

14. Design Component: Training Partners and Support Encourage employees to work with partners to achieve their goals Provide online resources and a collaborative platform to share best practices, recipes, training ideas, fitness knowledge, and other wellness resources fitness Demonstrate senior leadership by example to help ensure a supportive environment for employee fitness

15. Design Component: Organizational Will and Capacity for Health and Wellness - Empower and support initiative - Develop systems for sustainment - Link to community - Focus on incentives - Address alignment of organizational values and wellness - Understand and address employee needs - Provide training that bolsters enthusiasm and builds capacity - Provide incentives (carrots and sticks) - Requires high investment and change management approach High Will Low Capacity High Capacity Low Will

16. Cost Requires a small team (designers, health and wellness experts, employees, interested community members) to facilitate the design of the dojo Relies on local spaces, teachers/coaches, inherent organizational talent, and other resources already available in the community to help keep costs low Cost will vary depending on organizational will and capacity for health and wellness The higher the level of will and capacity, the lower the cost

17. Summary: A Systematic Design to Integrate Health and Wellness in the Workplace Practices Coaching/ Teaching Support Resources Learning Space Training Partners Purpose/I ncentives Organizational Will/Capacity

18. References Richard Strozzi Heckler, Leadership Dojo, Frog Publishers: 2004 Ken Wilbur, Terry Patten, Adam Leonard and Marco Morelli, Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Integral Books: 2008