According to an analysis by Credit Suisse, the average age of a listed company has fallen from almost 60 years old in the 1950s to less than 20 years at present. There are several reasons for this, the biggest being disruption through technology. SPOs and other entities in the social space have experienced this as well.
Organizations that are not flexible enough to adapt to their current realities see their funding or revenue streams melt away as more technologically capable firms replace them in the value-chain.
What is a Sandbox?
A Sandbox is meant to be a function within your organisation, not unlike other core functions. Just as the H.R function ensures capacity building and L&D ensures capability, the Sandbox is an executive function, that offers the steering team with a string of strategic-options.
Strategic-options may be seen as a set of alternate and real responses to market opportunity or threat. A set of on-hand options allows the steering team the ability to fall back on informed and ready-to-be-acted-upon plans based on emergent market situations.
How does a Sandbox work?
Sandboxes are different from R&D centers and Innovation Labs. While R&D centers largely focus on material that enables New Product Development, and Innovation Labs aim for moon shots, Sandboxes stand in between. They provide data from prototyping and testing new products and services, while also providing strategic context, such as go-to-market strategies or new business models.
The obvious need for a Sandbox is to ensure cost-savings and that existing work and workforce is not disrupted. In this sense, the Sandbox is not unlike a bootstrapped startup. It works on a tight budget with a small team. Typical Sandbox projects may involve:
- Developing a new service
- Improving an existing service
- Evolving a new business-process
- Planning and prototyping support for new ventures
The role of the Sandbox is to provide a mature enough output that can act as a viable strategic option, should the executive team decide to act on it.
How Sandbox Setups Work
Ideasutra helps organisations set up and staff their own internal Sandboxes. We work closely with the client team to understand their business need, how the team operates and the work culture ties it all in together. Based on initial research, we develop a framework for the Sandbox, prototype and test the framework, and train the team that will be responsible for day to day functioning of the Sandbox.
The Ideasutra Sandbox
We also maintain our own internal Sandbox to build momentum towards solution development. Take a look at some of our projects.
- Penciljam
Penciljam is a community of practice that comes together as a group to sketch urban spaces. Operating across major cities, this CoP is a little over a decade old. - Pencilplay
Pencilplay explores how childrens drawings may be used as a diagnostic tool in early childhood development - Playjam
Is there a need for a learning bridge between home and preschool? Playjam imagines a rolling-school, that is built around play and parental-bonding. - Trellis
Trellis is an Entrepreneur Support Network designed to promote entrepreneurial education through a community of practice - Work from Art
Work from Art combats workplace mental health issues using principles from Art & Design