Development

When you are hired as an academic, irrespective of discipline, it is expected that you are specialized in said discipline. And rightfully so, considering that your PhD studies and potentially a postdoctoral fellowship started you on your journey towards towards become an expert in your field. However, academia often expects you to wear many proverbial hats that extend beyond your discipline-specific knowledge, and for which it is likely you received little to no prior training. For example, you may be expected to be a leader, mentor, administrator, budget analyst, laboratory manger, and communications specialist, to name but a few. These expectations can be overwhelming, not least because you’ll likely be asking yourself: Where do I start?

Sciducio was developed to provide academics with a practical framework for guiding the development and leadership of an academic research environment.As depicted below, the framework (Sciducio) consists of a number of blocks, which are the scaffolding to the framework. A block is a latent construct and is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Tools (which we use synonymously with strategies) are required to develop and apply the blocks. 

Our goal with Sciducio was/is to create a singular, digestible framework that assists in guiding the development and leadership of an academic research environment. To assist with this goal, we reviewed several existing resources (e.g., frameworks, theories, tools) that have been successfully utilized within industry. The need for exploring and assimilating multiple resources was based on two assumptions: (i) there is no one-size-fits-all approach for both developing and leading a new business (or academic research environment); and (ii) most academics do not have business degrees and have neither the time or inclination to comprehend and utilize multiple, disparate resources that can assist with purpose, project, and people management.

In developing Sciducio, we began by exploring business models that could be adapted and serve as a foundation.  A business model specifically describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value. 1 These verbs lend themselves well to the academic research environment. We identified two widely used models: (i) Business Model Canvas, 2 and (ii) Lean Canvas. 3 The Business Model Canvas, a widely used tool for conceiving the business model of a startup, is comprised of five domains made up of nine building blocks: infrastructure (key activities, key resources, and partner network), offering (value propositions), customers (customer segments, channels, and customer relationships), finances (cost structure), and revenue streams. This model is intended to be printed on a large canvas, to which groups of individuals can contribute. The Lean Canvas evolved from the Business Model Canvas and is similarly comprised of nine building blocks (problem, customer segments, unique value proposition, solution, channels, revenue streams, cost structure, key metrics, and unfair advantage). However, the block titles and purposes sit in a logical order, beginning with the problem (value proposition). Ultimately, both models have been conceived to translate thoughts into assertive, actionable language, and to do so with minimal time demand.