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FAQ - Overview
What do you need to know about the Design at Business Association?
If you can't find the answer to your question here, please write to us.
1. What is the purpose of DatB?
WE ARE
…an association, a diverse community of creators, innovators and change makers. Active in several domains and across multiple-sized organizations, like-minded leaders and practitioners, collaborating for advancing the adoption of meaningful innovation practices both in business and society at large.
2. What does DatB do?
WE AIM
…to help our individual members to join forces, create bridges between organizations, and share ideas and experiences. This shared knowledge enables them and the organizations they work for to build a vibrant and sustainable business, while making a purposeful impact in society.
WE PROVIDE
...the community with:
- A platform to connect (1);
- and together develop a more accurate understanding of future individual and collective human needs (2).
- To develop original innovation approaches (3);
- an environment to apply these new approaches (4);
- opportunities for its members to expand their innovation skills (5).
Outcomes can be used to leverage and propagate innovation in everyone's own organization and to achieve social impact as DatB.
Despite belonging to different organizations from around the globe, members get the chance to meet regularly face to face (or online) in a trusting environment, e.g. in the form of regional Meetups, training sessions and an annual global summit.
3. Why should I join?
You should join…
- to connect and collaborate with a diverse group of people with various backgrounds (companies, NGOs, universities, governments) to drive the topics of innovation, change and entrepreneurship.
- to take advantage of various platforms and formats to easily exchange, share and talk about success stories, failures, best practices, and the impact of adopting a design-led innovation approach in organizations.
- to leverage the value DatB creates on an individual level as well as for organizations while making a purposeful impact in society.
Benefits for individuals
- Find peers who share the same challenges and work jointly on solutions through programs.
- Learn from experienced creators, innovators and change-makers by connecting amongst each other and through community events.
- Drive the next generation of innovation in organizations by leveraging best practices for new approaches.
- Gain insights and new inspiration for daily work and challenges.
Benefits for organizations
- Learn faster and accelerate the adoption of Innovation.
- Develop and train people by creating joint learning experiences and create new models for skill-up sessions across the globe.
- Grow innovation strategically and sustainably.
- Establish thought leadership and a design-driven innovation culture in collaboration with other organizations.
4. Who can become a member and how?
Any physical person may become a member, if…
- they have demonstrated their dedication and loyalty to the goals and purpose of the Association through their behavior, commitments, or actions.
- they have agreed to the Association's statutes and privacy policy.
Your first step to become a member
- is to register for any of the events organized by Design at Business and its chapters. By that, you accept the DatB statutes and regulations, as well as privacy, IP and NDA conditions. From then on you will be actively invited to future events and activities and you have the status "candidate member".
To become an active member,
- you have to have participated in at least one Design at Business activity and/or event and are nominated to become an Active member by at least one other Active or Executive member. Active members will be approved in the General Meeting.
5. What do I have to commit to when I become a member and for how long?
As a candidate member…
- you can register and participate in any of the events organized by Design at Business and its chapters. With your registration you accept the DatB statutes and regulations, as well as privacy, IP and NDA conditions and you will be actively invited to future events and activities. There is no defined time frame or limit of events to participate.
As an active member
- Have participated at least in one Design at Business activity and/or event.
- Are nominated to become an Active member by at least one other Active or Executive member.
- Are expected to participate actively in events or meetups, share their thoughts and experiences, contribute to working groups and to support social projects in person or by donation.
- Active members cannot vote. They can organize a Design at Business event – alone or with other members and the support of the Association.
- Active members are actively invited and allowed to participate in all activities. They have full access to all materials and content […].
As an executive member
- Has at least been an active member for one year and played an active role with clear contribution to the Association’s goals and purpose.
- Are invited by the General Meeting or the Board to take over a formal role, have accepted this position and live them up are nominated as executive members.
- They initiate, lead, and steer main activities within Design at Business and to support social projects in person or by donation.
- They have the right to vote in the general Meeting. This voting right also continues up to two years after leaving the active role as executive member.
- In addition, Executive members have all rights of an Active member.
7. Do executive members need to be Executives?
No.
The name "executive members" does not require or imply that a member holds an executive position at a company. An executive member may happen to be an executive, but it is not required.
8. Do executive members pay a different membership fee?
No.
Both executive and active members pay the same membership and contributions fees.
9. What costs are associated with the membership?
The membership contributions and/or fees will be determined once a year by the General Meeting.
Membership fee for 2022: Active participation is $ 0.00
The Association lives through its members. Active members are expected to participate actively in events or meetups, share their thoughts and experiences, contribute to working groups and support social projects in person or by donation.
In order to fund a project with social impact, the General Meeting on 14th OCT 2021, agreed to implement a regular membership donation for each chapter. The minimum
amount recommended is
$ 25.00 per member/p.a.
In 2022 the process will be operationalized, and the aim is to run one social project for DatB in that year. Once the project and scope are defined, an invitation to contribute will be sent out to all members by the chapter leads.
10. How can I support DatB?
You can support by
- becoming an Active or Executive Member.
- assuming a leading role in the global organization (Program Lead) or in one of the chapters (join the chapter leadership team).
- becoming a chapter lead (or co-lead).
- becoming a Sponsor that contributes to DatB in kind or in currency.
- becoming a Partner Organization that works with DatB.
- planning and delivering an activity or event (Skill-up, Meetup, unconference, Co-create project, etc.) for your local chapter.
- starting an approved new chapter.
11. What is a chapter?*
Chapters are organized local networks within the formal organization of Design at Business.
As Design at Business has a global reach and ambition, it installs local Chapters with the objective to create and motivate local networks, utilizing the global scope and strength of Design at Business.
The chapters are led by Chapter Leads.
Chapter Leads and their teams represent the meaning and purpose of Design at Business in a local area any time and are bound to behave and work according to the statutes and regulations of the Association (Code of Conduct, Communication Guidelines, etc.).
* For further information, please refer to the Association's statutes, Article 10
12. What if I want to start a new chapter?*
Chapters can be initiated by the Board or by any Executive member.
The Board can initiate a chapter by inviting an Active member or Executive member to investigate and install a Chapter in a certain area. Any Active member or Executive member can suggest the Board to do so. If the Board supports the suggestion, it can install a temporary Chapter Lead. In both cases, the formal installation of a Chapter requires approval from the General Meeting.
The formal request to start a Chapter needs to be submitted to the General Meeting using the respective form. The request shall be brought to any Board member at least 4 weeks before the next General Meeting.
The Association holds no restrictions to the number of chapters. There can be installed as many chapters as seen necessary by the General Meeting and the Board.
* For further information, please refer to the Association's statutes, Article 10.2
13. What is a Program?*
As Design at Business represents a diverse community of creators, innovators, and change makers that collaborate for advancing the adoption of meaningful innovation practices, it drives programs that unite contributors to work together.
Programs can be initiated by the Board or by any Executive member.
The programs are led by Program Leads.
Program Leads and their teams represent the meaning and purpose of Design at Business in a local area any time and are bound to behave and work according to the statutes and regulations of the Association (Code of Conduct, Communication Guidelines, etc.).
*For further information, please refer to the Association's statutes, Article 11
14. How do I find a contact person in my region?
The primary contact person in your region is the Chapter Lead.
You can find a form to contact the respective chapters here
If your region/country is not represented (yet!) please contact the nearest regional Chapter Lead or send us a message by using this form: