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# What
A Designer and a Social Worker helping create enjoyable workplaces, one company at a time.
## What?
### We Walk You Through Tough Conversations
Conversations about culture, values, and strategy can be tricky. If done right, they can be scary. If done wrong, they can be boring. We facilitate workshops to help you tackle big problems and make those tough conversations a little easier to manage.
### Rock the Boat
Sometimes you just need to get out of a rut. You've got a great team, a great workflow, but something's a bit off. Sometimes it just takes a new pair of eyes to see what's going on, and a new voice to make a change.
### We Make Things to Support Your Culture
Organizational Psychology is great, but what happens when the session is over? We believe that in order to make sustainable changes in an organization, there needs to be systems, processes, and procedures in place. That's where human-centered design comes in to play.
### And Build Communities in Companies
Office layout, email etiquette, orientation, weekly meetings, these are all necessary times for people to get together and interact, and can all be designed to be uplifting and efficient. We know its hard, but with a little effort, any company can have a community vibe.
## So What?
*People Are People*. Why not create a place where all of that human-human interaction is used for the powers of good?
*Talking is Efficient*. One face-to-face chat can replace hours of email.
*The Product Isn't Everything*. A culture of conversation can create a vibrant space for productivity. We know because that's how we work.
*Work Is a Big Part of Life*. 'Nuff said.
## Now What?
Read about a project that Elliott worked on in the past. It will give you a good example of the types of problems we want to solve, and the types of solutions we go for. You can also try
# Who
We believe in the power of liberal arts, social sciences, nerds, and artists.
## Hi I'm Carlos
I’m the social worker. Well, clinical social worker to be precise. The last three years I’ve been getting my feet wet in psychodynamic theories of human development. Practicing precision in assessing individual human psychology to understand my passion a little better. What’s my passion? Connection. Well, maybe disconnection is more accurate. I can’t help but notice all of the disconnection around me. Let me tell you how I got here.
I got into MIT, so I went. No brainer. A degree in Computer Science taught me a lot about complexity, collaborative working, intense focus, and the potential of geek culture. At the end, I left throbbing and a bit naive. I wanted to help people, not “just be successful”. That ended me up in a rural village along the Haitian-Dominican border training computer teachers, collaborating with community member committees, and designing programs for community resources. While there, I informally researched the lives of my community, their connections to each other, as well as how human systems function. Facilitating conversations and interactions between community members, self-trained teachers, local non-profits, and local youth to create a sustainable social system with local computer centers at the center - this was how I could use my systems knowledge to help people’s lives. On my return to the States, I began picking up on this theme of disconnection that seemed to stem from lack of real communication in our work places, our families, and our communities. Elliott and I had kept in contact throughout all of this, and what E noticed with the organizations he worked with, I noticed with the individuals I spoke with.
The conversation has continued and manifested into Afternoon Assembly. I intend to combine my varied experiences to remind people the importance of human connection.
–Carlos
## And I'm Elliott
Apparently neither of us can where a collar when it's picture time. Any,I met Carlos while getting my undergrad at MIT. I was majoring in Cognitive Science, but I'm pretty sure I had more CS classes than he did for at least the first two years.
After MIT, like Carlos, I tried the Peace Corps, but that wasn't my thing. Neither was teaching in a public school or working in a coffee shop. It wasn't until Carnegie Mellon, and more accurately, design, that I found my passion.
Right out of graduate school, I started a design firm focusing on services with a bunch of school friends, and we worked with giants like GlaxoSmithKline helping them move into the service sector, all the way to tiny non-profits delivering free cell phone usage to doctors in West Africa.
In my spare time, I helped launch a startup, and opened a coworking space in Pittsburgh where I now live.
–Elliott
# Why
## Why Social Work?
Social work is a discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching. It combines theories from economics, education, sociology, medicine, philosophy, politics, and psychology. We think these are all great tools for helping people work better together.
## Why Design?
Organizational Psychology is great, but what happens when the session is over? We believe that in order to make sustainable changes in an organization, there needs to be systems, processes, and procedures in place. That's where the design comes in.
## Why Us?
### We're Us!
Honestly, we're pretty niche. If you found this website, you probably know one of us, we probably know you, and all of us are figuring out if there is an opportunity to work together. And if you're still on the fence, read on.
### One Project at a Time
We don't have to juggle multiple projects, prioritize based on different deadlines, or worry about managing the clock. When you hire us, you get all of us. This keeps overhead down, client consultant communication high, and insures your project is done as quickly as possible.
### Working with Clients, Not for Them
We make reports. We make really big reports. But we hope most of our clients won't need them. We want to change the culture of companies, that should be felt immediately. If a client needs to read about what we did, that would be a failure. We work with clients every step of the way, teaching our processes, explaining our tools, and holding workshops to solve big problems with our clients, not for them.