Inspired by two elements that I have used extensively in my teaching over the last twelve years – “Snippets” and “Ask the Right Question (ATRQ)” – I developed the idea for this blog that reflects on news and events in the areas of business-innovation-consumers-society and provides a multi-perspective analysis. I use the “What? So What? Now What?” model pioneered by an American school teacher, Terry Borton, in his 1970 book, Reach, Touch and Teach. Gary Rolfe, an Emeritus professor of Nursing wrote a 2014 article that details his (and others’) use of the model. Though many researchers and practitioners from fields as diverse as nursing, coaching, and analytical writing have used this model, I still feel that this model is underused in reflective writing. I find it powerful in its simplicity and have used it in business case discussions with my students.
“What?” states the event or phenomenon that is being discussed (it is descriptive in nature). “So What?” provides the analysis to understand the phenomenon (it is analytical in nature). “Now What?” looks at the future to predict the consequences or next steps now that we’ve understood the phenomenon (it is predictive and / or prescriptive in nature).
At its core, this blog is my way of staying connected to my students. You inspire me endlessly and enrich my life everyday. The educator in me wants to continue encouraging you to ask the right questions. The student in me wants to continue to look at everything from multiple points of view. The result is this blog. Now What?
AUTHOR
Hello, I am Shashi Matta. I am a professor, researcher, speaker, executive coach, and author. I currently live and work in Germany where I serve as professor and chair of Innovation and Creativity at WFI – Ingolstadt School of Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU). I grew up in India where I earned a Bachelors degree in Engineering and an MBA, and worked in advertising, brand management, and marketing strategy. I then moved to the United States where I earned my PhD in Business Administration and worked as a professor for twelve years before moving to Germany. To read more about my work you can visit my Homepage here.
MY INVITATION TO YOU
I invite you to contribute a guest blogpost, or two, on NOW WHAT. If you like the What-So What-Now What model, and want to share your thoughts and analysis about something that interests you, I welcome your contribution and will credit you as a guest blogger on NOW WHAT. What’s on your mind? Hit me up on the Contact button on the top menu bar. I look forward to hearing from you.
CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
Manuel Scheerer is a Masters student studying Business Administration with a focus on Market-Oriented Management (M.Sc., MARKT) at WFI – Ingolstadt School of Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany. At WFI he works as a student assistant at the chair of Innovation and Creativity. Manuel grew up in Augsburg and earned his Bachelors degree (B.Sc.) in International Management at the Otto-von-Guericke Univerity in Magdeburg. He serves on the board of the student chapter of UNICEF in Ingolstadt and is an active member of ESN (Erasmus Student Network) at WFI.
Beatriz Cuesta-Unkhoff is a Masters student studying Business Administration with a focus on Market-Oriented Management (M.Sc., MARKT) at WFI – Ingolstadt School of Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany. At WFI she works as a student assistant at the chair of Innovation and Creativity. She was born near Barcelona and raised in 3 different countries Spain, Brazil and China. Beatriz obtained her Bachelors degree (B.Sc.) in International Management at the Otto-von-Guericke University. In addition to her academic career, she serves at the the WFI Summer Challenge organization in the marketing ressort.
BLOG DESIGNER
Mitchell Morgan assisted in the design of the NOW WHAT? Blog. Mitchell is a student at The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is experienced in website design and app development for iPhone and Android. In his free time he likes to create short films with his friends. You can contact Mitchell here.
now what? 