The Art and Science of Culture Change (ASCC) and The Z Model
What is The Art and Science of Culture Change (ASCC)?
Watch for Updates Fall 2025:
The Art and Science of Culture Change (ASCC) is a Comprehensive CoCreation and Change Model/Framework/Set of Tools.
SAMPLE: Connecting the Dots within ASCC:
The assertions related to listening below connect Really Listening (an ASCC theme) with the behavioral qualities (5 themes: generosity, courage, humility, learning, bias toward action/willingness to take action) of Entrepreneurial Leaders of Change. Each person and group that engages in ASCC experiences is likely to make common and unique connections among the themes; participants are encouraged to notice and discover nuance and complexity while the 31 themes simultaneously create the simplicity and clarity needed for co-creation toward Meaningful Results (theme).
Listening is an act of generosity. We set aside our need to be seen, heard and/or understood in order to offer these conditions to another person.
Listening to multiple perspectives, especially those that vary from our own, can be viewed as requiring courage as we risk having our ideas and perceptions challenged.
Listening demonstrates humility in that we give someone else, especially those with less formal status in hierarchies, an opportunity to inform us.
Listening is a learning skill allowing us to take in new information and perspectives that exist beyond our current understandings creating possibilities of improved critical and creative thinking.
Listening, really listening, demonstrates a willingness to take action by actively seeking insight from others throughout our everyday interactions.
Within ASCC, participants are invited to "Connect the Dots" from their perspective which is central to the shared meaning development and co-creation within this model. ASCC includes a variety of prepared and customizable experiences.
A central question within ASCC is, "How might we Connect the Dots and work toward our Bold Vision(s) while achieving Meaningful Results along the way?" (i.e., to Celebrate Along the Way!)
Who do you know, and which teams have you been part of, that models (implicit or explicit) comprehension and dexterity with these themes? How do these themes show up in (your) our everyday work/life and collective civic engagement?
An example of using the framework/infrastructure of the themes/concepts/dots (TCDs) for description can be found in the following article at League.org which highlighted inclusive, innovative and entrepreneurial work at Phoenix College:
For more information about ASCC, send us a note at Contact Us via this Website.
Page 2
What is the Z Model? Education Application of ASCC
* Have you noticed adragogy and heutogogy embedded in the ASCC/Z designs?
In addition to designing ASCC, Dr. Caron Sada created the Z Model (including Club Z) which can be described as a framework and customizable experiences designed to "facilitate positive organizational change while delivering student success." Aspects of the Z Model have been piloted at Paradise Valley Community College and the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona. In the first three years of the PVCC pilot, more than 300 students earned Z Achievement Awards for their "creative and action oriented projects" and the Z Connect Endowment was established and is now shared with all ten colleges of the district.
The Z Model is also currently featured through the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE.com) in their Center of Practice for Student Engagement.
https://www.nacce.com/student-engagement-center-of-practice
A description of the Z Model (iteration PRE-COVID 2020), can be found in the Innovatus Magazine. While partial implementation of the Z Model took place at Paradise Valley Community College and modeled virtual connections in programming as well as students expressing their learning through videos and co-creating video content with faculty, it was not until the pandemic took place that these approaches became more accepted/replicated throughout higher education.
https://innovatusmagazine.com/leading-the-zeitgeist-with-club-z/
Still curious?
Here are sample podcasts and videos featuring insights from the Z Model and Z activities implemented at PVCC:
ToastEDU Podcast featuring Sam Fraulino, Caron Sada and Club Z at PVCC (27 min)
https://anchor.fm/toastedu/episodes/Ep03--Club-Z-Expanding-Our-Comfort-Zones-Together-epr214
EntreEd Podcast with Student Leaders of Club Z from the NACCE Conference (Newport Beach: 31 min)
"Club Z Welcomes NACCE" This video was created by Club Z Student Leader Matthew Granillo sharing the event that Club Z hosted/planned for NACCE in 2019 - hear the different perspectives from students, faculty, administrators and community members!
"Everyday is like a makerspace in Club Z" - featuring Phoenix Forge of Gateway Community College and the Maricopa County Community Colleges (largest makerspace in the southwest) 2 min promo video
"It's a club, it's initiatives ... it's a movement!"
Initiatives of the Z Model include:
- Club Zeitgeist/Club Z "Don't follow the zeitgeist, lead it!"
Club Z is a fun, creative, and innovative student success club where strivers and thrivers work toward individual and team goals to prepare for intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and life aspirations.
- Z-21 (21st century/entrepreneurial skills)
- Z Achievement Awards and the Z Endowed Scholarship and Program Fund
- Z Summit
- Z Imagine Pitch
- Share-Z-Love (including customization for Free Speech Week, etc.)
- Z Advocate/Z Advocacy
- Z Imaginary Makerspace
- Z Superheroes
- Z Popcorn Pitches
- Z Pods
- Z Infrastructure (i.e., where everything is connected)
- Z Cinema
- Z Strategic Calendar
- Zaffinity
Caron shares her intellectual property; for sample materials, send us a note via Contact Us on this website and let us know how we can help you with your plans for integrative, integrated, sustainable, scalable student success programming..
ASCC and The Z Model on this Website
Dr. Caron Sada has been sharing her work and the processes/theory/philosophy included in iterations of ASCC and the Z Model. To see ASCC/Z epistemology, how this work has developed (i.e., it is iterative) and how the work is related with other current theorists/approaches to human centered design, visit the Blog on this website. You will find more than 400 blog articles that include elements of Caron's theoretical and applied work.
ASCC Book - Updated Prototype October 2025
The Blog on this website includes access to more than 400 blog articles that show the most recent part of Caron's journey in theoretical and applied organizational psychology. A new synthesis of this work focused on leadership and co-creation will be available in October 2025.