Cultivating Creativity and the Practice of Managing Ideas

(Formerly “Cultivating Creativity I & II”)

Innovation is a key strategic priority for organizations. In order to meet the innovation challenge effectively, those who lead and manage organizations must understand the important relationship between creativity and innovation. Creativity is all about the making and communicating of meaningful new ideas. Innovation is the transformation of these ideas and insights into deliverable business results. In short, you can have creativity without innovation - but you can’t have innovation without creativity. Therefore it is important to focus on the actual process of creative ideation (generating new ideas) and managing ideation as the engine of true innovation.

But there are challenges. Many people have experienced “brainstorming” as an approach to ideation (generating new and varied ideas) - some with success, while others have experienced it as a loose and laborious process bringing mixed results at best. This is, in part, because a core challenge in managing ideation is that different people bring very different approaches to any problem-solving or idea generating activity. In this program participants will learn to understand, appreciate, and properly leverage these diverse styles to ensure that they get the most from their ideation and problem-solving efforts. But what happens next - after you’ve generated those many, varied, and unusual ideas? Effective managing of ideation implies balanced attention to generating and focusing ideas on the end result. In addition to exploring different frameworks and approaches to the process of ideation, participants will learn how to focus those ideas towards achieving the correct end result.

Topics

• An Innovation Briefing – A short overview of the landscape of innovation and how ideation fits
• Experiential Exercise – Warp Speed
• Styles of Ideation – Feedback on the three dimensions of VIEW: An Assessment of Problem Solving Style completed as pre-work (Orientation to Change, Manner of Processing, and Ways of Deciding)
• Tools and Guidelines for Generating Ideas – Experientially learning and applying 4 guidelines and key tools
• Best Practices for Generating Ideas - Overview of key standards and practices that ensure effective ideation
• Tools and Guidelines for Focusing Ideas - Experientially learning and applying 4 guidelines for focusing (screening, selecting and supporting) ideas
• Best Practices for Focusing - Overview of key standards and practices that assure productive and creative evaluation of ideas

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, participants will:

• Learn and apply guidelines for effectively generating options along with four specific tools for generating ideas
• Become aware of tools beyond the main four explored in the program
• Evaluate some of the best-practices for idea-generation
• Identify a model to help target the selection and use of generating tools
• Better understand their personal approach to ideation and problem solving
• Identify implications for ideation and problem solving for individuals and groups
• Including leveraging diversity when generating ideas
• Learn and apply 4 guidelines and specific tools for focusing ideas
• Evaluate the best practices for focusing ideas
• Identify and use a model for selecting the best focusing tools

Who Should Attend

Managers across all functional areas.

Costs

Individual Participants: $695
Package Pricing: 1 class day per participant

Available Discounts