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Even conservative organizations ride the cutting
edge of innovation, managing future success - and future risk. Creativity generates
both practical and impractical ideas; and both worthless and worthwhile strategies.
Managers must manage their own creativity, the creative people in their organizations
- and the organizational creative process.
Psychologists speculate that most people use about 10% of their brain capacity.
If you allow yourself to access and apply a further 10%, your world will change.
However, the vast majority of people over recorded history, including those in
academia, art and commerce, avoid or pretend creativity. Few people challenge
acknowledged methodologies, instead they copy the methods developed by others.
Innovators are often punished, not rewarded, for their creativity. How is it in
your organization?
Creativity displaces gods, dictators and bureaucracies
Creativity can provide original responses to problems ... and
can present new problems. Manufacturers of candles did not appreciate the innovation
of Tesla (although Edison certainly did). The creative outburst called the "world
wide web" is having similar effects on organizations worldwide. Although the
internet is still in its infancy - it is rapidly catalyzing changes in corporate
structure, governmental activities, education and medicine.
Few people, even young people, are encouraged to use or
develop their creative potential. The risks outweigh the advantages. Even at
university, a pretence of creativity gains the highest marks. True creativity
has unforeseeable results.
Not only is
there little "space" for creativity; teachers and managers may ridicule,
hide, criticize or steal the creative solutions of their students
and staff. The popular "Dilbert" cartoons
suggest that many organizations suffer from "pointy haired managers".
Ways to encourage creativity in an organization:
- Actively respect an employees' ideas
- Give fair consideration and timely feedback
- Encourage free information flow
- Assign tasks requiring creativity to those employees who show
creative behavior
- Provide time for creative employees to engage in creative work
- Provide constructive feedback for creative ideas and strategies
- Expect and participate in reasonable risk-taking
We coach managers to develop creative environments that reduce
the fear of ridicule that can stifle creativity, and increase the likelihood of
breakthroughs. We coach managers to implement programs to encourage creativity
- and to manage creative people within organizations.
Creativity Coaching, Creativity Training and
Creativity Management helps people develop and manage their innate
creative skills. We utilize creativity skills as models
and case studies - while encouraging people to create, enhance and test their own
innovative ability.
Creativity Coaching
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Creativity Training
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Creative Management
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Personal coaching to dissolve
blocks to creativity and to enhance personal innovation.
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Two days theory and practice of creativity, with
demonstrations, exercises and case histories.
- Conscious and unconscious creativity
- Assessing problems
- Linear and crooked thinking
- Facilitating innovation
- Modeling creativity
- Testing results
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A one day workshop for managers who provide,
assess and manage creative solutions
- Demystifying innovation
- Strategies for innovation
- Carrots, sticks and spirals
- Crisis management
- Consequences of action and inaction
- Appropriate feedback
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