• Take away at least three workable solutions to any current business-based problem they have brought
• Apply at least three new creative problem-solving techniques to any issues they encounter at work in the future
• Commit to look at least one possible innovation in their area of work or for the business as a whole.

Who should attend?
People whose work involves solving complex problems or meeting new challenges where the solutions are not always obvious.

Learning method
This programme is interactive and energetic, and focuses predominantly on real-life problems and issues. Some presented problems, recent issues in the media and exercises are used to illustrate various points. Over the two days, participants can expect to have fun while they learn new ideas and techniques, but the programme will remain grounded rather than being too 'off the wall'.

Programme content

• Drawing out the range of problems, issues and areas of innovative thinking that participants want to address

• 'Left' and 'right' brain activities
• 'Adult' and 'child-like' approaches
• Using experience, building on the known, making 'impossible' leaps
• The effects of 'divergent' and 'convergent' thinking and questions

• Difference and similarities
• Generating ideas ('out of the box')
• Applying ideas ('back in the box')
• The effects of different personal and interpersonal styles
• The contextual effects of order, complexity and chaos
• Hidden hindrances and discoverable help
• Possible applications in business and the workplace

• Differences between 'presented' and 'constructed' problems
• Finding the 'real' problem
• Determining urgent vs systemic problems
• Interpersonal problems
• Asking the right questions

• Exploring mainly with the 'right' brain and structured approaches

• From testing, through discussing, to exploring their meaning
• Project management techniques
• Avoiding the 'bureaucratic system' trap that distances people
• Cost-benefit approaches
• Consulting stakeholders ('implementers', 'beneficiaries', 'victims')

• Distinguishing between hard and soft issues and decisions
• Establishing decision criteria
• Planning vs ad hoc decision-making
• Comparing intellectual with intuitive decisions
• Confidence and motivational issues

• ‘Packaging' innovations and decisions
• Selling vs 'getting people to buy' their benefits
• Stakeholder mapping
• Changing strategies from change itself to the leadership of it
• Deciding to 'manage what you can manage'
• Dealing with resistance
• Handling people at various changes on the 'change curve'

• What do we mean by communication?
• Who is responsible?
• The barriers to effective communication
• The development of positive relationships through active communication