Most managers believe that creativity and break-through thinking is needed to
successfully compete in the changing business world. Yet, few managers know exactly what
steps to take to enhance creativity within the workplace, particularly in teams.
Key benefits:
Brainstorm effectively: and understand why traditional brainstorming does not work and
how to remedy it
Individual creativity: managers assess their own creativity and sharpen their convergent
and divergent thinking skills
Biases and assumption: identify biases that threaten the quality of decision-making and
problem-solving and how to avoid them
Analogical reasoning; learn how to "map" from one situation to another to
instigate greater insights
Persuasion and creativity: how to effectively "sell" creative ideas in the
organization
Problem-solving and Decision Making
Most managers are vulnerable to making decision-making biases that can result in
disastrous outcomes for themselves and their firm. It is important to understand common
decision making problems in organizations and eliminate biased judgment.
Key benefits:
Avoid classic judgment errors
Predict the errors that others will make
Think about problems from several, new angles
Finesse interdependent, multi-party decisions
Learning, opportunity, and experience
One of the most lamentable experiences in organizational life is the sensation of
remembering something important after the fact that you failed to think of at the time the
problem or opportunity presented itself. We often assume that once managers and employees
have learned a principle, they will be able to use it in the future at appropriate times.
This assumption is underlies the strategy of the "learning organization."
Key Benefits:
Deal with the "inert knowledge" problem - i.e. when and why managers fail to
use relevant knowledge in solving organizational problems
Learn how to separate the causally-relevant aspects of a problem situation from the
irrelevant aspects
Engage in structural-mapping of managerial problems
