Creative Problem Solving / Innovation Session

Charlotte Kells Facilitating Creativity and Innovation requires process facilitation that inspires quality thinking and elicits quantity of ideas ~ all set in an open, supportive, creative climate / environment. Kells Associates will design an Innovation Meeting to meet the needs of your team. We are experienced in leading creative sessions to follow up on Employee Satisfaction Surveys, for New Product Development ideas, and for Work / Cost Improvement Strategies.

CREATIVITY IN ACTION: Creative Problem Solving Techniques

Changing perspective, shifting paradigms, and visioning are all tools for future thinking. The creative problem solving process uses these tools for facilitating change. It enables people rethink and recreate everyday challenges into interesting, viable opportunities. It gives them the tools to be proactive and reengineer their areas going forward. Sid Parnes describes the process by suggesting . . . “we first speculate on what ‘might be’ . . . we sense and anticipate all conceivable consequences or repercussions . . . and we choose and develop our best alternative in full awareness”.

This action learning initiative will do just that. This two-three day program will be designed in a workshop format using experiential activities, small group discussions, case initiatives, and facilitation applications. The group will select relevant work related issues to illustrate “creativity in action.”

Topics for the program will include the following:

What is creativity?
Assessing individual problem solving processes / styles
Myths, mind sets, and blocks to new thinking
Climates for innovation
Overview of the Creative Problem Solving (cps) process:
1. Data-finding: Searching for data and questions to help better understand goals and priorities.
2. Problem-finding: Formulating specific questions (statements of problems or sub problems) the group might want to use to seek new and potentially useful ideas.
3. Idea-finding: Generating as many possible ideas which could offer solutions to the problem, and then selecting the most promising or interesting ones.
4. Solution-finding: Identifying key criteria and using that criteria for evaluating ideas to find the ones with the most potential. Analyzing possibilities.
5. Acceptance-finding: Creating an action plan for successful implementation.

Tools and techniques for creative decision making
Successfully facilitating the process in teams and work groups
Applications: Opportunity to practice and use the process with targeted work issues

"From the 360 evaluation and Myers Briggs assessment to taking those results and having Charlotte coach me in some areas for growth, the whole process was really helpful for me. I think it made a real difference in my performance and in my confidence in working with my new direct reports, and others in the Organization.

It was interesting to see how my self-evaluation differed in some ways from how others perceived me, and how my strengths and challenges related to the Organization's priorities for its leaders. Working with Charlotte, I developed an Individual Development Plan that included broad things like what I wanted my leadership presence to look like in my new role and with my new direct reports. She also had me use a feedback template to gain confidence in providing regular feedback. She encouraged me to set up regular meeting for my direct reports, even when they are doing well, which has proven to be very successful.

She was extremely helpful in coaching me through designing a Leadership 3-day training session I was responsible for. Using the Facilitation At a Glance book, with her advice, have proven very useful for designing and facilitating other meetings since.

I think working with Charlotte is just terrific for somebody who is very motivated to do the work and needs someone to help guide and coach them. She provides the accountability to make changes. She didn't do the work for me, but I don't think I could have done it all alone."

Director at an International Non-profit