UNLEASH the POWER of the The Role of Creativity in Strategic Thinking

Agenda 1.Think Strategically 2.Right Brain/Left Brain 3.Innovation and Creativity 4.Primary Principles of Innovation 5.Creativity Generator 6.It’s All About Possibility 7.Wrap Up and Questions

Strategy  Determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals  Strategic thinking and creativity are requirements of doing this activity well

Strategic Thinking Answers four key questions:  Where are we now?  Where do we want to be?  How do we get there?  How will we know?

Reorganizing Klee’s Colour Table There are many ways to see the same thing

Right Brain or Left Brain?  Are you predominantly right brain or left brain?  Do you see the image rotating clockwise or counter clockwise?  If it spins clockwise, you supposedly use more of your right brain  If it spins counter clockwise, you’re more of a left brain person

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS  Uses logic  Detail oriented  Facts rule  Words and language  Present and past  Math and science  Can comprehend  Knowing  Acknowledges  Order/pattern perception  Knows object name  Reality based  Forms strategies  Practical  Safe RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS  Uses feeling  “Big picture" oriented  Imagination rules  Symbols and images  Present and future  Philosophy and religion  Can "get it" (i.e. meaning)  Believes  Appreciates  Spatial perception  Knows object function  Fantasy based  Presents possibilities  Impetuous  Risk taking

 We need both types of people in a planning process  Those who can see the forest (big picture) and those who can see the trees (details)

Think Strategically  You can use innovation to meet the gap between increased or new community needs and a lack of financial resources

Innovation Creativity  Innovation = the development of new ideas or methods, that when implemented, create value  Creativity = the ability to transcend traditional ideas. Creativity is the starting point for innovation and is applied throughout the innovation process

Primary Principles of Innovation  Everything is connected to everything  New thoughts, new action, new results  Everyone is creative and innovative

Everything is Connected to Everything  Everything in the universe affects everything else because they are part of the same unbroken whole  We live based on an explicit order – based on our thoughts and perceptions (filters)  Need to move to an implicate order – start with the fact that you don’t know the answer and that you are only able to see a piece of a fuller range of possibility  What’s the bigger picture?

Small Group Discussion  Everything is connected to everything  What are the implications of this principle for our planning process?

New Thoughts, New Actions, New Results  Thought is the starting point of every new creation. Thought creates  If our thinking doesn’t change neither will the results  The range of our present possibilities does not extend far beyond the range of our present thoughts  Thinking determines actions. Actions determine results

Nine Dot Puzzle Directions: Connect the 9 dots using four straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper

 Ah, the phenomenon of the mind...we see a box with dots in four corners even when it doesn’t exist

Small Group Discussion  New thoughts, new actions, new results  What are the implications of this principle for our planning process?

Everyone is Creative and Innovative  Creativity and innovation are not rare  Creativity and innovation can be studied  Can be developed by anyone  Less than 5% of people over 45 years are creative. At age 5 it was 90%. What is the conclusion?

Small Group Discussion  Everyone is creative and innovative  What are the implications of this principle for our planning process?

Creativity  What is the difference between the right answer and the best answer?  Don’t stop generating ideas with the first one that you think is “right”. The first “right” answer is not necessarily the best answer  What is half of 8?

Creativity Generator  Scan: need to define the right question  Focus: need to use the right criteria  Act: build, test, draft, learn  Always start with an individual generated list and then work as a group to scan and focus  Do not use phrases that shut down the discussion

Scanning Guidelines  Quantity not quality counts  Don’t be logical or evaluate  Scanning is not about being right  Create a free association of ideas  Welcome radical ideas

Focusing Guidelines  First, select the right criteria  Quality counts – use best judgement  Listen carefully  Value differences  Let your thoughts be known  Do not focus while scanning!

Activity  Scan: Write down all the uses you can think of for my belt  Focus Criteria: Most unique idea  Do a personal scan and focus (top 3 choices) and then a group scan and focus (top 3 choices)

Questions to Stimulate Creativity  What would you do if there was no money or time limitations?  How can we improve this work AND make it more fun?  What is the great “gift” in this problem?  How else might we define the problem we are discussing?  How else might we solve this problem?

It’s All About Possibility  The Art of Possibility - YouTube The Art of Possibility - YouTube

Discussion Question  How can innovation and creativity be used in your planning process?

Reflection  What learnings and reflections do I have from this session?  What are some potential actions for my Regional Network?

Wrap Up and Questions

References  GoInnovate! (2003). Making Innovation Happen Seminar and Workbook.  Winer, Michael and Karen Ray. (1994). Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining and Enjoying the Journey. Minnesota: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.  Zander, Rosamunde Stone and Benjamin Zander. (2000). The Art of Possibility. New York: Penguin Books.