Creativity & Innovation Leadership

Overview

In this highly competitive rapidly changing global economy, teams need leadership in creativity and innovation. How will your product or service stand out from the rest? Are there problems that need a creative solution? Is your company workflow optimized? This 2-day seminar will help management and individual contributors alike to develop a creative mindset. It can be delivered in Chinese or English, in-person or online.

Agenda – Day 1

9:00-9:30                         Welcome

  • Welcome participants.
  • Introductions
  • Program Expectations and Objectives

9:30-10:30                      Innovation Model Activity

  • Participants join an activity that will help them identify the key components of a Creativity and Innovation Model
  • Activity Debrief
  • Self-Assessment

10:30-10:45                    BREAK

10:45-11:15     Redefine Innovation

  • Review several definitions of Innovation and look for common themes
  • Define Innovation for Synopsys
  • The output and Impact of Innovation

11:15-12:00     Redefine Creativity

  • Participants complete mini self-assessment, “What kind of Creative are you?”
  • Based on results participants for a semi-circle for interactive exercise
  • Explain that all people are creative but in different way
  • Role of leader is to be a bridge between the different styles
  • Participants identify their Creative and Innovative Strengths and Development Areas

12:00-13:00                    LUNCH

13:00-13:30     Creating Innovative Team and Decide Innovation Topic

  • Based on the pre-lunch activity participants form teams for the rest of the workshop
  • Each Team identifies an Innovation Opportunity for Synopsys. This will be the focus for the throughout the rest of the workshop

14:00-14:30     Frame the Innovation Opportunity

  • Teams create a statement to guide their Innovation Opportunity
  • Complete a Pain / Gain Analysis to understand the customer/end user needs

14:30-14:45                    BREAK

14:45-15:15     Generate Ideas

  • In their teams, participants individually complete “Silent Brainstorming” for their Innovation Opportunity.
  • Transfer top ideas to post-it notes
  • Keep these Ideas for the next activity

15:15-16:00     Explore Possibilities

  • Explain to participants that the way we talk about ideas can be “Idea Killers” or “Idea Boosters”
  • Demonstrate ways we can kill ideas and ways we can boost ideas
  • Share handout with guidelines
  • Participants review and expand their top ideas using “Idea Boosters”
  • Keep the output for the next activity

16:00-16:15     Take a Break

  • Share with participants research on the importance of taking breaks.
  • Share 1-2 techniques that leaders can use as part of take a break.
  • Take an actual 5 minute bio-break

16:15-16:45     Filter Your Ideas

  • Each group should have 10 to 20 specific ideas for their innovation topic.
  • Introduce the NUF Test, a technique to help participants filter ideas to a manageable number.
  • NUF stands for New, Useful, Feasible.
  • Demonstrate, then ask participants to conduct their own NUF test using the ideas that have generated and explored.

16:45-17:00     Decide and Commit

  • Each participant chooses an idea from the last activity to share with a member from another group.
  • The idea should be one that they have personal interest or high value for.
  • This is an individual decision not a group decision.
  • Share the idea and seek feedback. Feedback on the quality of the idea and how to make the idea itself better.

17:00-17:15     Share the Learnings and Closing Circle

  • Closing Circle with participants
  • Prep for Day Two

Agenda: Day Two

09:00-09:20     Welcome Back & Warm Up

  • Review Day One Content
  • Answer questions
  • Prep for Day Two

09:20-09:35     Share Learnings: Review Feedback from Delivery

  • Participants refer to the feedback they received at the end of Day One.
  • Share their learnings (feedback) they learnt from that delivery with their team members.
  • This information will help them to redefine the issue opportunity for the next round.

09:35-09:45     ReFrame

  • Most likely the ideas generated for the innovation topic came up without consideration for any particular group of people or customer.
  • Invite participants to redefine their innovation issue opportunity through the lens of different customer segments.
  • Invite participants to revisit their innovation issue opportunity and make it more specific for their intended customer.

09:45-10:05     Gather Data: Identify Customer Priorities

  • Participants use a card sorting exercise to identify customer/end-user priorities
  • This will help them on issues/concerns for their target
  • Keep the card(s) for the next activity

10:05-10:25     Generate Ideas

  • Introduce “Silent Brain-Writing” to the group
  • Participants use the card from the previous activity as the focus for their Silent Brain-Writing
  • Participants write their ideas and share with others in the group before discussing

10:25-10:35                    BREAK

10:35-11:00     Explore Possibilities

  • Invite participants to Explore further the Possibilities of the ideas they have generated
  • Drill Down: Take general ideas and look at the specific parts
  • Build Up: Combine different ideas to generate more possibilities

11:00-11:15     Take a Break

  • This is not a formal break time. It is about understanding how to take and lead break times.
  • Ask participants the following questions
    • How do you take breaks?
    • How do you lead taking breaks?
  • Give participants 5 minutes to grab a coffee or grab some water will go to the bathroom.

11:15-11:45     Filter Ideas

  • By this round each team should have quite a number of ideas.
  • Introduce the Impact/Effort matrix as a way to Filter Ideas
  • Demonstrate
  • Participants complete their own Impact/Effort Matrix

11:45-12:15     Decide and Plan

  • Using the output from the Impact Effort matrix each team decides on 4-5 ideas (depends on size of group. At least one person)
  • Each person completes an Idea Presentation Sheet

12:15-13:15                    LUNCH

13:15-13:45     Deliver

  • Using the Idea Presentation Sheet participants share their idea with an “Executive Team”, i.e. small group of other participants.
  • Pitch Idea and get feedback. Record to share with own team

13:45-14:00     Observe Results and Share the Learnings

  • Participants share the feedback with their own team
  • Look for insights to make their ideas stronger

14:00-14:30     Iterate the Process Again

  • For the next 30 minutes each group will iterate the process again at their own pace.
  • Having delivered twice already they are closer to knowing better what solution(s) might be for the innovation opportunity they have chosen.

14:30-14:45     Decide and Commit

  • Introduce Sam Kaner’s “Degree of Agreement” as powerful tool for making participatory decisions.
  • Explain the spectrum of Agreement and Buy-In that people may have for an idea or option.
  • Ask participants to use the “Idea Sheets” for each idea and place them on the left side of a horizontal flip chart. At the top of the chart write Kaner’s Levels of Agreement. Use this process to help guide their decision.
  • Choose the 2 ideas they wish to invest and present in the Marketplace.

14:45-15:30     Invest: Prepare the Marketplace

  • Prepare the Marketplace
  • Groups use the colored boards and any other resources they have at their disposal to create Marketplace booths.
  • Show examples of past booths to give them an idea of what other teams have produced.
  • This session also includes a 15-minute break of the participants wish to take it. They will probably choose to spend the time on preparation of the booth and practising their delivery pitch.

15:30-16:00     Delivery: The Marketplace

  • Explain that each person needs to be able to explain the 2 Ideas that they have chose to pitch to their customers. The Pitch is 2 minutes. They should Deliver with WOW!
  • Groups will move from one booth to the next. At each booth there is at least one person from that booth who can explain to the other members/customers.
  • Remind participants to take a pen and paper with them to record their notes and insights.

16:00-16:20     Observe Results

  • After all Delivery Pitches have been done, Participants evaluate the ideas they have heard.
    • Most Valuable Idea – Focus on quality of ideas
    • Most WOW Delivery – Focus on quality of delivery
    • The Idea I want to Iterate – Focus on willingness to try
  • Where does WOW Come From? Discussion on what made WOW in this process, and what has been WOW in the program.

16:20-16:45     Share the Learnings

  • This Reflection and Share the Learnings is at 2 levels:
  • Level 1: Participants return to their Innovation Group to share what they have learned about their innovation opportunity.
  • Participants discuss:
    • Feedback from Customers
    • Areas of Success / Areas to Develop
    • New Insights
  • Participants complete reflection in the Workbook.
  • Level 2: Individually participants reflect on:
    • Personal Strengths / Development Areas
    • Leading a Team for Innovation
    • Application of Innovation Process in Synopsys

16:30-17:00     Close Workshop

  • Invite Participants to use their Reflections to Re-Frame Issues/Opportunities for when they return to the workplace.
  • Invite participants to form a circle in the open space
  • Each person to share:
    • Something Memorable from the Workshop
    • An Area for Development
    • Application back at work
Thank you for arranging and delivering high quality English & Soft Skills training to our IT group! I can confirm the good feedback from all our team members.
L. Li, Regional IT Manager, SuZhou
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