Dr. Firestien and Innovation Resources, Inc. provide five basic programs/services. Click on each title to see a more detailed description. Unleashing the Power of Creativity A one-hour keynote address by Dr. Firestien or a three-and-one-half-hour workshop. Leading on the Creative Edge A one-hour keynote address by Dr. Firestien or a three-and-one-half-hour workshop. Unleashing the Power of Creativity: Creative Problem Solving Basics A two-day, approximately fifteen-hour workshop conducted by Dr. Firestien or associates of Innovation Resources, Inc. Leading on the Creative Edge: Leading Innovation Groups A three-day workshop, with two follow-up days (five days total), conducted by Dr. Firestien and associates of Innovation Resources, Inc. Creating Breakthroughs Lab A one-day to two-day Creative Problem Solving session facilitated by Dr. Firestien or associates of Innovation Resources, Inc. Unleashing the Power of Creativity™ Creativity is essential for survival and growth, and for sharpening your competitive edge. In this interactive program you will experience proven techniques to become deliberately creative--skills you will apply immediately. We are all creative. The difference between those people who consistently make their ideas work and those who say, "Now why didn't I think of that?" is their ability to make creativity happen instead of leaving it to chance. By taking control of your creative ability, you can begin to turn problems into opportunities, develop more options, enhance learning, increase profits, and work together more effectively as a team. Key points include: - exercises to warm up your mental muscles - how to use critical thinking rather than criticism to stimulate good ideas - cutting-edge research on creativity and innovation: what works, what doesn't - how a process-orientation can become results-oriented - strategies for developing a climate for creativity and innovation - applications of creativity in business, education, health care, human services, education, and life. You will leave this program knowing how to take control of your creative ability, turn problems into opportunities, develop more options, and increase profits both personally and professionally. Duration: One-hour keynote address by Dr. Firestien or a three-and-one-half-hour workshop. Group Size: Up to 2,000. Back to top of page. Leading on the Creative Edge™ The organizations that will thrive over time are not the ones with the deepest pockets, but the ones that unleash and apply the creativity of their workforce. Leaders who know how to nurture their own creativity while igniting creativity in others are able to use the strategic business weapon most crucial to gaining and maintaining a competitive edge. Extraordinary bottom-line results come when a leader nurtures rather than destroys the creativity of everyone in the organization. Whether you lead a multi-million dollar corporation, help a volunteer group, coach Little League, teach in a classroom, or work for a non-profit organization, this program will provide you with the crucial information and cutting-edge research you need to take your leadership (and creativity) to a new level. Key points include: - how leaders can play a vital role in developing a work environment that promotes creativity - how mistakes can actually stimulate innovation - how to make a habit of being creative - how to encourage the creative contributions of everyone in your organization. Duration: One-hour keynote address by Dr. Firestien or a-three-and-one-half-hour workshop. Group Size: Up to 2,000. Back to top of page. Unleashing the Power of Creativity™: Creative Problem Solving Basics In this interactive program, participants will learn the Creative Problem Solving process and how to apply it in order to solve actual problems that they encounter in their professional or personal life. This program has been delivered in both North and South America to train existing work groups as well as entire divisions and organizations. The results have exceeded our clients' expectations in terms of financial gain, time savings, and organizational effectiveness. Key program benefits include: - enhancing participants' skills to increase the creative productivity of the whole organization - shortening the amount of time it takes to solve problems and implement solutions by adopting a deliberate problem solving process - clarifying the proper problem - evaluating and solving real organizational problems - creating a focus to achieve continuous improvement - generating and effectively evaluating ideas in groups - building ideas for action and successful implementation - developing an organizational environment that nurtures creativity - adopting a common process and language by which teams can solve problems and create breakthroughs. Duration: Two days--approximately fifteen hours. Group Size: Up to 36. Back to top of page. Leading on the Creative Edge™: Leading Innovation Groups This program is delivered to organizations that want to increase their creative and competitive edge, and builds on the "Unleashing the Power of Creativity™: Creative Problem Solving Basics" program. It is for managers/supervisors/team leaders who have been identified as Creative Problem Solving "champions." During the program, participants lead Creative Problem Solving groups to tackle real organizational challenges that require group input. This program is delivered to small groups with a low participant-to-trainer ratio. Graduates have led groups whose efforts have resulted in notable financial gains, time savings, and organizational improvements. Key program benefits include: - more effective and efficient leadership of Creative Problem Solving groups and teams - increased proficiency in working with teams on major challenges to solve them efficiently and effectively, thereby increasing the organization's speed of implementing changes - greater ability to model appropriate behavior to foster and nurture creativity - enhanced skill in using additional creativity techniques with groups to help them generate and evaluate ideas effectively - improved leadership to resolve organizational problems - more effective use of group meeting time - improved leadership skills. Duration: Three days with two follow-up days (one follow-up day conducted three months after the initial training and one six months after the initial training). Group size: Up to 24. Back to top of page. Creating Breakthroughs Lab Creative solutions do exist within your organization. And because nobody knows your organization and the challenges you face better than you and your co-workers do, we work with you to help your group unleash those creative answers. Our focus is on conducting the session and managing the group's dynamics in order to solve tough organizational challenges. Our flexible Creative Problem Solving process utilizes many techniques to help create breakthroughs in organizational performance. The Creating Breakthroughs Lab has been used for the following types of projects: - strategic planning - new product development - product naming - organizational vision and mission development - promotion development - organizational restructuring. Key benefits of using this approach to solve tough organizational challenges are: - group consensus around complex issues - many breakthrough or "outside-of-the-box" ideas - dramatic reduction of off-focus debates and tangents - drastic reduction of meeting time - equal participation by all group members, including bosses and subordinates - faster group decision making. Duration: The projects we facilitate typically take from one to three days, and sometimes longer, depending upon the scope of the project. Longer projects are often scheduled over non-consecutive days. Group size: Depending upon the project, ideal group size is between five to nine, or sub-groups of that size. Past projects have included groups as small as five and as large as 300. Back to top of page. Innovation Resources, Inc. P.O. Box 615, Williamsville, NY 14321-0615 Tel: 716-631-3564 Fax: 716-631-2610 Send email to Roger.