Analytical and Creative Thinking at Work Course

Is it right for me?

This course is suitable for anyone that needs to enhance their ability to use powerful and proven analytical and creative processes for situational review problem solving and decision-making and plan management.

The results are - greatly increased thinking power to resolve today's challenges.

What will I get out of it?

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Analyse a situation, separate and prioritise its issues and then decide which processes to use in dealing with them
• Analyse a problem systematically and identify the real cause
• Define a decision, generate and evaluate options to achieve the best choice
• Ensure plans are successfully implemented by anticipating potential problems by introducing preventative and contingency action
• Select and use a range of creative techniques for each analytical approach

What does it cover?

Each module of the course begins with a short formal input on the analytical processes; these are then followed by practical sessions on the most useful creative approaches for each of the analytical areas.

Following the creative sessions, participants work in teams on a variety of case studies based around a fictitious Hotel chain, the MaxExcell Group. These exercises help reinforce the analytical and creative skills previously covered.

Finally, the participants then have the opportunity to use these skills on their own work issues either individually or in teams.

By the end of the course, participants will not only have a clear understanding of the analytical and creative approaches, but will have also made significant inroads into their own individual or team issues.

Introduction to analytical processes and tools

• Situational review techniques and processes
• Decision making process and toolkit
• Problem solving Toolkit
• Plan management process

Introduction to a range of creative tools and processes

• Brainshowering to generate ideas and options
• Situation mapping and spidergrams to highlight potential options.
• Mind Mapping and Spidergrams to highlight potential options.
• Random Stimulation
• Reversal technique to generate ideas
• Questioning and listening skills for problem solving
• Herringbones, used to structure thought
• Attribute listing, a way to generate ideas where all else fails