Creative Thinking, Leadership and
Polarity Thinking Programs
Applied Creativity and Creative Problem Solving Skills Models.
*If you have never practised Applied Creativity Courses and/or Creative Problem Solving before, we suggest that you choose Applied Creativity Program.
Applied Creativity
Facilitators:
COMING SOON
Ce programme est disponible aussi en Français (see French page)
Learn the fundamentals of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) to Unleash Your Creative Thinking.
Are you curious as to how to use your innate creative capabilities and how to unleash your creative thinking in solving problems? Then this program is for you!
In this program, you will have an opportunity to explore and enhance your own creativity and learn the fundamentals of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and the dynamic balance of divergent and convergent thinking that supports it. You will have opportunities to learn and practice fundamental tools and techniques that can be applied to find creative ideas and develop innovative solutions to real challenges.
Program objectives – You will:
- Understand the Creative Problem Solving process (CPS) and how it can be used to overcome creative challenges.
- Experience the dynamic balance of divergent and convergent thinking and how to use it to produce creative results.
- Identify personal and environmental characteristics, behaviors and attitudes that can promote and inhibit creativity.
Creative Thinking Power Tools
Facilitators:
COMING SOON
Language: Program available in English. Ce programme est disponible aussi en Français (see French page)
Come experience a broad range of thinking tools: cognitive, affective, digital, and intuitive approaches that can produce astonishing creative results. Learn and apply tools from a wide array of methodologies (such as Creative Problem Solving, Design Thinking, Polarity Thinking, Theory U.), from the most proven to the newest.
Hosted by two skilled facilitators who will lead you throughout your journey, this program features an all-star cast of CREA guest facilitators, who will give you an intimate look at the most productive tools in their creativity kits and show you how you can apply them on the job, in your community, and in your personal life.
Program objectives – You will:
- Develop confidence in applying a variety of tools when using virtually any problem-solving model.
- Enhance your creative thinking by learning a diverse set of tools from many different approaches.
- Apply and modify thinking tools to open up creative possibilities at work and at home.
And… Do you want to extend your learning and enhance your facilitation practice of Creative Thinking Tools? Take a look at our CPS Lab offered Thursday and Friday afternoon!
Facilitate with Impact
Facilitators: COMING SOON
Facilitation has become a necessity whenever groups of people get together to explore a complex issue or make a critical decision. This can include workshops, meetings, ideation sessions, dialogue groups and wherever managing a process to engage participants and achieve objectives is important. Often when facilitation is done well, it looks easy. But it is not. It involves clarifying session goals, formulating clear objectives, creating a design, preparation of materials and the environment, conducting the session and following up on the results. During a facilitated session, many variables are critical and need to be managed simultaneously for the session to be successful.
This program will explore all of these elements that come together to have a positive impact. Participants will practice developing their own facilitation designs and engage in simulations and receive feedback to improve their facilitation skills. We will also explore tools and techniques that can be used in-person, on-line or as a hybrid approach to facilitate high impact sessions. The program will be led by experienced facilitators who will share their expertise while practicing what they preach.
Participants will:
- Learn and apply the principles for good facilitation: Design, Preparation, Facilitation and Follow-up.
- Learn to manage the key elements of time, energy, process, engagement and achieving outcomes.
- Learn to create the optimal environment for learning, collaboration and collective intelligence.
- Explore the emerging best practices and tools for both in-person and distance facilitation.
Inclusive Leadership:
Becoming a Role Model in a Diverse World
Facilitators:
COMING SOON
Requisite: Knowledge of Creative Problem Solving is required to participate in this program.
Language: English
In a world that values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the need for authentic and inclusive leadership has never been more critical. This program invites you to embark on a transformative journey to explore the intricate tapestry of Inclusive Leadership, providing you with the tools and insights to create an environment where everyone can thrive. The journey towards embodying Inclusive Leadership begins with an inward look at your own self-leadership to understand how you might further develop the traits of an Inclusive Leader and learn how to be a role model for inclusive practices.
Our approach is not one-size-fits-all because we recognize that the path to genuine inclusion is shaped by the unique context in which we operate. We will guide you through a rich and dynamic exploration of the multifaceted challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas that Inclusive Leadership entails. Through the lens of various frameworks and approaches to Inclusive Leadership, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of what is required and where you can drive progress in your own context.
Program Objectives – You will:
- Understand the role of self-awareness in inclusive leadership, reflecting on your own identity, experiences, values, biases, and behaviors.
- Explore the polarities and paradoxes that we need to navigate to adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of DEI.
- Raise your understanding of the implications of cultural complexity in our increasingly diverse contexts.
Expand Your Creative Powers
with Polarity Thinking™
Facilitators:
COMING SOON
Language: English
Complex situations contain seemingly “unsolvable” issues that resist our best creative efforts. So what to do when we encounter such situations? Users of Polarity Thinking assert that in complex situations, paradoxical issues not only exist but also present appealing opportunities for creativity, robust responses, and sustainable impact. The experience of paradox is a universal human phenomenon and the tension created can lead to futile attempts to find only one answer.
In this session we will normalize the dynamic tensions of paradoxes. You’ll learn to distinguish between either-or problem solving and both-and thinking. You’ll explore polarities such as freedom and structure, analysis and action, team and individual and – of course – diverge and converge. Through activities, discussion, and the graphic tool of Polarity Mapping, you’ll identify interdependent factors that are constants and indestructible, and learn a deliberate process to leverage them. Polarity Thinking can be widely applied to bring about organizational health, and enhance strategic planning, coaching, customer insights, conflict management, team performance and individual development. Partner it with Creative Problem Solving and you can find even more paths to success.
Program Objectives -You will:
- Expand your creative mindset by identifying and experiencing the phenomenon of interdependent pairs, known as polarities.
- Utilize insights and processes about how to use paradox deliberately to get the best out of complexity.
- Be able to plan your use of the Polarity Thinking approach in your work and life
Incertitude et émergence créative
Facilitators:
COMING SOON
Requisite: Knowledge of Creative Problem Solving is required to participate in this program.
Language: Français
Révolution digitale, pression écologique, mondialisation : notre environnement nous semble toujours plus incertain, singulier, complexe. Notre désir de sécuriser, de contrôler les choses, y compris dans la divergence créative, est de plus en plus difficile à satisfaire. Et si nous devions adopter un nouveau modèle de pensée ?
L’objet de ce programme est d’explorer comment reconsidérer la réalité et ses défis, qu’on les définisse comme des problèmes ou des opportunités. Une nouvelle forme de créativité sera expérimentée, l’émergence, qui dé-problématise le processus créatif. Pour l’appliquer et recueillir les fruits, vous utiliserez le Vortex, outil de résolution de situation complexe, alternative au modèle traditionnel de l’idéation. Le programme s’appuiera sur l’initiation à de nouveaux principes de pensée, comme l’intelligence somatique, la pensée délinéarisée ou la vision systémique.
Le Vortex est l’objet de plusieurs expérimentations et recherches académiques. Appliqué depuis une dizaine d’années à des situations d’entreprise, des projets en équipe et de l’accompagnement individuel, il est libre d’accès et d’utilisation sous licence Creative Commons.
Objectifs du programme – Vous pourrez :
- Considérer l’incertitude comme une source de changement de perspective en résolution de problème ou en conduite de projet, à titre individuel ou en équipe
- Découvrir d’autres types de pensée comme la somatique, la pensée non séquentielle, la systémie, pour aborder l’incertitude de façon créative
- Apprendre à utiliser le Vortex, outil d’émergence créative et de résolution de situation complexe, et l’appliquer à une situation personnelle d’incertitude que vous aurez choisie au préalable
Coaching @CREA
Guillemette Goglio et Yves Chambert-Loir
Requisite: Knowledge of Creative Problem Solving is required to participate in this program.
Language: Français
Boost your training effect with post-CREA coaching
New knowledge and new skills need to be deep-rooted during the first few months after the training.
When you return from Crea, you will feel the need to be coached for your first steps. Nothing to be ashamed of: several academic studies have shown that the effectiveness of a learning process is multiplied when it is coupled with coaching for its first applications.
Adding coaching to the CREA training is what we recommend. Our goal: to reinforce and develop your new skills in practice through personalized support that maximizes your acquisition of know-how and allows you to adapt it to your context.
At CREA, the coaching program is specific for three reasons:
- It involves a topnotch coach who has both creative and professional skills,
- It aims to help you anchor your new skills by applying it to concrete projects of yours
- It is designed for individuals (employees, teachers, freelancers) as well as groups (teams of up to six people).
Based on 4 remote sessions (Zoom or telephone) scheduled in the weeks following CREA, you determine the frequency and duration of the coaching, depending on your needs and the evolution of the projects on which you apply your new creative thinking skills.