Managing for Better Ideas

Collaborative creative thinking in organizations is more important than ever, but the usual brainstorming approach is typically ineffective. In a course ideal for current and aspiring managers, creativity and innovation expert Dave Birss shares a practical approach to managing groups toward inspired, creative thinking. Dave begins by examining the importance of defining the problem or opportunity, and goes on to outline his framework for guiding teams to come up with potential solutions. Dave also explores ways to test, refine, and simplify raw ideas to improve the chances of selling them to decision makers.

Topics include:
- Why collaborative creativity is the future
- Creating an environment where great ideas can flourish
- How to get other decision makers onboard
- Curating the best team to solve a problem
- The ingredients of great ideas
- Useful versus irrelevant research and why it matters
- The importance of insight in idea generation
- Writing a powerful creative brief
- Getting the best ideas from diverse groups
- How to judge ideas more effectively