A CLEAR IDEA of innovation: How to be practically creative at work Tuesday 5 November 2013, 9.00am to 4.30pm FREE A one-day workshop delivered by The University of Sheffield, in conjunction with Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS), as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2013 Third sector organisations are facing increasing pressures to continually innovate in order to survive in the 21st century. But how do you keep coming up with truly original new ideas, and choose which ideas to take forward? And how can you make sure your new services, activities or processes are successfully realised? This free workshop draws together extensive research to provide a simple, systematic process for creatively generating and implementing solutions to challenges at work – CLEAR IDEAS. The workshop will introduce the CLEAR IDEAS methodology and techniques for analysing opportunities and generating creative solutions, with guidelines on how to effectively implement these innovative approaches in the workplace. The workshop will be interactive, with participants working on real work-related problems that they are currently facing. Learning outcomes and objectives By the end of the full-day training course, participants will be able to;  explain a systematic process for generating, choosing and implementing new creative solutions  use analytic thinking techniques to identify major causes and effects underlying situations  use a variety of creative thinking techniques to generate lots of new ideas  understand how to select the best ideas generated using systematic principles  identify key strategies for implanting new ideas. The course is aimed at managers or those in Committee roles - no previous specialist knowledge is required. Delegates will be asked to bring with them a work-related issue that they would like to work on during the workshop, and they are happy to share with other delegates. When booking, please specify the challenge you would like to work on e.g. “How do we... reduce volunteer turnover, make better use of resources etc.” Participants’ feedback "Dr Kamal Birdi and his team have developed a model that is adaptable, applicable and relevant in today’s current economic climate" 2012 delegate "Very practical and useful workshop on innovation. Would recommend to everyone - who doesn't need to be more innovative?" 2012 delegate In conjunction with How to book To book, complete the booking form and return by email to [email protected] or fax to 0114 253 6601. This training is FREE and lunch is provided. It is likely to be restricted to a maximum of 2 people per organisation. If you find you are unable to attend the training once booked, please let us know so that we can allocate your place to another participant. Venue The Circle, 33 Rockingham Lane, Sheffield S1 4FW The venue is fully accessible and is a 2 minute walk from Supertram (City Hall/West Street) and West Street bus stops. About the CLEAR IDEAS model The training is based on the work of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Centre for Organization and Innovation (COI), based at the University of Sheffield. During its 10-year history COI researchers studied hundreds of private and public sector organisations to identify the major barriers and facilitators of innovative solutions. The CLEAR IDEAS model has been created as a way of transferring our research findings into practice. This approach has been developed by Dr Kamal Birdi over fourteen years through working with collaborators such as Tetra Pak, the NHS, the BBC, BOC Ltd, Rolls-Royce Engines, Sheffield City Council, SYP Police, SYP Fire and Rescue, and the former Department of Trade and Industry. Evidence of impact from past workshops shows that using the CLEAR IDEAS approach can really help participants to maximize organisational outcomes and enhance value for money in service provision. Facilitator: Dr Kamal Birdi CPsychol Dr Kamal Birdi has been engaging in research and practice in the areas of organisational innovation, learning and performance for over twenty years at the Institute of Work Psychology. He is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Sheffield, and a registered Chartered Occupational Psychologist. He has worked and advised extensively on issues of evaluating and improving the impact of employee training and development interventions, including the development of the TOTADO training evaluation model. In the domain of creativity, he has widely investigated different methods of developing employee innovation and assessing the facilitators, inhibitors and consequences of organisational innovation. His new practical training system (CLEAR IDEAS), designed to enhance the innovativeness of employees, has been run with hundreds of participants from organisations in the UK and overseas. In 2010, he was given the British Psychological Society DOP Academic Contribution to Practice Award for his efforts to improve organisational processes. Email [email protected]