Achieving Strategy Through Leadership: Strategy & Innovation

Introduction:

Innovation is the key strategy of many organizations in the global competitive industries of the new century. New ideas can lead to programs, products and services which can provide a distinct competitive advantage over competitors. With routine tasks becoming more automated and the competitive environment becomes more dynamic, creative problem solving and innovation will play an increasingly important role in determining the success of business leaders. Creativity is the process of generating new and useful ideas. Innovation is taking a new idea and putting it to use. The critical role of the leader is to create an environment where creativity and innovation flourish, and where people’s innate resistance to the changes that require is successfully overcome.

Targeted Groups:

• Directors
• Managers
• Supervisors & Team leaders

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Set creativity and innovation in a strategic context
• Understand the drivers for a greater emphasis in business on creativity and innovation
• Identify the processes and activities which support creativity and innovation in organizations
• Identify the strategies, tools, and techniques to improve levels of creativity and innovation
• Understand how the process of change can block or enable employees at all levels to resist or embrace a greater emphasis on creativity and innovation
• Understand the crucial role and skills of the leader in creating an environment where creativity and innovation thrive
• Develop skills for strategic leaders to lead the process of building the right culture for fostering innovation
• Improve preparedness to deal with strategic improvements
• Establish organizational, team and personal innovative capabilities
• Improve performance by executive innovative processes and functions
• Improve motivation and gain the participation of the full workforce
• Allow leaders to better meet challenges of dynamic, strategic change

Targeted Competencies:

• Leadership skills
• Strategic planning
• Change management
• Creativity & Innovation
• Communication skills

Course Content:

Unit 1: Encouraging a Creative Climate at Work:

• Innovative leadership for excellent performance
• The Critical mass for change and innovation
• Innovation VS Constant Improvement
• How a Leader Creates a Climate of Innovation
• Case Study on Most Innovative Companies
• Innovation and current business breakthroughs

Unit 2: Gaining the Participation of the Workforce:

• The G.E. “Workout” Strategy
• Developing Creative Solutions for Strategies
• Gaining the “Buy-In” from the workforce
• Overcoming Paradigms
• Dealing with Organizational “Drift”

Unit 3: Leading on The Creative Edge:

• Developing Creative Potential in People and Teams
• Understanding Creative People
• Convergent & Divergent Thinking Skills
• Motivating Creative Individuals at work
• Incubating ideas
• Interacting creatively
• Converting expenses to assets using creativity

Unit 4: Creating a Motivating Climate for Higher Productivity:

• The Ten Key Elements to Setting up new Missions
• Setting Goals and Targets Creatively
• Creating a “Sense of Significance”
• Rewarding Performance
• The Four-Step “Pygmalion” theory
• Generational Motivators

Unit 5: Driving Strategic Change:

• Managing the change process
• Kotter’s change management techniques
• Communicating with a sense of urgency
• The downside of change
• Creating a climate of constant change
• Successful techniques for changing people