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Jan 16, 2006

DePaul’s Leo V. Ryan Center For Creativity And Innovation Offers Workshops And Tips To Spur Creative Business Thinking

How can you and your business team unleash creative, entrepreneurial ideas that lead to innovative products and services, while still meeting the day-to-day demands of the workplace? This is a question that DePaul University’s Leo V. Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation has been helping organizations explore since the center’s opening eight years ago.

Housed in a colorful and stimulating space in DePaul’s College of Commerce, the center offers workshops, customized training and consultations for individuals, teams and organizations seeking innovative strategies and tools for breakthrough thinking. Upcoming programs include workshops on Feb. 15, March 3 and April 21 in Chicago, and April 28 in Des Plaines, Ill.

“The pace of today’s workplace can make it difficult for individuals and teams to find ways to tap into their creativity, even though unleashing this creativity is essential for organizations to innovate and flourish,” said DePaul Management Professor Lisa Gundry, director of the center.

Gundry, co-author of the book “Breakthrough Teams for Breakneck Times, Unlocking the Genius of Creative Collaboration,” offered these tips for unlocking creativity on the job:

  • Ask colleagues “In what ways are you creative?” You’ll be amazed how many (not so amateur) artists, poets, cooks, marathon runners, fund-raisers, coaches and troop leaders your small company harbors. Consider how their experiences with hobbies and interests may shed new light on a current business problem you are facing.

  • Ask lots of questions, including ones that challenge assumptions about your career and business. Why have things always been done a certain way? What are five things your clients would say about you? What would you never make, buy or sell? Such provocative questions can lead to new ideas.

  • Start an Idea Club. When you or co-workers go to conferences, trade shows or other firms, bring back one idea to discuss and implement in your business.

  • Redesign your work space to stimulate your thinking. This doesn’t require major remodeling – simply introduce items from nature, add color and place inspirational objects or quotes in your office. A creative environment can spark creative thinking.

  • Use a trigger tool at your next meeting to energize problem-solving. For example, choose a random word and talk about its associations. One group brainstormed the word “umbrella” and developed a new service they could bring to market and position as “added security” for customers who would be “protected and sheltered” by it!

  • When brainstorming, suspend judgment – even for a few minutes. A major obstacle to breakthrough thinking is the infamous killer phrase that nips new ideas in the bud – phrases such as “yes, but…”; “the boss will never go for it”; “it’s not in the budget”; and “we’ve tried that before.” If you apply critical thinking too early, you never will discover new opportunities.

    Individuals and organizations seeking assistance for exploring business creativity can take advantage of these upcoming Creativity Center seminars:

    Feb. 15: “Where Do Entrepreneurial Opportunities Come From?” Patrick Murphy, DePaul assistant professor of management, hosts an “Idea Clinic” to share and discuss the sources of creative business ideas and innovative opportunities. The forum will draw from the experiences of Chicago-area entrepreneurs working with senior DePaul entrepreneurship students. 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation, DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 7301. Fee: $25 per person.

    March 3: “Unlocking Creativity in Your Organization: Innovative Strategies for Business Success.” Laurel Ofstein, assistant director of the Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation and adjunct professor of corporate entrepreneurship at DePaul, will introduce participants to innovative idea-generation tools for reaching unexpected solutions. Learn new methods to unlock creativity, address problems and discover opportunities that can be applied to new product development and current product evolution. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation, DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 730. Fee: $50 per person, includes materials.

    April 20: "Managing Cross-Functional Creativity." Christopher M. Barlow, DePaul visiting assistant professor of management, hosts an "Idea Clinic" to share and discuss tools to prepare you for assembling and managing cross-functional, collaborative efforts to more fully address real-world strategy, design and entrepreneurial opportunities. 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation, DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 7301. Fee: $25 per person.

    April 21 in Chicago; April 28 in Des Plaines, Ill.: “Creativity, Humor and Getting Things Done.” Creativity consultant and humorist Doug Stevenson, principal of All Creation in Chicago, explores the relationship between creativity and humor. Learn how laughter and innovation are intertwined and why laughter is a vital sign of a healthy organization. This workshop will examine how companies have found success through creativity and humor. April 21: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation, DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 7301, Chicago. April 28: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., DePaul University O’Hare Campus, Room 201, 3166 River Road, Des Plaines, Ill. Fee: $50 per person per session, includes materials.

    May 19: "Don't Wait...INNOVATE." Lisa Gundry, DePaul professor of management and director of the Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation, and Laurel Ofstein, assistant director of the Ryan Center, host a workshop to teach tools and techniques for enhancing innovation and change in the workplace. Participants will learn about building a more innovative business environment, tools they can use to increase creative problem-solving within work teams and how to enhance individual performance. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., DePaul University O'Hare Campus, Room 225, 3166 River Road, Des Plaines, Ill. Fee: $50 per person, includes materials.

    All sessions are half price for DePaul faculty and staff and free to DePaul students. For more information, contact the Leo V. Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation at (312) 362-8395 or creativity.depaul.edu.