(3 to 5 day versions available)

There are only two ways to succeed in the long-term in any competitive enterprise, whether public, private, or non-profit:

1) do something that others can do, but do it better; or

2) find a new kind of activity that others have not learned to do or cannot do. The first way is “maximization;” the second is “innovation.”

Most organizations need to maximize and innovate continuously in order to succeed against today’s competition. Unfortunately, maximization and innovation are antagonistic at the level of individual and team behaviour: the sequence of actions needed to focus on how to improve a standard “core activity” is the exact opposite of the behavioural process needed to allow creative variation beyond standard, known solutions. The two processes therefore tend to require substantially different approaches to information, rewards, work environments, and patterns of social interaction.

This two- to five-day program considers:

a) how to decide whether to maximize or innovate in a particular area of work;

b) how to put environments and practices that support maximization and others that “shelter” creative and innovative effort under one roof; and

c) how leaders and performers can learn to transition smoothly between maximization and innovation tasks to create a “dual-capable organization.”

Longer versions go into greater depth and provide more “practice” using additional structured exercises and case studies.