Transfering Creative Ways of Working

Mike van der Vijver

MindMeeting

- Part 1 -

Icca Summit

Thessaloniki, 1 February, 2013

On Creativity, Innovation and Change

Create

Change Innovate

On Creativity

Creativity is not a mystery or a special gift – it is a skill that can be learned and applied.

Creativity in business organisations?

Yes!

• Creativity = NOT :

Creativity is a Process

Means??

End!!

Our Brain

- Incredibly complex (100-125 billion neurons)

- Quick

- Integrates mind and body

- Can always produce new connections

- Context-dependent

- Lazy, saves energy

(uses patterns)

There is

Always

Another option, another perspective

Creativity and Behaviour

• Open mode

• Not target-driven

• Playful

• No pressure

• No stress

• Accepting

• Context-dependent

• Humour

In High Uncertainty Avoidance

Cultures :

What is different

might be dangerous!

What is different

inspires distrust,

rather than curiosity

High UAI Cultures (1)

• Concerned about security and about making mistakes / failing

• Conflicts and competition create unforeseen situations and are, therefore, worrying

• Need for rules, structures, tec. (but rules may not be followed)

• If the rules are not followed, we don’t change them but add others

• More trust in theories and experts than in common sense and generalists

• More anxiety and stress

High UAI Cultures (2)

• Standardisation: organisations should be as uniform as

possible

• Managers more task-oriented and less flexible in style

• Look for security rather than risk

• More ritual behaviour

• Search for most reliable physician

• Humour only at the right place and time

• As form of communications

• Demonstrate added value

• Client relationship

• Professionalism as MICE expert

• Formats and design

Potential areas of innovation: Meetings

• Change your product/service

• Change your positioning

• Change your communications

• Change your message

• Change your work processes

• Change your personal habits

• Create Serendipity

The options? This afternoon!

Potential areas of innovation: Business & Marketing

The Creative process

Initial question

Divergence

Convergence

Outcomes

The 7 Rules of Creative Communication

1. Postpone judgment

2. Listen carefully: what can be of value in the idea ?

3. Freewheel: imagination

4. Quantity breeds quality

5. Cross-pollination

6. 28 ideakillers: taboo !

1. Yes, but …… 2. That exists already! 3. Impossible. 4. Our customers won’t appreciate it. 5. Let’s be realistic. 6. Too expensive. 7. That’s not logical. 8. We need more research. 9. There’s no budget. 10. Don’t make any mistakes. 11. The board will not agree. 12. I am not creative. 13. It is not my responsibility. 14. If it was such a good idea, others would have tried it already.

28 Idea Killers (1)

28 Idea Killers (2)

15. That’s too big a change. 16. The older people will not use it. 17. Too hard to control. 18. We have always done it this way, why change? 19. We don’t have the time for it. 20. The market is not yet ripe for it. 21. We are too small for that. 22. Let’s remain serious about this. 23. We’ll keep it in mind. 24. We have managed without it. 25. It might work somewhere else perhaps, but not here. 26. It’s already in our future business plan. 27. W will put somebody on it later. 28. Since when have you become such an expert?

Reasons for having meetings:

- Learning

- Networking

- Decision-making

- Motivate

- Decision-making

- As part of a ritual

Reasons ≠ Objectives

Objectives:

- Specific

- Measurable

- Attainable

- Realistic

- Time-related

= SMART

1. Physical Presence 2. The real world is elsewhere 3. Elementary Meetings – Conventions 4. Knowledge is everywhere 5. International meetings are different 6. Order and sequence 7. Meetings can be magical

Mike van der Vijver

Design and support international meetings