Andrew Grant

FEATURE KEYNOTE: Who killed creativity?

Who killed creativity? Was it X. S. Stress in the CEO’s office with the ‘Illusion of Invulnerability’, or Beau Rock-Racy in the Cube Farm with the  ‘Scalpel Of Expertise’? In this colourful and lively Cluedo-like board game /keynote talk or workshop, the latest brain research and sociological findings are combined with a fact finding mission to discover “Who Killed Creativity?” and to find out how we can get it back. Recently researchers discovered, after analyzing almost 300,000 Torrance scores of children and adults that in line with IQ scores, CQ (Creative Quotient) scores had been steadily rising each generation.  However to their dismay, ever since 1990  CQ had consistently inched downward away from IQ. Tirian has also discovered in their workshops with adults, and their video ‘HANDS UP’ that as children progress through school & into the workplace, for many creativity declines. What are the causes of this trend? Do they exist in your workplace, & effect your teams performance, & what can be done about it? Find out how Creativity & Innovation can improve results by up to 300% in your organization?

Book, Board game, Seminar & Team Building also available + full theming as needed

Collaboration: The Collaboration Deception

Why do bees discriminate against some of their own in order to protect their collaborative community? How has tourism destroyed age old farming practices overnight by ignoring collaborative principles? And what do the stone age hunters have in common with stockbrokers in terms of reasons to collaborate? The motivation behind apparent collaboration can be deceptive, and many teams need to understand what dynamics can drag a team down before they will be able to build a collaborative community. This dynamic keynote or workshop includes a fascinating social experiment based on game theory, that will challenge the smartest of players to build collaboration in an often cutthroat competitive environment.

Leadership: Inventing the Future &The leader as a storyteller

How leaders can construct an authentic organisational narrative Why are many of today’s leaders stuck in a void between Facebook and indigenous cultures? Why is checking morning emails more dangerous than smoking marijuana? Why does Coke taste better when you know its Coke? What did stories tell us about Enron and the Subprime credit crunch before they tanked? Are Dilbert’s Kafkaesque bureaucratic mission statements more genuine than yours? How did the Australian Aboriginals sustain their environment for tens of thousands of years without a government or the internet? Effective leaders have a clear picture about their basic purpose and their teams share a common set of values, which provides a vision and drives actions towards high performance. The stories leaders share about the organization reveal the predominant corporate culture. The deliberate use of story can also be instrumental in shaping the culture. By identifying the stories people tell and analysing these, it is possible for leaders  to gain an understanding of significant experiences and issues that may need to be acknowledged and managed.

The Innovation Race – Who Wins, Loses, and gets Eliminated. How to change a culture to change the game

Why have some great countries and cultures charged ahead at the forefront of innovation, while others have struggled to survive? Who are the most innovative cultures in the world and why? And what does this mean for organizations today and for the race to survive and thrive?

Through drawing out fascinating insights from different cultures around the world this session reveals principles we can all use to improve the way we think about innovation and ultimately change the game. Fast-paced entertainment and humor are blended with deep social and anthropological research, with profound implications for facing contemporary challenges. Along the way participants discover the enduring cultural traits that foster true creative thinking and innovation. They identify how (organizational) culture can shape creative and innovative thinking – and in turn how creative thinking can shape organizational culture for ultimate success.

With a hands on board game-style format, participants in table groups are taken on an around-the-world race. They are required to face some incredible innovation challenges at each destination along the way, and are encouraged to choose the best solutions. Through this process, the participants discover how they can face their own personal, team and organizational challenges in order to create a positive environment for creative thinking and innovation.