CREATIVllY exercises

An effective strategy at the end of a training session or meeting is to propose creative problem solving on the question: "How are we ~oin~ to apply this learning, information, or technique back on the Job? Such an exercise can stimulate a group to produce action plans for performance improvement. In the Interaction section on page 254, we outlined one technique for this purpose, called "brainstorming." Four major steps in the creative thinking process are outlined in Exhibit 8.4 with examples. Such techniques can be used by a manager or facilitator at a meeting to "loosen up" the group's imaginative and intuitive capacities before turning them loose to creatively solve a real organizational problem (Exhibit 8.5).
Dr. Matt Weinstein has developed a whole company to teach adults how to play-Playfair, Inc., based in Berkeley, California, with offices in Dallas and New York City. His corporate clients use these services at meetings and conferences to help their employees decrease stress, increase productivity, and improve morale or camaraderie. As a replacement for the cocktail hour, he can engage a ballroom full of meeting attendees in free form play. There are no winners and losers; only celebration, bonding, and community results. When the meeting sessions are spread over days or weeks, it is essential to build into the conference design opportunities for physical and emotional release, so that participants are recharged for further intellectual effort. This "re-creation" can serve as a learning experience when so planned, such as a team golf game using the rules of "Scramble," in which individual scores are replaced by a group tally (combining the best performance of each member for each shot on every hole). Many resorts catering to conference groups have a variety of silly games to relax t~ed registrants-water-balloon tosses, egg-carrying relays, sandcastle building contests, or creative theme parties. The resulting laughter is good for morale, encourages convivality and comradeship, and puts attendees on an equal footing. Meetings, a part of the whole work environment, can be made enjoyable in a variety of ways.