Tools of Creativity for Technical Professionals

Prof. Ali Daneshy
Duration: 2 Days

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Who should attend? This is a hands-on course specially designed for technical professionals; whether designing new tools and system, or, finding solutions to day-to-day operational problems.

About this course One look around and you will agree that, without a doubt, and more than any other profession, it is the creativity of engineers and technical professional that has resulted in the astounding advancements of the last century. Still, what does not catch the eye are the infinite number of day-to-day one-of-a-kind technical problems that are solved by innovative manipulation of existing systems and tools. There is no limit to the accomplishments of the creative mind.

To varying degrees all engineers and technical people have the talent and the urge to be creative. There are tools and methodologies that can open up the creative process in our brains. It is like learning a new language- the brain opens up to new possibilities. These methodologies are the focus and purpose of this two-day workshop.

Our creative thinking processes consist of two essential parts; a lateral/peripheral thinking that searches and finds alternatives, and a vertical/logical process that transforms the alternative to a solution. While our formal technical education nourishes and strengthens the vertical/logical thinking, by and large it leaves the lateral thinking process to itself. One component of this course is introduction of tools and exercises (mental provocations) that force our brain into lateral thinking, thus strengthening its ability to be creative.

The glue that links our creative thinking with a specific useable output is a combination of organizational and individual actions that transform a concept into reality. The course will cover these comprehensively.

 The workshop is completely “interactive” and includes many individual and team class exercises. One objective of the workshop is to demonstrate the role and power of teams in creativity. From the beginning the group will be divided into teams of 4 or five members who will collectively work on class exercises.

About the speaker. Dr Daneshy is the president of Daneshy Consultants Int’l and adjunct professor at the University of Houston. He has been teaching this course for many years in US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, mostly to E&P audiences. Main ingredients of learning in this course are the class exercises, which are used to convince the audience of their own creative talent and demonstrate the power of the different thinking processes. Dr. Daneshy is the author of several articles on techniques of creative and inventive thinking.

Course Content

Elements of Creativity Process
Intention/motivation
Observation and dissection
Adopt & adapt
Provocation
Movement
Judgment suspension
Action & tenacity
Thinking Processes
Sequential, vertical, logical
Peripheral, lateral
TRIZ (Theory of Solving Problems Inventively)
Ideality
Resources
Contradiction
Patterns of invention
Steps in Creative Process
Continuity analysis
Search for alternatives
Challenge
Provocation
Movement (progression)
Integration
Characteristics of creative people
Characteristics of creative managers
Characteristics of creative organizations