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Description

The Innovative Manager: Framing, Generating and Testing with Four Methods

Enable your team to produce genuinely new solutions using structured methods rather than open-ended idea meetings

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Asking a team for ideas usually produces a mixed list that nobody takes forward. The boldest proposals are set aside out of caution and the rest fade away for lack of an owner or a way to test them. The team concludes that making suggestions serves no purpose.

Over two days this programme presents four complementary methods that a manager can facilitate personally. Participants learn to reframe a problem, generate options, build a prototype and then run a controlled experiment. The focus is on facilitating innovation, not on the iterative running of day-to-day work.

Learning objectives

  • Reframe a problem in order to widen the range of possible solutions
  • Facilitate an idea-generation sequence with explicit ground rules
  • Select proposals against criteria announced in advance
  • Build a rough prototype to make an idea open to discussion
  • Run a controlled experiment and draw a decision from it

What makes this programme different

Four methods facilitated by the participants themselves during the session
A real problem brought by the group taken from framing through to prototype
Selection criteria defined before any ideas are generated

Programme

1Framing the problem

First method: problem reframing

  • Distinguish the symptom from the problem to be addressed
  • Explore causes before looking for solutions
  • Reframe the problem as an open question
  • Define the expected criteria for success

2Getting the group to produce

Second method: structured ideation

  • Set the ground rules that protect fragile ideas
  • Use triggers to move beyond familiar solutions
  • Draw contributions from more reserved profiles
  • Cluster proposals into workable families

3Making the idea tangible

Third method: rough prototyping

  • Select the ideas to develop further against the criteria set
  • Represent an idea through a diagram or a simple mock-up
  • Test the prototype with its future users
  • Incorporate feedback into a revised version

4Testing in real conditions

Fourth method: controlled experimentation

  • Define the scope and duration of the trial
  • Choose the indicators that will support the decision
  • Involve the teams concerned in running the trial
  • Decide whether to scale up, adjust or stop

Who is it for

Managers and team leaders responsible for generating new solutions within their scope of activity.

Prerequisites

Regular experience of facilitating team meetings.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.