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Description

Creativity in Business: Framing the Problem, Generating Ideas and Selecting Them

Two days to facilitate idea-generation sessions and turn the selected options into workable proposals

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

Meetings intended to surface new ideas often produce the same proposals as the previous year. The problem is framed too quickly, the first ideas are judged within a minute and the more cautious participants stay silent until the session ends.

This 14-hour programme treats creativity as a structured three-stage process: framing the problem to be addressed, generating a high volume of ideas without evaluating them, then selecting and developing the options retained. Both days are run as workshops using real problems brought by the participants.

Learning objectives

  • Reframe a business problem in order to widen the field of possible solutions
  • Facilitate an idea-generation sequence while suspending judgement
  • Apply several divergent thinking techniques according to the subject
  • Select ideas against criteria defined in advance
  • Develop a selected idea into a presentable proposal

What makes this programme different

Workshops run on real problems brought by the participants
A strict separation between generation time and evaluation time
A fully developed proposal presented to the group at the end of day two

Programme

1Framing the Problem

Before looking for ideas

  • Reframing a problem as an open question
  • Identifying real constraints and assumed constraints
  • Defining the scope and the success criteria
  • The effect of framing on the nature of the ideas generated

2Generating Ideas

The divergent stage

  • Ground rules for suspending judgement in a group
  • Association techniques and shifting perspective
  • Generating ideas through analogy and by inverting the problem
  • Re-energising a group that is running out of steam

3Sorting and Choosing

The convergent stage

  • Defining selection criteria before sorting begins
  • Grouping ideas into families
  • Choosing which options to pursue and justifying that choice
  • Handling the ideas that are set aside

4Developing and Defending

From idea to proposal

  • Shaping a selected idea into a concrete proposal
  • Anticipating predictable objections
  • Identifying the first tests to be run
  • Presenting the proposal to a decision-maker

Who is it for

Project managers · team managers · marketing and innovation teams · and anyone required to facilitate idea-generation sessions.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

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.