Improvisation

    Announcing Momentum Creative Problem Solving (MCPS)

    A highly creative new method for solving difficult problems

    Accelerate the Momentum of Work and Life Projects With Focused Creativity

    Improvisation works for problem solving AND comedy.

    MCPS Training Available on Wednesday, April 28th, 1 to 4:30 Eastern

    Three Oaks, Michigan, Wednesday April 21st, an announcement on International Creativity and Innovation Day

    Momentum Creative Problem Solving (MCPS) is a powerful new method for solving difficult problems. If you are stuck, fearful or intimidated with a challenge — or delighted with a messy and perplexing opportunity — this is the process to use.

    More focused creativity means more Momentum

    MCPS leverages creativity in a dynamic balance with thoughtful analysis. MCPS is a three-phase structured process of exploration, ideas, and action. If you can remember those three words, and the tools that go with them, you’re well on your way to more creative, efficient, and effective problem solving. As you learn more MCPS thinking tools, creative power grows.

    MCPS is suitable for individuals or teams

    Everybody is creative. The rub is getting into creative flow, and, getting into action. For individuals, MCPS is a way to shift mindset and perspective, and creating workable solutions for life and work challenges. It’s easy-to-learn, immediately useful, and only gets more powerful as thinking shifts towards more focused, improvisational, and creative, problem solving.

    MCPS is Improvisational within a simple structure

    For organizations, MCPS is a foundational framework for building a culture of constant creative improvisation in order to innovate. MCPS perfectly complements innovation frameworks like Design Thinking, Agile, and Lean, and quality frameworks like Six Sigma. Comedy improvisation games and story telling are already integrated with MCPS. MCPS and its associated tools “flex around” the shortfalls of other, less flexible, but useful frameworks.

    The creator of MCPS is Gregg Fraley, the author of the creativity book, Jack’s Notebook. Gregg’s a leading theorist, speaker, facilitator and trainer of creativity and innovation.

    “MCPS is simple enough for quick on-the-fly handling of challenges that crop up. It could be used to start a business, or, for a career change. And, it has more sophisticated tools for corporate innovation teams handing large scale challenges,” said Gregg Fraley, CEO of Gregg Fraley Innovation (GFi). “Imagine life as a more creative problem solver. Big improvements and more effective solutions are available to anyone willing to learn and use MCPS.”

    MCPS incorporates tools for:

    • Making creative choices on a daily basis
    • Establishing a creative mindset and innovation culture at work
    • Getting organization mandates to turn problems into opportunities
    • Using improvisational principles to achieve creative flow
    • Focusing projects, and implementing creative solutions, and,
    • Integration with other creativity and innovation methods and tools.

    MCPS Builds on Proven “Osborn-Parnes CPS”

    MCPS owes part of its basic structure to Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving. CPS first started being used in the early 1950’s, created by the founder of brainstorming, Alex Osborn. Osborn wrote “Applied Imagination.” IBM, Xerox, IDEO, Coca-Cola, and P&G are just a small sample of organizations who already use CPS. Practitioners of CPS, like Gregg Fraley, facilitate solutions for big companies and start-ups. He’s helped them reinvent everything from factory shop floors to potato chip packaging.

    It Starts With Mindset and Culture

    It’s amazing what some simple attitudes can do to enhance creative effectiveness. Mindset is where culture change starts. Those simple choices, like, using the phrase “Yes, And” start to balance out cultures that are thoughtlessly critical.

    Prior to MCPS, concepts like mindset and culture have never been made explicit in creative/innovative frameworks. Nor has the focusing power of projects, or “concept blending” ideation tools designed to achieve breakthrough ideas. They’ve never been included in one overarching model. That’s what’s different about Momentum CPS.

    Everyone Needs Momentum! Get the Training in MCPS

    We all need momentum to face the challenges of today: pandemics, climate change, sustainability, digital technology, and more. A lot has changed since Gregg Fraley wrote Jack’s Notebook, a business novel about creative problem solving, twelve years ago. Momentum CPS is the method to learn for those seeking ways to creatively adapt.

    For those who wish to learn the process, consider this online training offering: Momentum CPS, a Basic Training virtually, on April 28th. The session is from 1 to 4:30 EST. GFi (Gregg Fraley Innovation) plans to offer this course on a monthly basis going forward.

    There’s a great deal more to say about Momentum CPS. Suffice to say here, if you want to be a better creative problem solver, facilitator, or corporate innovator, you’d be well advised to learn this new approach. Register now for the training, and stay tuned for the white paper and book about this new approach.

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    Invest in Your Innovation Capacity In my various consulting engagements I have learned not to take much for granted. I thought by this year in history (2016) everyone in the business world would have a clue as to how to do ideation (aka brainstorming) properly. Wow, not even close. It’s a glaring missing ingredient in staying competitive. It’s a key to growth and it’s routinely done poorly. The art and science of developing valid business ideas has a formula. There are variations but at the heart of it you have: Problem Framing, Ideation, Idea Development, and Actions. Within each of those areas there are tools and techniques. If you know them, and use them in the context of an innovation

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