7/29/2019 Facilitating Creative Thinking http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/facilitating-creative-thinking 1/49 Facilitating the development of a Brand that fosters effective creative CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Facilitating Creative Thinking| Spring 2013 | Professor Mariah Hay Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Susan M. Bernard A BOUTIQUE HOTEL, KINGSTON JAMAICA
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The cognitive process of perception, learning, communication,association and reasoning
In this activity, the Warm up, observations were made and information gathered.The following was excellent in translating the feelings and opinions of many thatparticipated as well as a thought for all to consider
¬ There needs to be effective facilitation and concept devel-opment as well as an allowance for "more accountibilityand less victimhood"1 This gives way to exploring inno-vative ways to solving issues.
¬ Value leadership. We all have moments that change some-one elses life and allows us to be leaders . It's up to us toimprove others lives2
1 Jim Bearden, Accountability (Paraphrased)2 Drew Dudley "Leading with Lollipos" (taken from)
The Value Proposition that evolved from the session was:
The SPANISH COURT HOTEL provides Banqueting and Events services for Corporate and private
clients thereby assisting with the growth of the Client's business as well as providing them witha "Home away from Home".
We provide guests with excellent service, exquisite dining, attractive rooms, and a moderncomfortable ambiance.
We do this by going above and beyond the expectations of our guests with our warmth, professionalism,attentiontodetailandefciency.ThisiswhatmakestheSPANISH
COURT HOTEL stand alone and has given us the pleasure to provide,"Real Style, Real Service" to our guests.
Having such a small group made it difcult for this portion of the exercise due to the time constraint.
There were no conicts nor did we go off track. Approaching this exercise using lateral thinking meth-
ods was new to them initially, however the team caught on quickly. The workshop was extremely laid
back and informal which eased the environment.
Based upon the requirements of the project I think my choice for this activity may have been a bit am-bitious being that I had hoped to produce a document that may have been used as a sales depart-ment manual using their input.
I felt this might address some of the issues staff members expressed, and present a way to be more
proactive without the need for certain approvals.
I also felt that (with the owners approval), the value statement, ideally created by a large group of staffmembers, would best create a consistent culture through out the hotel. Together they would havemade an agreement which would in turn be a promise to their guests.
The exercise with the team members took 2 hours and 30 minutes long.
things I would do differently
Unfortunately only 3 members were totally involved in this
workshop.
This exercise like the warm up exercise was rushed. Should we
have had a total of 6 to 8 hours of solid participation or more
team members present we would have achieved the results
infographicThe organization uses a great deal of convergent thinking as opposed to divergent thinking .
Initially my idea for this workshop was far less time consuming, however, by using a simple warm up exercise,
gave me insight into what may be the best way to approach the group and at the same time be a new way
of approaching problems.
Due to the fact that the hotel hosts business meetings, an idea of the types of business travellers that the hotel
may associate with in general would be helpful. I referred to a survey done on the types of business travellers1
and their characteristics. This survey gives great insigt into how business people travel, and what they would
prefer for their convenience.
Key Personas such as "the Veteran" traveler, "the Road-Weary", "the Wide Eyed and Anxious", "the Passionate
High-tech", and "the recruits" were each described noting their prefences and habits when travelling. This
plays a great deal into the possibilities for points of interest identied in the brainstorming session.
I nd like many other organizations, there is a fear of doing something incorrectly, of making the wrong de-
cision. This approach I felt would best be served by using divergent thinking, brainstorming sessions with the
employees that allow for work to be accomplished in a more playful atmosphere.
Many I spoke with said they had numerous ideas that they were either nervous to put forward, didn't have the
opportunity to suggest, or were put down by supervisors as it was seen as not suitable.
It is understood that not all ideas are suitable, or will work, however, through reframing, non-judgement and
research, much can be taken from the inital idea and as a team something tangible created. This gives a
sense of accomplishment to everyone as well as motivation that will encourage further participation and
accountability.
Brainstorming will identify the source of the problem and place the side effects to one side which allows for a
solid solution and foundation from which to proceed.
Thinking outside of the box comes when all ideas are exhausted and the research begins.
The infographic poster takes note of the study by the BTNGroup showing the veteran traveler and the journey
that type of individual may take showing their experiences as they go along. It is not a solution merely a start-
ing point and considers some of the employees input as well as the team's efforts on the day of the workshop.
1 Understanding your Travel Population: Traveller Segmentation and Customization can lead to increased compliance and enhancedtraveler satisfaction produced by BTNGroup, Elizabeth West, Irene Kom, Mariza Moreira, Louis Magliaro and Tim Reid