How to ignite business innovation

Text: A Correspondent

Here's a workshop that is completely jargon free. There are no power point presentations of any kind. The key principles are simple and easy to remember. It is about business innovation that ignites your imagination.

And it's about Carnatic music too.

The business innovation workshop has been conceived and conducted by two leading musicians Bombay Jayashri and T M Krishna and advertising professional, R. Sridhar of IDEAS-RS.

The workshop with the theme 'Don't freeze the minds' is designed for senior managers, professionals and entrepreneurs.
This workshop plans to raise funds to build a school for children in a backward area (Uttarkasi) and is being done for The Ganga Valley Education Trust.

The 'Voices Within Business Innovation Workshop' is not a vague concept but a robust, practical business tool that you can use. It is has been tested by 120 business focused corporate managers and entrepreneurs in Mumbai.

The business innovation workshop will be held at the Taj Residency, Bangalore from 9.30 a.m to 5.30 p.m on June 6, 2009. Read on to find out how the workshop can fire your imagination to build an innovative business:

It makes the mind receptive

The workshop starts with a live concert and demonstration by the two leading musicians. They are accompanied by two more outstanding professionals on the violin and the percussion. There is nothing corporate about the ambience, which is relaxing.

It is clear, simple, and easy to understand

The entire workshop is completely jargon free. There are no power point presentations or pontification of any kind. The key principles are simple and easy to remember. What is more, there are ample examples to illustrate how these principles apply to real life business.

Emphasis is on learning not on training

Every element of the workshop design is focused on the participants and helps them absorb the key principles and also try the principles in the workshop itself.

Opportunity to listen, learn and share ideas

The workshop is designed in such a way that every participant works individually as well as in a team. Everyone gets to think, speak, share, listen, and work on each other's ideas in a team.

Focus is on business, not just creativity

It is not about esoteric creativity, which one admires but is unable to apply. The whole group works on a precisely defined business challenge posed in the workshop. There is a clear demonstration that participants can, and do stretch their creative minds.

 Learning while you play

The workshop advocates that serious work should not be boring. That is why it encourages participants to work in teams and actively participate in a business creativity game.

It is an unusual brainstorming game, which not only explains the key principles lucidly but also helps you to apply them to a sharply defined real life business issue. Participants are guided through this brainstorming game by the faculty.

What the workshop offers

Every participant gets a complete tool kit at the workshop. It consists of 'Voices Within Coffee Table Book', innovation workbook, 'Voices Within Trigger Book' and a pair of dice. In addition there is a unique memento that reminds the participant of the key principles. 

A practical business tool

The workshop is not a vague concept but a robust, practical business tool that you can use. It is has been tested by 120 business focused corporate managers and entrepreneurs in Mumbai in an open workshop. Senior managers in subsequent workshops have tested it for effectiveness and relevance. The workshop principles are universal, robust and tested.