Creative Consulting: Moving From ‘Persistent Misdirected Efforts’ To Truly Transformative Results
Webinar
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It has been said that “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Yet, we continue with the status quo and rarely welcome challenge or creativity especially when addressing second-order problems or significant business and organisational challenges. Disruption is becoming the new normal – and we continue to be ruled by VUCA, that acronym of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.
We need to think differently to solve traditional problems and achieve transformative results, something I call creative consulting. This is achieved by using psychology, behavioural science, creativity and collaboration, in addition to metrics, to increase imagination, enhance possibility and the expand solution space. This is easier said than done – especially given the homogeneity of many gatekeepers and their reluctance to embrace change. In essence, this is moving from a traditional, linear, ‘left-brain’ approach to a more creative, oblique and right-brain approach - true cognitive diversity.
During the session, I will show via a simple 2-by-2 matrix of effectiveness versus approach that we need to move from the reality of ‘persistent misdirected efforts’ to the truly transformative. This is the opportunity for significant growth, innovation, solving second-order problems. This ‘magical’ quadrant is a concept that frightens many of our gatekeepers and leaders. This quadrant is where true disruption, innovation and ‘blue ocean’ can happen. It is in many cases not predicted by research or metrics but governed by behaviour and oblique thinking.
Creative consulting goes against the grain of many operating models and consulting firms' focus on cost-cutting their way to growth - which, aside from incrementalism, ultimately leads to a bit of a bloodbath and little differentiation or transformation.
Speaker:
Dowshan Humzah is an independent board director and strategic advisor who has delivered transformative business growth, industry firsts, digital innovation and talent diversity, having held executive roles with RSA Insurance, Virgin Media, Orange, Procter & Gamble and four digital start-ups.
He has a multi-faceted career with a portfolio of board, advisory and consulting roles. As a non-executive, he focuses much of his efforts on improving performance and quality via board composition and representation. His directorships include Chair UK Advisory Board, Board Apprentice Global; Member of Council, Gresham College; and Chair, Overcoming MS.
Core to his consultancy roles, Dowshan shows organisations how to enhance customer and commercial deliverables by thinking differently to achieve transformative results. This is facilitated by his cognitive diversity and application of creative consulting, where he combines traditional, linear, ‘left-brain’ frameworks with a more creative, oblique, ‘right-brain’ approach thereby expanding possibility, imagination and the resulting solution space.
Dowshan is a co-author of ‘Uncertainty Deconstructed’ (published by Springer) and an apt book for our current disruptive times!
Speaker(s):
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Dowshan Humzah
Independent Board Director &
Strategic Advisor
Chairman:
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Professor Michael Mainelli
Chairman
Z/Yen Group