Accelerating Innovative Thinking

Accelerating Innovative Thinking: A Series of Workshops Introducing Innovation Resources Located in the Great Lakes Region

The North American Great Lakes regions, a group of cities from Toronto to Chicago, is the home of many organizations that will help you build and expand your company’s innovation capacity. The Accelerating Innovative Thinking (AIT) series of Workshops was created by WEtech Alliance to showcase these innovation support services to business and industry leaders in the Windsor-Essex region.

Paul Rousseau from Lakeshore, Ontario, coordinates the Accelerating Innovative Thinking Workshop series. Paul is an internationally recognized trainer, consultant, teacher and coach in problem solving and creative solution finding. He has taught the Creative Process course and coached engineering students at the University of Windsor, and has designed and led courses and workshop in many problem-solving methodologies including TRIZ, Ideation TRIZ, Value Engineering and Creative Problem Solving.
The inaugural workshop, scheduled on October 8, 2014 will feature the innovation support services of Ideation International (http://whereinnovationbegins.net/), a company based in Farmington Hills Michigan that specializes in innovative problem solving and other related services and software products. Ideation offers proven and reliable structured methodologies for defining and resolving complex problems, evolving technology and patent protection.
Accelerating Innovative Thinking Workshop One
Introduction to the Innovation Situation Questionnaire® (ISQ)® and the Problem Formulator®
Date: October 8, 2014
Time: 9:30a.m.-11:30a.m.
Location: WEtech Alliance
720 Ouellette Ave.
Windsor, ON
Note: This inaugural AIT workshop is designed for senior managers and is by invitation only.
In this presentation you will be introduced to the innovation support services and products developed by Ideation International based in Farmington Hills Michigan. You will learn how to:

• conduct a preliminary problem analysis using the ISQ in order to define the problem situation from different points of view,
• build cause-effect diagrams that will deepen you understanding of the problem as a system,
• identify the problem’s root causes,
• expose the interdependence between system functioning and the problem’s root causes,
• formulate a range of directions to the problem solution
• select the most promising directions for creative solution finding, and
• refine and strengthen directions for creatively solving the problem

Participants are encouraged to suggest a problematic situation, one that they feel comfortable sharing, and we will analyse it using the Problem Formulator. Workshop presenters Zion Bar-El and Alla Zusman will demonstrate the ISQ and Problem Formulator. Participants will receive a 30-day software licence to practice what they learned in the workshop.

Workshop Presenters:
Zion Bar-El, CEO of Ideation International
Zion Bar-El performs multiple functions including those involving Sales and Marketing Administration. Mr. Bar-El manages pre-sales activities and negotiates agreements with potential clients, both nationally and internationally. He has been involved in overseeing all Ideation activities since January of 1996.

Alla Zusman, Director of Product Development, Ideation International
Alla Zusman is overseeing all Ideation product development since its inception in 1992. Ms. Zusman assists in work involving the advancements made to the Ideation Office of Innovation. Ms. Zusman is also a certified TRIZ Master with over 30 years of experience and trainer in all applications of the Office of Innovation and underlined methodology.