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Keynote Speakers
Turning Ideas into Innovations? A Review of Creativity Training in Organisations
Dr. Kamal Birdi PhD, C. Occ. Psychol
The increasingly dynamic, stringent and competitive conditions of the 21st Century are raising the need for organizations to innovate more frequently and more effectively. This desire for greater innovation, defined as the intentional generation and introduction of potentially useful new ideas, products, services and ways of working into roles, groups, organizations and society (Amabile, 1988; West & Farr, 1990), is a concern crossing both sectors and nations. Organizations have taken various routes in their attempts to enhance the creativity and innovation of their workforce, including recruiting more innovative individuals, setting up idea capture schemes, investing heavily in Research and Development functions, modifying job design or introducing systems that reward creativity. However, another popular strategy considers that existing levels of creativity can be enhanced for all through training in creative thinking approaches such as creative problem solving (Basadur et al., 1982; Parnes et al, 1977); brainstorming (Osborn, 1963; Paulus & Yang, 2000); lateral thinking (questioning and reformulating problem boundaries; DeBono, 1977); synectics (using analogies and metaphors; Gordon, 1961); morphological analysis (breaking down and recombining problem components; Allen, 1962; Zwicky, 1969); or TRIZ (an engineering-derived set of creative thinking principles; Altshuller, 1973). Recent national surveys in the UK have shown that about a fifth of organisations conduct some form of creativity training with their employees (Department of Business Innovation and Skills, 2010; Birdi et al., 2007; Patterson & Kerrin, 2009).
However, despite this widespread use, there has been relatively little evaluation of the effectiveness of creativity training interventions, particularly in the field. This presentation will therefore review the extant literature on the topic and perspectives from innovation research generally, while also discussing studies conducted by the speaker identifying the factors influencing creativity training effectiveness in the workplace. Three important lessons learned will be discussed. First, that that the knowledge and skills required for idea generation are different for those needed for implementation of those ideas in organisations. Second, the development of creative motivation and self-efficacy are as important as the development of creative thinking skills for the long-term success of such initiatives. Third, the work environment can play a significant role in influencing the transfer of creativity training back to the workplace. Based on the previous evidence, the presentation will also report on a new model of innovation training called CLEAR IDEA (Birdi, 2006, 2010), which develops the skills needed for both generating creative solutions and facilitating their successful implementations. Since 2006, over 400 people from the UK and abroad have taken part in CLEAR IDEA workshops, ranging from managers to shop-floor employees, marketing personnel, software engineers, policy-makers and academics. Evaluation data has shown significant improvements in the innovation-related competencies of participants and case studies of how trainees’ creative approaches have been put into practice will be presented, illustrating the journey from innovation theory to practice.
The Relevance of Subconscious Goals for Organizational Settings
Professor Gary Latham, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
 Professor Latham will discuss the relevance and viability of pursuing empirical research on subconscious goals and applying the findings in the workplace. Five topics will be addressed: First, reasons why work and organizational psychologists have eschewed the study of the subconscious will be given. Second, a brief overview of social psychology experiments on subconscious goals will be provided. Critical issues that have yet to be addressed in these experiments will be identified and discussed. Third, organizational psychology experiments on subconscious goals that have attempted to overcome several of these shortcomings and provide new findings will be described. Fourth, research avenues that have yet to be explored will be suggested. Finally, the implications of this stream for management practice will be discussed
Professor Gary Latham is the Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Effectiveness at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, and a past president of the Canadian Psychological Association. He is the only person in his field to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association for Psychological Science, the American Academy of Management, and the only person to receive both the awards for Professional Contributions to Psychology as a Profession and as a Science from the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. In 2004, he received the Distinguished Scholar/Practitioner Award from the Academy of Management as well as the Life time achievement award from the Human Resource Management Division of the Academy. In 2006, he received the prestigious $50,000 Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award from the Society of Human Resource Management in the U.S., and he was in the first group of scholars to be made a Fellow of the International Association of Applied Psychology. In 2007 he became the first person outside the United States to be elected President of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. In that same year he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management. In 2008 he received the award from the American Psychological Association for life time contributions to consulting psychology, and he was honored for his mentoring of doctoral students by the Human Resource Management Division of the Academy of Management. Gary served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Creative Leadership from 2001 - 2007. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Gary’s latest book is entitled, Becoming the Evidence Based Manager (Davies Black). He speaks regularly on the topics of leadership, motivation, embracing change, performance management and the selection of "winners"
Positive Psychological Capital: The Embodiment of Olympic Values
Professor Fred Luthans, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Nebraska
 The newly emerging Psychological Capital or PsyCap seems to be a good fit for this year’s conference theme of "Achieving Excellence" inspired by this summer’s London Olympic Games. The well known Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect are embodied in positive psychology in general and psychological capital in particular. Specifically, positive psychology emphasizes strengths rather than weaknesses, what is right with people rather than what is wrong, and recognizes that happiness and well-being is a process not a destination. These basic characteristics of positive psychology are very much in line with the Olympic motto and creed that it is not whether you win or lose, but that you tried your best in the pursuit of excellence. The same can be said of the other Olympic values of friendship and respect. For example, in positive psychology relationships and gratitude play key roles in one’s happiness and well-being.
This same Olympic spirit is also embodied in psychological capital (PsyCap), the workplace or occupational application of positive psychology. PsyCap is a multi-dimensional, second-order core construct consisting of the positive psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism (i.e., the HERO within). The criteria for inclusion of such resources in PsyCap includes having a theory and research foundation and valid measurement, being "state-like" and thus open to development, and having a positive impact on attitudes and performance in the workplace. After about 10 years since first being proposed in the published literature, PsyCap has now become recognized as going beyond traditional Human Capital as an evidence-based positive approach to human resource development and performance management.
This presentation will first trace Professor Luthans’ background, the journey that led him to formulate PsyCap. Next, he will briefly provide an overview of the conceptual framework, basic research, and experience with development/application. Finally, he will give an update on the very latest work being done on PsyCap and some needed future research directions. Time will be allotted at the end for Q & A from the audience.
Uncovering the Glass Cliff: Examining the precarious of women’s leadership positions
Professor Michelle Ryan, University of Exeter
 While the ‘glass ceiling’ remains a barrier to women’s progress in the workplace, a recent program of research conducted at the University of Exeter has uncovered an additional, largely invisible, hurdle that women need to overcome. Extending the glass ceiling metaphor, the researchers argue that women are more likely to find themselves on a ‘glass cliff’, such that their positions of leadership are likely to made in times of crisis and are thus likely to be risky or precarious. Research into the glass cliff was chosen by the New York Times as one of the top ideas that shaped 2008 and was shortlisted by the Times Higher as one of their research projects of the year in 2005.
Professor Ryan will talk about the program of research which uncovered the phenomenon of the glass cliff and help to explain the processes that may be underlying this tendency to "think crisis - think female". She will discuss (a) archival research into FTSE 100 companies and UK general elections, (b) experimental examinations of underlying psychological processes, such as stereotyping and company strategy, and (c) qualitative research into the explanations for the glass cliff and the experience of women in management. There will be opportunity for the discussion of this newly found phenomenon and the implications for research and practice.
From Olympic Gold to Business Excellence: An Interview with Jeremy Snape
Professor Peter Saville & Jeremy Snape
Professor Peter Saville will be interviewing Jeremy Snape, former England international cricketer and founder of performance coaching consultancy Sporting Edge. The interview will look at excellence in sports and business, specifically the personal characteristics that that drive excellence in these spheres. The themes of excellence, leadership and peak performance will be explored by combining Jeremy’s applied experience and video interviews with Olympic Champions with Peter’s more research based approach to personality and elite performance.
The role of characteristics such as mental toughness, intelligence and anxiety in peak performance will be considered. Drawing on Jeremy’s work with athletes such as Matthew Pinsent and Shane Warne questions such as ‘what does mental toughness look like’ and ‘how can we measure it’ will be brought to life. With combined experience in both the sports and business arenas, Peter and Jeremy, will discuss the importance of teams identifying ways to create and sustain high performing teams and the way in which teams can develop an emotional competitive advantage. Utilising numerous real life leadership examples, the interview will explore the personality characteristics of successful leaders and how coaching styles of leadership can develop individual and team performance in both sport and business.
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