Skills for the Future: Managing Creativity and Innovation

Skills for the Future are those skills which will allow us to effectively and ecologically define, move toward and manage the future amid the challenges of uncertainty and change. The two basic goals for developing skills for the future are to 1) improve performance and 2) manage change. Reaching these objectives involves competence in such areas as learning, leadership and, perhaps most importantly, creativity. The focus of this book is on how the cognitive and behavioral technologies of Neuro-Linguistic Programming may be used to develop and apply personal and organizational learning strategies together with communication and leadership skills to manage the processes of “creating the future.”

Originally conceived and formulated by Robert Dilts and Gino Bonissone as part of an extensive project on leadership and creativity for the Fiat Group, the purpose of Skills for the Future is to provide models and tools for defining and managing the creative process on both a micro and macro level. The micro aspects of creativity relate to the inner thoughts and subjective experiences that are at the basis of an individual’s own personal creative activities. The macro aspects of creativity deal with a) how to enhance the creative interaction between two people or a group of people, and b) the implications of the creative process in the context of an organization and organizational problem-solving.

The book is composed of three basic parts: 1) Personal Creativity, 2) Co-Creativity and 3) Group Creativity.

Part I focuses on the personal or individual aspects of creativity and innovation. Its purpose is to address questions such as, “What are some of your own personal creative strategies?” “How could you define and enhance some of your own creative abilities?” Part I shows how some basic NLP models and distinctions may be used to develop more mastery over your internal state and improve your own creative thinking strategies by coordinating your own inner dreamer, realist and critic.

Part II explores the processes relating to co-creativity. It addresses the questions, “How can we enhance creative interactions?” “In what ways might we be able to coach the process of creativity in others or stimulate others to be more creative?” Part II emphasizes skills related to helping others be more creative and tap into unconscious creative processes through mental mapping and lateral thinking strategies.

Part III explores how NLP principles and tools may be used to stimulate and manage creativity in groups of people in organizations, in particular in terms of interfunctional interactions. It addresses questions such as, “How can the creative processes of different people be coordinated?” “In what ways can we define and integrate the different kinds of creative processes necessary to promote a successful team or organization?” Part III focuses on skills related to the identification and direction of different thinking styles and the development of effective communication strategies and creative leadership abilities.

Robert Dilts has a global reputation as a leading developer, author, coach, trainer and consultant in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP). He is also co-developer (with Dr. Stephen Gilligan) of the process of Generative Coaching and co-founder with Gilligan of the International Association for Generative Change (IAGC). Robert worked closely with NLP co-founders John Grinder and Richard Bandler at the time of its creation and also studied personally with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., and Gregory Bateson. Robert pioneered the applications of NLP to education, creativity, health, leadership, belief systems and the development of what has become known as "Third Generation NLP". Robert has lectured extensively on the applications of NLP to a variety of issues, making presentations and keynote addresses for The United Nations, The World Health Organization, Harvard University, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Evolution of Psychotherapy Congress and The National Tumor Institute of Italy. In 1997 and 1998, Robert supervised the design of Tools for Living, the behavior management portion of the program currently used by Weight Watcher's International. In 2005, Robert created and implemented programs on communication and relational skills and patient empowerment tools for the National Health Group of Singapore. Robert has authored more than twenty books on a variety of topics relating to NLP and coaching. He is the principal author of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I, which serves as the standard reference text for the field, and has authored or co-authored numerous other books on NLP including Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well Being, Tools of the Spirit, From Coach to Awakener and NLP II: The Next Generation. Robert's book The Hero's Journey: A Voyage of Self Discovery (co-authored with Stephen Gilligan, 2009) is about how to how to embark on the path of learning and transformation that will reconnect you with your deepest calling, transform limiting beliefs and habits, heal emotional wounds and physical symptoms, deepen intimacy, and improve self-image. Robert is also a co-creator (with his brother John) of the process of Success Factor ModelingTM. Robert's recent book series on Success Factor Modeling identifies key characteristics and capabilities shared by successful entrepreneurs, teams and ventures. Next Generation Entrepreneurs (2015) presents models, tools, exercises, illustrations and case examples - of both world famous and everyday entrepreneurs - in order to help readers understand how to build a "Circle of Success" and create a business aligned with their life purpose. Generative Collaboration (2016) helps people to increase their capacity for working effectively together with others and to experience the excitement, satisfaction and power of collective intelligence. Conscious Leadership and Resilience (2017) supports people to become increasingly authentic, emotionally intelligent, purposeful and responsible, and to create teams and ventures that are more productive, ecological, sustainable and fun.

Gino Bonissone was an organizational strategy consultant and Master Practitioner of NLP. Living in Italy, he collaborated with Robert Dilts on a number of projects on the organizational applications of systemic NLP. These include an extensive study of leadership skills at Fiat, the implementation of NLP-based methods for organizational learning and trainer's training at the Italian State Railways, and a joint project with Fiat and IBM, exploring the practical application of systemic thinking to problem solving, coaching and team building. Gino taught in Italy and abroad as a trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and was an adjunct faculty member of NLP University in Santa Cruz, California. He is a contributor to the book, Skills for the Future (1993), which describes the applications of NLP to the management of creativity and innovation. Gino's contributions to NLP drew from his 35 years of experience working in large industrial companies in the functional areas of marketing, organizational development, strategic planning and general management.