Hands-on Workshop & Practical Seminar
Effective Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Workshop
Practical Skills for Both Quick-Turnaround and Elaborate Decisions

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•   In-house Seminars Delivered in Your Organization
    in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, China and Japan

• Workshop Objectives
• Detailed Outline
• Workshop Leaders
• Location & Tuition Fees
• How to Register

Making sound and timely decisions is an essential skill regardless of your profession or hierarchical level in the organization. Yet, flawed decisions abound because every aspect of a serious decision is fraught with subtle pitfalls that can result in irreversible harm and resource waste. Recent research proved that intensive training and deliberate practice tip the balance in favor of high-quality decisions that save valuable resources. Small investments in learning about decision-making and problem-solving processes can help making better choices with profound positive effect on outcomes.

This practical workshop provides you with proven skills and tools to make high-quality decisions and improve your problem-solving performance. You will hone your skills and practice, in a safe and supportive milieu, with situations ranging from urgent decisions on inelastic deadline to complex and extreme events requiring elaborate diagnosis and tough consultations. The focus is on critical thinking and objective judgment applied on relevant exercises and case studies from the real world. You will build a unique expertise to objectively address the avalanche of requests for action and attention. You will increase your ability and confidence to craft and present decisions to management, clients and others.

Dr. André Potworowski is an authority on creativity and problem solving. He is Associate Director, R&D, Biopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Research Centre, Adjunct professor in University of Ottawa’s Executive MBA program and PDI Managing Partner, Science and Technology. He was Vice-President of a software development firm and a science writer for the CBC and has written numerous articles and reports on science and technology and R&D strategy. Recent clients include the NRC, Eurocom Corp., Pharmaceuticals (ASTRA, Sanofi-Pasteur), Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada, Environment Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Current projects include R&D strategies, innovation, health policy, drug development and regulations. André holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D. In Physical Chemistry and Computer Science from Toronto.For further information on Dr. André Potworowski, click here.

Alain Paul Martin will deliver the August session. Both leaders act as backup for each other and work as a team on complex problem-solving assignments.

Author of books on strategic intelligence and proactive thinking, Alain Paul Martin is President and Management Faculty Chair of The Professional Development Institute (PDI). He was a member of the Graduate Management Faculty of the University of Quebec where he taught strategic thinking, principle-based negotiation skills and management of change in the M.Sc. Project Management and Master Degree of Project Management (MGP) in both English and French.

An inventor who held U.S., Canadian and Japanese patents, Alain led strategic problem diagnosis and collaborative brainstorming sessions with managers, engineers, marketing and communication executives and R&D scientists in biotechnology, aerospace, IT, finance, oil & gas, national security and defense. Borrowing from medicine, Viktor Frankl and Sun Tzu, Alain Paul Martin defined Harvard University Global System™ – a decision-making framework to increase awareness of the freedom of choice and stimulate team innovation and creativity. He served as Executive Member of the non-partisan Committee of the Prime Minister of Canada on Federal Government Reform, and advised the Director General of UNESCO on priority setting, principle-based leadership and strategic issues.

In collaboration with Dr. Brian Morrissey, Alain Martin studied and published about the policy lessons learned in the United Kingdom about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and the new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in the nineties. Alain P. Martin is the Chief Architect of Harvard University Global System™ – a practical framework comprising management tools and road maps on human intelligence, issue analysis, strategy, risk and project management and strategic procurement. He has been recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI) for “his outstanding contribution to the state-of-the-art of project management”. His work on proactive thinking and project management is quoted in textbooks, defense publications dissertations and refereed journals.

Alain is currently the President of Harvard Business School Club in the National Capital Region. He has been listed in the Canadian Who's Who since 1999. For further information on Alain Martin, click here.

• Duration: 3 days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Value in Continuing Education Units: 2.25 CEU
  
• Locations:
  • Canada: PDI Conference Center in Ottawa-Gatineau National Capital area. Free parking. Directions available at www.executive.org/directions
  • Call us for U.S. locations in Cambridge (MA) and New York (NY).
• Tuition Fees:
  • Fees include books, hand-outs, road maps and other course materials of exceptional value (see above), a daily continental breakfast, a light luncheon plus hot and soft drinks twice a day.
  • Regular fees: $1195; Government: $1145. Add taxes for non tax-exempted participants
  • Group fees for 3 or more persons: $1095 per participant. Add taxes for non tax-exempted participants

For overnight accommodation, several hotels are located within 10 to 20-minute drive including Novotel, Hilton, Ramada Inn, Westin, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Marriott, Sheraton, Delta, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Best Western, Cartier Place Suite Hotel, Lord Elgin Hotel, and Minto Place Suite Hotel. Click here for detailed information about hotels.

How to Register: Please register by phone or fax and pay in advance by cheque or credit card.
Send your cheque payable to: The Professional Development Institute PDI Inc.
Fees include books, hand-outs, road maps and other course materials of exceptional value (see above), and a daily continental breakfast, light luncheon plus hot and soft drinks during the morning and afternoon pauses, but exclude hotel accommodation (if required).

Cancellation Policy: Participants registering as a group must send substitutes in lieu of cancelling.
For other clients, cancellations are accepted if made at least 10 working days prior to the course, and are subject to a $100 service charge per person. Full fees are payable by anyone who fails to attend or cancels less than 10 working days prior to the session. One substitution or transfer to a later course of the same duration is accepted.

The dress code is business casual at your discretion. Trust your judgment. When unsure, err on the side of caution. If overdressed, you can remove a tie or a jacket and roll up your sleeves. Members of the Canadian Forces and the U.S. defense community can, at their discretion, either dress casually or keep the uniform.

You will be reminded the first day to dress the way you feel most comfortable for a photo session the next morning.

Although every effort will be made to ensure a pleasant learning environment including a suitable temperature, we recommend you bring a sweater or a jacket to the classroom as individual comfort zones differ and sudden variations in the weather can temporarily affect air conditioning.

Also please kindly refrain from using strong fragrances during the session in order to accommodate your fellow participants who suffer from allergies.