Sessions

PRE-CON A: Drilling Down and Whysing Up: Generating Big Picture Organizational Solutions Using Integrated Focus
Jennifer Walinga
PhD
Professor of Organizational Communication
Royal Roads University

The Drilling Down and Whysing Up session will offer participants the theory, tools and experience for problem solving in a more integrative way. The theory of Integrated Focus combines considerable research from the fields of neurology, psychology, physiology, cognition and organizational behaviour to explain the problem solving process and how to achieve the greatest Aha! of all: Big Picture solutions that addresses the complex needs and goals of an organization as a whole.

– Sponsored by Accenture

WATCH THIS! Drilling Down and Whysing Up: Building Innovation and Insight by Jennifer Walinga (Introduction to the session)

PRE-CON B: Yoga to Increase Creativity
Insiya Rasiwala-Finn

Utilize the wisdom of Yoga and tune into our own intuitive creative power.

Einstein says that creativity is more important than knowledge, yet many of us let our creative power diminish over time, especially when working in a corporate setting. If however we can tune back into these skills and embrace our innate creativity we can be of greater benefit to our companies, our families and ourselves.

In this workshop you will see that the practice of Yoga can dramatically increase our creative abilities and innovativeness. The ancient Yogis believed that the practice of Yoga allows us to break through self-limiting thoughts and beliefs that prevent us from recognizing our authentic nature and true potential. Through specific breath work, meditation and the physical flow of yoga postures we will apply the wisdom of yoga to learn and embody practical strategies that will allow us to change the habitual thinking that precedes our unconscious action patterns to effect positive change and tune into our own intuitive intelligence.

Our goal is to create transformation from that still place of focus and calm that is present in each of us, while having fun.

This workshop includes an interactive discussion, followed by an invigorating flow style practice linking yoga poses (asanas) to breath and movement.

This workshop is suitable for everyone, whether you have ever tried Yoga or not. Please bring a yoga mat with you and wear comfortable clothing, suitable for movement.

Power-Up Your Organization’s Thinking
Lynda Curtin
President
The Opportunity Thinker

Take Action Plenary Session 1: The Big Idea!
Rory Cohen
MPH, MA
President
Entelekey, Inc./Take 10

These informative sessions on topical issues are presented by sponsor companies. They are not part of the core conference sessions and have not been peer reviewed.

1A – Thinking Oganizations’ Recipe For Success: Equal Parts Leadership, Innovation, Inspiration
Jennifer Hubbard & Erin Dick

Erin Dick, Manager, HealthyRETURNS and Jennifer Hubbard, Manager, Human Resource Services at the Economical Insurance Group, will share with us what it took for the Economical Insurance Group, on of Canada’s largest property-casualty insurers, to truly embrace the concept of organizational health, and even in the midst of a challenging economy has shown an unwavering focus on employee health. With strong leadership support and a comprehensive strategy, it has succeeded in engaging up to 70% of its 2,400 employees in its healthy workplace journey — a commitment that made the company a 2009 Who’s Who in Workplace Wellness award winner. This case study will show how, by investing the time to assess health risks, take targeted action and measure results, organizations can build a stronger, healthier workforce and a healthier bottom line.

1B – Emerging Trends Impacting Workplace Health
Karen Seward

In this session, participants will gain insight into powerful trends that are impacting the Canadian workplace and organizational health. These trends will continue to intensify and will have a dramatic impact on health, drug and disability benefits costs, as well as on organizational policies, programs and workplaces. This will place increasing pressure on HR practitioners to leverage a strategic, integrated health and productivity approach to support healthy and engaged employees and business goals and objectives.

1C – Health Navigation: Empowered health care decision-making
Mira Jelic

This session will demonstrate how health navigation can help Canadians overcome barriers when accessing health care.

Employers can encourage employees to become better-educated consumers of private and public health care services. For employees to be empowered, they need to be equipped with the information, resources and decision-support tools required to manage their own health care or to be effective caregivers.

Understand how publicly-funded and privately-insured health care options may be overlooked or even confuse employees, and how practical navigation solutions can:

• Empower your workforce to become more knowledgeable health care consumers;
• Maximize the value of your existing plan-sponsored health care options;
• Lower the costs of insured services by raising awareness of available public and private health care options; and
• Help you respond to the continual transformation of Canadian health care.

These sessions were selected following a peer-review process by the 2010 Program Committee.

2A – Straight to the Core: Intuitive Intelligence
Natashia Halikowski
BA Econ, CEC
Principal and Founder
Intuitionworks™

This session encompasses the need to get “Straight to the Core” for the new creative thinking organization of the 21st Century. When it comes to workplace performance, work wellness and business success, we are constantly finding ways to improve our left brain objective logical thinking. By incorporating intuitive intelligence, people can zero in on a totally holistic approach to ultimate clarity and great decision-making. Participants will explore the concept of intuitive intelligence and learn how to incorporate it into their personal and business environments.

Stream: Strategies

2B – Symmetrical Thinking: Achieving Innovative Collaboration Through Maps, Models and Stories
Stuart Morgan
Industrial Design Director
Worldwide R&D

Faced with inadequate access to usability and design research, decisions made within interdisciplinary new product development teams were ineffective, and inaccurate with regards to usability and design.

To solve this problem, our team developed a new way of conveying research results using information-rich graphics in the form of large maps, posters and multi-media presentations. This provided interdisciplinary teams symmetrical access to information that everyone understood and used in making decisions. The results were a dramatic increase in the collaborative understanding of the user, accurate definition of requirements, timely decision making, and a very successful project.

The presentation will provide a foundation of the guiding principles for achieving innovative collaboration through the creation and facilitation of symmetrical thinking tools and methods, and a recent case study of the application of symmetrical thinking and the impact on the organization.

Stream: Case Studies

2C – Changing Minds at Work: Seeing the Unseen – The Invisible Disability
Karen Liberman
Executive Director
Mood Disorders Association of Ontario

This session will blend personal insights, factual information and collaborative group discussion to examine how organizations can take steps to create healthy workplace environments and put in place practices fundamental to managing mental ill health. Participants will also explore the challenges of dealing with individuals’ mental health issues at work, off work and returning to work, and approaches to dealing with these issues. Participants can expect to be engaged and will leave with practical resources that they can use.

Stream: Mental Health

Hosted by:

Take Action Plenary Session 2: Chunking It Down
Rory Cohen
MPH, MA
President
Entelekey, Inc./Take 10

These informative sessions on topical issues are presented by sponsor companies. They are not part of the core conference sessions and have not been peer reviewed.

3A – Measuring and Benchmarking Outcomes in Healthy Workplace Wellness Programs
Dr. Peter Melnyk and Mr. Allan Smofsky

Awareness of employee health/well-being as a vital element of organizational sustainability and success has grown considerably in recent years. This session will provide an overview of the goals/objectives—and outcomes—that are typically considered in Canadian workplace health initiatives, and will discuss the need to more effectively align measuring and benchmarking outcomes with a more comprehensive view of workplace health.

Please note: This is an extended session which will run from 4:15 pm – 5:45 pm

Dr. Diane Lacaille
MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Associate Professor
Division of Rheumatology
Department of Medicine
University of British Columbia (UBC)

Musculoskeletal conditions have always played a significant role in the overall cost burden to private plan sponsors. In this session Dr. Lacaille will use her research expertise to discuss the impact of arthritis on employment and preventing work disability, as well as evaluating the quality of health care services received by patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Lacaille will be joined by a patient who will talk about the challenges and opportunities associated with the management of their disease.

3C – Becoming an Employer of Choice: Connecting Well-being to Engagement
Keri Alletson
Consultant
Towers Watson

According to Towers Watson’s 2010 Global Workforce Study, the ideal employer for many Canadians is one that offers stability, increased opportunities for personal development, and an emotional connection to the workplace and its leadership. Are these needs that your organization is currently addressing? When it comes to the subject of employee well-being, most traditional programs focus on the physical aspects of employee health. While these are important, in today’s world, it is creativity and cognitive ability that are the true drivers of business success, and workplace culture and employee opinion that are the larger part of organizational performance. In this session, we’ll explore how leading organizations are incorporating aspects of emotional and psychological health into their talent management programs as the next step in supporting employee well-being, productivity and engagement.

These sessions were selected following a peer-review process by the 2010 Program Committee.

4A – Strengthen Your Innovation Instinct with Six Thinking Hats®
Lynda Curtin
President
The Opportunity Thinker

Successful thinking organizations are equipped with employees who are skilled at creative and innovative thinking. They understand what innovation is and what it’s not. They are equipped with practical tools designed to uncover fresh new solutions. In this hands-on interactive session, delegates will explore creativity and innovation through the time-tested tool, Six Thinking Hats®.

Participants will learn:

1. What the Six Thinking Hats® tool is all about.
2. How to break the idea-killer habit.
3. The essential role gut instinct and intuition play in the process.
4. A quick sequence for productive idea evaluation.
5. Why it isn’t fair to a new idea to look for the problems first.

Stream: Strategies

4B – How to Build the Best Company to Work for
John DeHart
B.Sc.
Co-Founder
Nurse Next Door

It started out as a simple idea in a coffee shop, and now, John’s company, Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services, has become one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada. Learn how John and his partner Ken overcame the challenges of building a hyper-growth company to become a company that has developed into one of the most admired brands in their industry. John’s leadership has resulted in Nurse Next Door being named the top employer in British Columbia (ranked by B.C Business), garnered immense media attention (over 500 media hits) and earned them various other awards including Top 40 under 40 Leaders in British Columbia as well as Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award -Emerging Entrepreneur, Pacific Region, 2006.

Stream: Case Studies

4C – HUMOR: How to Use Mirth for Organizational Results
Billy Strean
PhD
Principal
Custom Coaching
Professor
Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation
University of Alberta

This session will:
(a) give you the information you need to make the case for humour in an organization;
(b) provide many tools to add humour to your life and workplace; and
(c) be fun, engaging, inspiring, and filled with laughter.

Any service you offer had better produce money, sex, health, and/or happiness. Humour brings all four. Well, at least three out of four. Humour is among the most efficient, effective, and fun methods of promoting positive mental health in workplaces.

Stream: Mental Health
Hosted by:

Take Action Plenary Session 3: Supporting Action
Rory Cohen
MPH, MA
President
Entelekey, Inc./Take 10

This presentation will highlight many of the recent Provincial Government and Private Payer Drug Reforms and discuss from Pharmacies perspective, the impact these changes will have on employers, and employees.

(Lunch will be provided)

These sessions were selected following a peer-review process by the 2010 Program Committee.

5A – How to Create a Healthier Organization
Graham Lowe
PhD
President
The Graham Lowe Group Inc.

Workplace expert Graham Lowe draws on his new book, Creating Healthy Organizations, to offer a fresh perspective on how you can make your organization more sustainable in human terms. The session provides action insights and tools that will help you put in place the four building blocks of a healthy organization: a positive culture, an inclusive approach to leadership, a vibrant work environment, and inspired employees. Examples will illustrate how change agents can help their unit, department or organization navigate its own healthy organization path, involve co-workers in the process, and put in place the foundations for sustainable business success.

Stream: Strategies

Click here to see a video of Graham Lowe on how to create a healthier organization.

5B – Optimal Decision Making With Six Value Medals
Michael Campbell
President
The Idea Generator

In order to make optimal and timely decisions, GMAC Insurance has employed Edward de Bono’s Six Value Medals. Using the Six Value Medals has enabled GMACI to engage employees, look at decisions from a value-based point of view and have confidence that they have considered all angles before making a decision. The six medals are:

• Gold – People
• Sliver – Organization
• Steel – Quality
• Glass – Creativity
• Wood – Environment
• Brass – Perception

Join us to see examples of the Six Value Medals in action at GMACI in the following areas:

• Employee Engagement
• Marketing
• Claims
• Information Technology
• Purchasing
• Training

Stream: Case Studies

5C – TBA

Session Information TBA

Stream: Mental Health

Hosted by:

Tough Times…Tougher Teams
Stan Slap
President
Slap Consulting

Stan’s presentation ignites the glory of accountability, busts the myth that success is out of the control of managers in an uncertain business climate, eliminates the “excuses behaviour” that creeps into organizational culture and provides practical strategic and behavioural steps to ensure success. It is passionate, funny and provocative, but deadly serious and totally twisted, just like the man himself.

POST-CON A: Turning Thoughts into Actions: Implement Your Conference Big Ideas
Rory Cohen
MPH, MA
President
Entelekey, Inc./Take 10

You are sure to be inspired by the top-notch speakers and exhibitors at this year’s conference, and will be brimming with ideas at the end of each session. What if all of those ideas were actually implemented? Think of the difference it would make to you, your team and the world. At this interactive, results-oriented workshop, you will create a simple, foolproof, sustainable, 30-day action plan to guarantee that at least one of your Big Conference Ideas becomes a reality.

POST-CON B: A Facilitation Framework To Drive High Performance Thinking
Lynda Curtin
President
The Opportunity Thinker

In this workshop Lynda Curtin will introduce participants to a framework to plan, organize and lead high performance thinking during meetings. This represents a productive shift for many facilitators; from worrying about how to handle personality conflicts, to planning how to drive high performance thinking from each group. Facilitation skills have migrated from a specialized skill set within HR/OD groups to all employee groups. In fact, many key employees across all departments are finding their job requirement has expanded to include facilitation of group meetings. They recognize that they need help and to do so, they need to build new skills that can be put to use in any thinking-together meeting.