Examples of How CEF Influences Positive, Real-World Change Through Applied Imagination
The New England Cognitive Center received a $232,000 Alzheimer’s Disease program grant from the State of Connecticut to develop a non-medical treatment approach. One part features training for participants with Alzheimer’s disease, using a cognitive "workout" on the computer. The second part is research that will evaluate the training’s effectiveness in slowing decline in memory. "With this funding, we will be able to bring this cognitive training model, known as the Brain G.Y.M.M. (Get Your Mind Moving), to a minimum of 250 individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's disease," said Patti Said, executive director of the New England Cognitive Center. "The program allows people to actively 'work' their minds in an attempt to slow cognitive decline, and it gives them an active role in combating the disease. We believe this approach is one of the first of its kind in the nation."
Martin-Marietta saves $104 million for taxpayers. Using CPS, the firm created a plant-wide Value Analysis program resulting in $104 million dollars in cost savings over a four-year period.
Restoring hope in Chester, PA. By introducing CPS to groups throughout the community and by providing CPSI scholarships for educators and community leaders, colleagues of the CEF have worked with city residents to form the Chester Consortium for Creative Community. This grass-roots group is now actively involved in economic workforce development and a campaign to maximize the creative potential of individuals and organizations.
Southern hospital improves medical record completion. A CEF colleague using CPS helped the Medical Records Director of a Georgia hospital improve performance by over 100%. Hospital doctors are notorious for not completing timely medical records for insurance purposes. They aren't the direct beneficiaries (the hospital is), and they have many other things to do. By rewarding completed forms with tootsie pops and animal crackers, the hospital now has near perfect forms completion.
Monsanto uses CPS to structure $1 billion Nutrasweet program. Starting with a team of 150 people from different disciplines, and in the midst of a major corporate restructuring, Monsanto used CPS to redefine how food is sweetened and beat its competition to market, resulting in a potential payout of $1 billion.
Indian firm creates health fan. CEF colleagues helped an Indian appliance manufacturing company understand that its fans could be used not just for comfort but for health. Using CPS it pursued the idea of producing fan blades made of Neem wood, a natural insecticide. Now fans can keep people cool and reduce the risk of malaria.
CEF touches the lives of major thought leaders. Among those crediting CPS with influencing their work are Robert Galvin, high-tech pioneer who transformed Motorola from a small radio company to one of the world's electronics powerhouses, Christa McAuliffe, Challenger Shuttle Astronaut, Cloutaire Repaille, breakthrough archetype psychologist and conceptual designer of Chrysler's PT Cruiser, Jean Houston, Director of the Foundation for Mind Research, Bernie Paroly, Founder of Pathmark Supermarkets, George Land, originator of the Unifying Principle of Transformation, and Candace Pert, former Chief of Brain Chemistry at the National Institutes of Health.
Mead Fine Paper establishes new standard for paper brightness. Using CPS, a team from Mead was challenged with the task of increasing paper brightness from a 94 grade (reflecting 94% of the light shone on it) to 96 grade. Using CPS, the team achieved an unheard of 99% achieving a new world standard.
Kodak saves $3 million. A team of CEF colleagues as charged with helping a Kodak division improve productivity. They created a training and development program to transform the group into a high-functioning team, train them to use CPS, take responsibility for the quality of their relationships in the group. Management credited the program with helping the group save $3 million annually.
Electrohome makes steel breathe. Using a multi-functional team and the CPS process, electronics manufacturer Electrohome transformed a manufacturing process from one in which 18 people produced 2000 units on a shift with a 12-15% rejection rate, to one in which 2 people could produce the same number of units with less than a 0.1% rejection rate.
Remarketing Services of America attributes 750% ROI to CPS. RSA, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, offered CPS training. In the three months following the program, the company measured significant tangible savings and increased productivity amounting to a 750% return on investment, even taking into account the cost of "unproductive" employees away from their jobs while participating in the training.
Xerox improves product quality and cost-effectiveness. CEF is credited with a key role in Xerox's revitalization program and the establishment of its internal creative culture.
Frito-Lay saves $600 million. Over a seven-year period, from 1982-1989, the company flattened costs using the Osborn Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, which was taught to multi-functional teams working internally as well with vendors.
TRW reduces costs by 20%. A five-person multi-disciplinary team was taken off the job for two years to find ways to reduce costs ina major division. Working with CEF colleagues and using the CPS process, their goal of 20% cost reduction was achieved.
Milbar reduces manufacturing costs by 52%. Milbar corporation, a small hand tool manufacturer was faced with severe competition from low-cost Asian producers. Working with a CEF colleague and using CPS, the company cut its manufacturing costs by 52% while at the same time creating a new world-class product.
Texaco off target by $300 million. Alerted to a rumored $300 million discrepancy against budget, senior executives of Texaco visited the company's off-shore engineering unit to discuss the situation. Upon arrival, they were told by the unit's management that the rumors were only partially true. The discrepancy was on the plus side of the ledger, a result of savings created by engineers recently trained in CPS thinking strategies.
Forge plant saves $40,000 per week. Working with CEF colleagues and using CPS a GM supplier in Buffalo NY discovered out how to use a $1 spray bottle and 25 cents worth of oil and soap solution to lubricate its dies, produce ring gears with zero defects and save the company $40,000 per week.
Want to learn how to apply this same kind of creativity for results in your organization and community? Plan now to participate in the Creative Education Foundation's 54th International Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) in Pine Mountain, Georgia at Callaway Gardens from June 22 to 27, 2008!
