In
addition to his musical commitments, Alex
is the Founder and Director of Improwise. See www.improwise.co.uk
for more details.
Improwise
blends workshops on leadership, innovation and change
management with live jazz performance. The
premise is that if you can understand how jazz musicians
communicate, improvise, innovate, generate ideas,
create, respond, lead and support, then there are
valuable lessons, skills and techniques which you
can apply in your organisation.
The improwise sessions have
been utilised by many of the world’s leading
business organisations, government agencies, research
institutes and business schools throughout the world.
Recent clients include Ernst & Young, Virgin Media,
Exxon Mobil, Ashridge, Hogan Lovells, Lloyds TSB,
Royal Bank of Scotland, South West of England Regional
Development Agency, the Chartered Management Institute,
the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), and
many other organisations in a range of different industry
sectors. Improwise is active currently in England,
Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain,
Portugal, Uganda, Malawi and Bangladesh.
The sessions work by taking
a group of jazz musicians into the conference venue
or board room. The sessions are led by business leader
and jazz pianist, Alex Steele. Key issues facing your
organisation or your delegates are explored through
interactive demonstrations, activities and discussions.
Live jazz is interspersed throughout the session to
demonstrate a range of different skills and techniques
which can be applied and used by the audience in relation
to their own areas of work. The issues can be applied
to personal development, teamwork, looking at new
ways of working, innovation, change management and
organisational culture, values and change.
The participants gain
a unique view into the ways that jazz musicians approach
many similar challenges to those faced by individuals,
teams and organisations in the audience. During the
session, participants get the opportunity to interact
with the musicians, to control what they do and to
gain a fascinating insight into design, creativity,
communication, emotional intelligence, change management,
leadership and innovation. The sessions are tailored
to enable participants to reflect on how they could
utilise similar skills and techniques in relation
to their own ways of working, the products and services
they make and deliver, and the ways they engage with
each other, with clients, customers and other stakeholders.
The combination
of interaction, deep thinking and great music make
the Improwise sessions entertaining, motivating, transformational,
inspirational, unforgettable, and great fun!
Improwise delivers
the following:
# In-company organisational
development workshops, focusing on areas including
innovation, change, leadership, teamwork, communication,
risk, transformational learning and creativity (ranging
from one hour sessions through to half and full day
sessions);
# Conference workshops
(normally ranging between one and two hour sessions);
# Keynote presentations
at conferences (normally up to one hour);
# After-dinner motivational
sessions (normally up to one hour duration).
recent
appearance at guiting festival, with Jim Mullen (guitar),
Chris Batchelor (trumpet),
Mornington Lockett (sax), Simon Lea (drums) and Simon King
(bass)
From left
to right, Dom Franks, Alex Steele, Tina May, Will Harris,
Scott Hammond
