Jazz Impact

Negotiating change

Jazz improvisation and the corporate business model have more in common than you may realize. Jazz uses a system that enables collaborative improvisation to thrive – the very same skills that many corporations rely on for success. Innovative response to change is what business in the 21st century demands.

By transposing the jazz metaphor onto the dynamics of the corporate environment, Jazz Impact plants the seed for developing innovative response to change.

The members of a jazz ensemble possess and practice a set of shared behaviors that we call the Five Dynamics of Jazz. These five dynamics, whose acronym is APRIL are:

Autonomy self-governing, self-regulating, adaptable and independent – yet in support of (and interdependent with) the larger organism.

Passion the quality of emotional vibrancy, zest, commitment, and energy to pursue excellence and the course one believes to be true.

Risk the ability to take chances and explore new territory and methods in pursuit of shared goals, and the ability to support others in their explorations.

Innovation the skill to invent, recombine, and create new solutions to problems using either old or new forms, methods, and/or resources.

Listening the ability to truly hear and feel the the communication of passion, meaning and rhythms of others.

Through hands-on interaction and the compelling performance of a World Class Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Impact demonstrates:

*What skills are needed for improvisation

*What risks improvisers encounter

*Why improvisation is critical

*How these principles relate to the interactive dynamics of your corporationJazz Impact is a fusion of insights and parallels drawn from both the world of business and the world of jazz. In an environment where the only constant is change, the improvisational techniques of jazz go beyond metaphorical inspiration- techniques that can have an immediate effect on your business.

Our goal is to motivate, facilitate change and deliver results.

Jazz Impact was developed by Michael Gold, Ph.D. Mr. Gold spent many years as a jazz bassist in New York City. In addition to performing, he taught extensively and ran the jazz department at Vassar College. In 1995 he received a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts for a program that he designed to teach the skills of jazz improvisation to professional orchestral musicians. The idea for Jazz Impact crystallized in 1996 when Mr. Gold became vice president of operations for a financial services company in Minneapolis. Michael Gold is an exciting speaker whose vision of collaborative dynamics and passion for jazz will enlighten, entertain, and motivate the people whose collaborative skills and creative energy you value.