August 21, 2026 | 9am – Noon
VIRTUAL SESSION via Zoom
Every professional knows that solving the wrong problem is worse than not solving anything at all. Yet most organizations invest far more in solution quality than in problem identification quality. This workshop is built around a single, counterintuitive insight: the bottleneck in most high-stakes work is not analytical capability but rather the quality of problem framing before analysis begins. AI makes this gap more consequential, not less. A well-framed problem with AI assistance produces sharp, useful output. A poorly framed problem produces confident, plausible-sounding nonsense at scale. Participants will practice the discipline of problem definition using a structured framework, apply it to real challenges from their own work, and experience firsthand how better framing produces better results, with or without AI.
What You Will Learn
- Understand why problem framing, not problem solving, is the highest-leverage professional skill
- Learn a structured framework for defining problems before committing to solutions
- Identify the assumptions embedded in how you currently frame your most important challenges
- Practice reframing real problems from your own work using the workshop methodology
- Understand how AI amplifies both good and bad framing and how to use AI to improve your framing process
- Distinguish between surface problems and underlying problems-to-solve in organizational and strategic contexts
- Build a habit of explicit framing that improves both individual decision-making and team alignment
Who Should Attend
This workshop is appropriate for professionals in any functional role who are responsible for defining problems, making recommendations, or leading teams through complex challenges. It is particularly valuable for managers who find that their teams often jump to solutions before the problem is well understood, and for analysts and strategists who want to improve the quality of their framing before investing in analysis. No prior AI experience is required, though participants who use AI tools regularly will find immediate application for the workshop’s framework.
About the Instructor
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Robert Greene has spent 30+ years helping organizations figure out complex strategic challenges, working as entrepreneur, executive, and consultant with businesses, innovation consortia, and universities. Bob architects AI+HI systems that methodically couple human intelligence and artificial intelligence to scale organizational capability. He believes that understanding the distinction between “using AI” and “Co-Thinking with AI+HI systems” is essential for executives leading AI adoption. Bob earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from Yale University.
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Dr. Nathan Mauck is professor of finance at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He teaches financial management, advanced corporate finance, financial modeling, valuation/M&A, and international finance to undergraduate, graduate and executive students. Nathan positions himself as an AI power user, not an AI expert, a distinction he considers central to how professionals could think about AI adoption. He received his Ph.D. in finance from Florida State University and his undergraduate degree in finance from Kansas State University.
Bob and Nathan co-authored AI Co-Thinking: The Move from AI Dabbler to AI Co-Thinker, a book on using AI as a structured thinking partner.
Program Details
Online Seminars
All online seminars are hosted in real-time via Zoom.
Cancellation & Transfer Policy
Seminar participants (or their organizational representative) should call or email Bloch Executive Education to change or cancel registrations. Cancellations made prior to 7 days from the seminar date are eligible for credit towards a future seminar but are ineligible for refund. Credit for future seminar is valid through the following seminar year. Seminar registrations may be transferred from one individual to another up to 7 days before any elected seminar. Cancellations made within 7 days from the seminar date are non-transferable and non-refundable. Bloch Executive Education reserves the right to make changes to the cancellation policy and transfer policy. The current policies will be posted on our website and will be observed regardless of previous policies or standards. “No-shows” are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
Photo and Video Release
By attending the event, you are giving Bloch School of Management permission to use photos and videos from the workshop in future promotional materials.
Available Discount Programs
UMKC and Bloch Executive Education Alumni, Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS members, CX Central Exchange members, Saint Luke’s Health System employees, Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce members – you qualify for discounted seminar registration.
If any of the above categories apply to you, please contact us at umkcexeced@umkc.edu or 816-235-2892 to take advantage of discounted rates.
