Collaborative Innovation Tools

Should you try Google’s famous “20% time” experiment to encourage innovation? We tried this at Duolingo years ago. It didn’t work. It wasn’t enough time for people to start meaningful projects, and very few people took advantage of it because the framework was pretty vague. I knew there had to be other ways to drive innovation at the company. So, here are 3 other initiatives we’ve tried, what we’ve learned from each, and what we're going to try next. 💡 Innovation Awards: Annual recognition for those who move the needle with boundary-pushing projects. The upside: These awards make our commitment to innovation clear, and offer a well-deserved incentive to those who have done remarkable work. The downside: It’s given to individuals, but we want to incentivize team work. What’s more, it’s not necessarily a framework for coming up with the next big thing. 💻 Hackathon: This is a good framework, and lots of companies do it. Everyone (not just engineers) can take two days to collaborate on and present anything that excites them, as long as it advances our mission or addresses a key business need. The upside: Some of our biggest features grew out of hackathon projects, from the Duolingo English Test (born at our first hackathon in 2013) to our avatar builder. The downside: Other than the time/resource constraint, projects rarely align with our current priorities. The ones that take off hit the elusive combo of right time + a problem that no other team could tackle. 💥 Special Projects: Knowing that ideal equation, we started a new program for fostering innovation, playfully dubbed DARPA (Duolingo Advanced Research Project Agency). The idea: anyone can pitch an idea at any time. If they get consensus on it and if it’s not in the purview of another team, a cross-functional group is formed to bring the project to fruition. The most creative work tends to happen when a problem is not in the clear purview of a particular team; this program creates a path for bringing these kinds of interdisciplinary ideas to life. Our Duo and Lily mascot suits (featured often on our social accounts) came from this, as did our Duo plushie and the merch store. (And if this photo doesn't show why we needed to innovate for new suits, I don't know what will!) The biggest challenge: figuring out how to transition ownership of a successful project after the strike team’s work is done. 👀 What’s next? We’re working on a program that proactively identifies big picture, unassigned problems that we haven’t figured out yet and then incentivizes people to create proposals for solving them. How that will work is still to be determined, but we know there is a lot of fertile ground for it to take root. How does your company create an environment of creativity that encourages true innovation? I'm interested to hear what's worked for you, so please feel free to share in the comments! #duolingo #innovation #hackathon #creativity #bigideas

🧠 “How We Brainstorm And Choose UX Ideas” (+ Miro template) (https://lnkd.in/eN32hH2x), a practical guide by Booking.com on how to run a rapid UX ideation session with silent brainstorming and “How Might We” (HMW) statements — by clustering data points into themes, reframing each theme and then prioritizing impactful ideas. Shared by Evan Karageorgos, Tori Holmes, Alexandre Benitah. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Booking.com UX Ideation Template (Miro) https://lnkd.in/eipdgPuC (password: bookingcom) 🚫 Ideas shouldn’t come from assumptions but UX research. ✅ Study past research and conduct a new study if needed. ✅ Cluster data in user needs, business goals, competitive insights. ✅ Best ideas emerge at the intersections of these 3 pillars. ✅ Cluster all data points into themes, prioritize with colors. ✅ Reframe each theme as a “How Might We” (HMW) statement. ✅ Start with the problems (or insights) you’ve uncovered. ✅ Focus on the desired outcomes, rather than symptoms. ✅ Collect and group ideas by relevance for every theme. ✅ Prioritize and visualize ideas with visuals and storytelling. Many brainstorming sessions are an avalanche of unstructured ideas, based on hunches and assumptions. Just like in design work we need constraints to be intentional in our decisions, we need at least some structure to mold realistic and viable ideas. I absolutely love the idea of frame the perspective through the lens of ideation clusters: user needs, business problems and insights. Reframing emerging themes as “How-Might-We”-statements is a neat way to help teams focus on a specific problem at hand and a desired outcome. A simple but very helpful approach — without too much rigidity but just enough structure to generate, prioritize and eventually visualize effective ideas with the entire team. Invite non-designers in the sessions as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised how much value a 2h session might deliver. Useful resources: The Rules of Productive Brainstorming, by Slava Shestopalov https://lnkd.in/eyYZjAz3 On “How Might We” Questions, by Maria Rosala, NN/g https://lnkd.in/ejDnmsRr Ideation for Everyday Design Challenges, by Aurora Harley, NN/g https://lnkd.in/emGtnMyy Brainstorming Exercises for Introverts, by Allison Press https://lnkd.in/eta6YsFJ How To Run Successful Product Design Workshops, by Gustavs Cirulis, Cindy Chang https://lnkd.in/eMtX-xwD Useful Miro Templates For UX Designers, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eQVxM_Nq #ux #design

18 Innovation & Sustainability Methodologies  🌎 In the current business landscape, sustainability and innovation are not just complementary; they're inseparably intertwined. Companies are increasingly required to weave environmental stewardship into their fabric while continually innovating to stay competitive. This necessitates a roadmap for integrating sustainability at every stage of the business cycle. The map in question presents a sequential guide to sustainable innovation, categorizing methodologies according to the business development stages they best serve. Each category demands unique approaches and follows distinct steps, ensuring that sustainability is not a standalone concept but a continuous thread throughout the innovation process. Beginning with 'Strategic Fit', the map underscores the need for foundational strategies that define corporate purpose with sustainability at its core. Here, 'Innovation Strategy' and 'Sustainability Strategy' are pivotal, serving as the bedrock for all future development. This stage sets the stage for what follows, ensuring that sustainability is embedded in the DNA of every subsequent decision and innovation. Moving into 'Problem Fit', methodologies such as 'Circular Design' and 'Systems Thinking' come into play, focusing on understanding and redesigning processes and products to minimize waste and optimize resource use. This stage is where theoretical strategies begin to manifest as practical solutions, targeting specific sustainability challenges within the business ecosystem. As solutions begin to crystallize, the 'Solution Fit' phase utilizes approaches like 'Lean Startup' to iteratively develop products that are both market-ready and sustainable. 'Value Proposition Design' ensures that these solutions are not just viable but also desirable, meeting consumer needs with minimal environmental impact. Transitioning to 'Market Fit', the map highlights 'Service Design' and 'Business Model Innovation' as methodologies that fine-tune the value delivery and operational models to align with market expectations and sustainability ambitions. This ensures that the innovation not only resonates with consumers but also adheres to principles of sustainability. The final stretch, 'Scaling', involves methodologies that support the growth of these sustainable innovations. 'Agile Development' allows for rapid scaling of solutions in response to market feedback, while 'Deep Tech Acceleration' embraces cutting-edge technologies to propel businesses forward in a sustainable manner. This strategic map thus serves as a comprehensive guide for businesses to navigate through the stages of innovation, with sustainability as a guiding principle. Source: Explorer Labs #sustainability #sustainable #sdgs #esg #sustainabledevelopment #climatechange 

The AI ecosystem is becoming increasingly diverse, and smart organizations are learning that the best approach isn't "open-source vs. proprietary"—it's about choosing the right tool for each specific use case. The Strategic Shift We're Witnessing: 🔹 Hybrid AI Architectures Are Winning While proprietary solutions like GPT-4, Claude, and enterprise platforms offer cutting-edge capabilities and support, open-source tools (Llama 3, Mistral, Gemma) provide transparency, customization, and cost control. The most successful implementations combine both—using proprietary APIs for complex reasoning tasks while leveraging open-source models for specialized, high-volume, or sensitive workloads. 🔹 The "Right Tool for the Job" Philosophy Notice how these open-source tools interconnect and complement existing enterprise solutions? Modern AI systems blend the best of both worlds: Vector databases (Qdrant, Weaviate) for data sovereignty, cloud APIs for advanced capabilities, and deployment frameworks (Ollama, TorchServe) for operational flexibility. 🔹 Risk Mitigation Through Diversification Smart enterprises aren't putting all their eggs in one basket. Open-source options provide vendor independence and fallback strategies, while proprietary solutions offer reliability, support, and advanced features. This dual approach reduces both technical and business risk. The Real Strategic Value: Organizations are discovering that having optionality is more valuable than any single solution. Open-source tools provide: • Cost optimization for specific use cases • Data control and compliance capabilities • Innovation experimentation without vendor constraints • Backup strategies for critical systems Meanwhile, proprietary solutions continue to excel at: • Cutting-edge performance for complex tasks • Enterprise support and reliability • Rapid deployment with minimal setup • Advanced features that take years to replicate What This Means for Your Strategy: • Technical Teams: Build expertise across both open-source and proprietary tools • Product Leaders: Map use cases to the most appropriate solution type • Executives: Think portfolio approach—not vendor lock-in OR vendor avoidance The winning organizations in 2025-2026 aren't the ones committed to a single approach. They're the ones with the most strategic flexibility in their AI toolkit. Question for the community: How are you balancing open-source and proprietary AI solutions in your organization? What criteria do you use to decide which approach fits each use case?

Leadership Dynamics in GCCs: A Path to Collaboration Having worked with Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India for many years, I've witnessed the intricate dance between parent organization leadership and GCC leadership. Despite commendable efforts in enhancing communication, transparency, and leadership development, challenges persist. Here are some tips to tackle these issues head-on. 1️⃣ Establish Clear Roles and Decision-Making Processes: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. Set boundaries and document decision-making to reduce potential political conflicts. 2️⃣ Establish Joint Governance Mechanisms: Create joint committees or steering groups involving leaders from both sides. Regular leadership meetings can align priorities, discuss challenges, and foster collaboration, minimizing politics driven by divergent interests. 3️⃣ Foster One Team Mindset: Promote a "one team" mindset, emphasizing unity. Encourage shared goals, values, and belonging. Organize joint initiatives and team-building activities to bring leaders together, fostering collaboration and relationship building. 4️⃣ Mediate Conflict and Promote Mediation Skills: Encourage mediation to resolve conflicts promptly. Invest in building mediation skills among leaders and provide access to external mediators when needed. Mediation can find win-win solutions and rebuild trust. 5️⃣ Foster Mutual Respect and Understanding: Create an environment of mutual respect and cultural understanding. Encourage leaders to learn about each other's cultural nuances, communication styles, and decision-making frameworks to reduce biases and misunderstandings. 6️⃣ Joint Strategic Planning Sessions: Conduct joint strategic planning sessions for the development and review of long-term plans. This ensures that the strategies align with the overall objectives of the organization and provides a forum for collaboration. 7️⃣ Establish a Liaison Role: Appoint a liaison or relationship manager who can act as a bridge between the leadership in the parent organization and the GCC. This individual can facilitate communication and address concerns. 8️⃣ Leadership Exchange Programs: Implement leadership exchange programs where executives from the parent organization and the GCC spend time working in each other's environments to gain a better understanding of each other's challenges and perspectives. Addressing these suggestions requires a joint commitment to continuous improvement. By implementing these measures, parent organizations and GCC leadership can forge a more harmonious relationship, minimizing political dynamics and fostering true collaboration. Let's build bridges, not barriers. #LeadershipDevelopment #GlobalCollaboration #GCCLeadership #OneTeamMindset What do you think Pradyumn Lavaniya, Murali Nayak, Vanaja Amireddy? I'd love to hear your views on these topics.

Many of my web tools are designed to help with creative thinking (because that's what I write books about). And this is one of those. It's a tool I built for a training workshop I ran a couple of weeks ago. Research shows that humans are best at generating ideas in short bursts. Our creative muscles are built for sprints, not marathons. It also shows that perfectionism reduces idea generation and blocks flow. So I built this little tool to encourage people to focus on quantity rather than quality of ideas to get things moving at speed. This opens your mind up to opportunities you wouldn't previously have considered. Link to the tool is in the comments 👇 For solo thinkers, I recommend the 90-second and 3-minute settings. If you're working with a small group, try the longer times. But don't waste precious seconds discussing your ideas or trying to flesh them out. And definitely don't critique any ideas as you go (throw the critics out of your group and tell them never to come back). You can do all the judging you want after you've crossed the finish line. The web tool works like this: ❶ You start by picking a time for your idea sprint. ❷ This takes you to a screen with a text input box. You rattle out your basic ideas one at a time, hitting the return key between each one. The tool keeps a tally of the number of ideas you've come up with so that you can spur yourself on to beat your previous record. ❸ When the time is up, you'll see a list of your ideas that you can copy and paste into a document to explore further. I recommend that you aim for 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 15 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀. You probably won't hit it, but that's the kind of speed we're looking at here. Don't focus on detail; focus on coming up with more ideas. I built this tool the night before the workshop. We used it during the session and I can tell you that it works. It works really well! Maybe bookmark it for the next time you need to generate a bunch of ideas. Again, this was built with Cursor and includes features that I would struggle to code myself. Do you think this tool might be useful to you? What other tools would you like me to build?

As I meet more people, especially budding tech founders, a recurring question is about leveraging partnerships as a revenue channel. One key aspect that often stands out in these discussions is identifying the right partner. The right partnership can provide up to 80% leverage in your ROI by aligning perfectly with your goals and capabilities. Consider the example of a health tech startup partnering with a large hospital chain. By integrating their cutting-edge telemedicine platform with the hospital's extensive network, the startup was able to provide virtual health services to a vast number of patients. This partnership enabled the startup to scale rapidly and gain credibility in the healthcare market, while the hospital chain could offer innovative services to their patients without developing the technology in-house. To help identify the right partner, I recommend using a simple framework like the "PARTNER" scoring model: - 'P'urpose Alignment: Do your missions and goals align? - 'A'ccess to Market: Can they help you reach new or larger markets? - 'R'esource Complementarity: Do they offer resources you lack and vice versa? - 'T'rust and Reliability: Can you trust them to deliver consistently? - 'N'etwork Synergy: Do their connections and networks benefit you? - 'E'conomic Benefit: Is the partnership financially advantageous? - 'R'eputation: Does partnering with them enhance your brand image? By scoring potential partners on these criteria, you can identify the one that offers the best strategic fit and highest potential for ROI. #B2BPartnerships #TechFounders #BusinessGrowth #StrategicAlliances image - courtesy to Freepik

UK Government Modern Industrial Strategy launched in the last 24 hours: what does it mean? I’ve been exploring this using #systemsthinking and a causal loop diagram (CLD) to map its feedback structures. A few key takeaways which might be relevant #business schools… Systemic Insights via CLD: – Investment → R\&D → Innovation → Productivity → Economic Growth → Investment – Skills ↔ Innovation & Infrastructure → Tech Adoption → Innovation → Productivity Key “hubs” include **Innovation**, **Productivity**, & **Economic Growth**, with **Collaboration** and **Skills** as powerful levers. Negative links (e.g., regulatory uncertainty) can weaken investment, while peripheral nodes (e.g., Net-Zero in our simplified map) may need stronger connections to reflect real-world influence. This underscores the need for aligning R&D, #skills, infrastructure, and #sustainability objectives. So, what should business schools do? 🤝 Strengthen Industry Partnerships: Collaborate with firms & regional clusters on real projects. Connect students/faculty to innovation initiatives, boosting learning and local impact. 💡 Focus on Emerging Skills: Update programs for digital literacy, clean-energy management, & advanced manufacturing basics. Equip grads with in-demand skills that feed productivity and innovation loops. 🚀 Foster Entrepreneurship & Scale-Ups: Offer incubators, mentorship, and finance guidance. “Entrepreneurship → Scale-ups → Innovation” will help startups grow and energize the wider economy 🤝🔬Promote Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Bridge business, engineering, sustainability, etc. Joint projects mirror how “Collaboration → Innovation/Skills/Infrastructure” drives broader outcomes. 📜 Short Courses on Policy Signals: Run workshops on navigating regulatory certainty/uncertainty. Helping leaders anticipate policy shifts reduces investment hesitation. 🌍 Champion Regional Engagement: Partner with local authorities & SMEs to tailor programs to regional needs. Reinforce “Regional Clusters → Growth → Inclusive Growth” and support levelling-up. ♻️ Embed Sustainability & Net-Zero Goals: Integrate clean energy case studies & net zero strategy in courses. Aligns with “Net-Zero → Clean Energy → Investment/Innovation,” preparing leaders for green transitions. 📊 Leverage Data & Analytics: Track outcomes of partnerships, alumni ventures, and skills placement. Measurable impact reinforces further investment and collaboration. 🌐 Build Innovation-Focused Alumni Networks : Create forums where grads in high-growth sectors share insights with current students. Sustains knowledge transfer and industry connections. #IndustrialStrategy #SystemsThinking #Innovation #EconomicGrowth #UK #CLD #Policy #Sustainability #Collaboration #Skills

A top-tier professional services firm we advised had decided 4 years earlier to ditch its sector-based strategy (mostly for political reasons – a long story). Since then, clients were increasingly dissatisfied with generic advice, partners felt disconnected from their “community” of like-minded peers, the firm lost its edge in generating eye-catching thought leadership, and the firm was losing market share. Ouch. The challenge underscored a key lesson: success in PSFs demands engaging with clients on the dimension they care about – how to win in their own industry. Inside the firm, this requires true cross-silo collaboration. We worked with leaders to re-envision their sector strategy and implement process changes, leadership changes, and skill development to successfully relaunch. Here are five essentials to build true cross-silo collaboration, to serve sector-specific needs: 1. Appoint sector heads who can actually lead. Industry expertise should be a given. Sector heads need to shape the strategy, motivate peers and hold them accountable, and engage with the market.  2. Create community. Sector leaders should organize regular, dual-purpose interactions to (1) expand/build knowledge of industry trends and client needs while (2) enhancing bonds and trust between community members. Get people involved – don’t drone on with “updates” but rather spark debates, ask Associates to do mini-presentations, have fun. 3. Embrace a matrix. Practice groups remain essential units for innovation and building technical expertise. Sector leads need to work directly with peer practice group leaders to create an integrated strategy and product offerings that address what the market needs. 4. Create shared goals. Align the sector and practice groups on shared objectives and metrics that reward collaboration. For example, instead of solely incentivizing individual sales, focus on overall client satisfaction and revenue growth. We explore these ideas in our HBR article “Performance Management Shouldn't Kill Collaboration.” 5. Celebrate collaborative success – and stop heroizing individuals. Recognize and reward examples of effective cross-silo collaboration (rewards don’t have to be money – we find that creative prizes can go a long way). Highlight team success stories to inspire others to break down silos and generate real innovation. 💡 Your turn: How has your organization tackled the challenge of aligning teams for sector success? Share your thoughts below. (And stay tuned for our next post on how to overcome barriers to sector collaboration – grounded in Chapter 7 of our best-selling book "Smarter Collaboration: A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work.") #SmarterCollaboration #Sectors

𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵! I am happy to share the latest insights from the recently published A*STAR-EVYD Joint Lab White Paper on 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲. I find this collaboration to be a pioneering force in transforming healthcare systems through cutting-edge AI innovations. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 💠 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺: The partnership between ASTAR and EVYD leverages the unique strengths of both organizations, creating a robust ecosystem for AI-driven healthcare solutions. ASTAR's research prowess combined with EVYD's commercial expertise paves the way for groundbreaking advancements in population health management. 💠 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲: One of the standout perspectives of this white paper is its emphasis on shifting from reactive to preventive healthcare. AI's capability to analyze massive datasets enables early disease detection, personalized interventions, and proactive health management, fundamentally altering traditional healthcare paradigms. 💠 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: The Joint Lab's focus on developing scalable platforms and advanced data aggregation techniques is crucial. These solutions not only enhance public health surveillance but also ensure that AI technologies can be effectively integrated into real-world healthcare settings, providing tangible benefits to patients and healthcare providers alike. 💠 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵: The Joint Lab's initiatives are not confined to Singapore. With successful deployments in Brunei and upcoming collaborations in the UAE, the impact of this partnership is set to drive meaningful change in global healthcare landscapes. 💠 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Balancing innovation with ethical considerations is a critical aspect addressed in the white paper. Collaborative efforts from diverse stakeholders ensure that AI technologies improve health outcomes without compromising individual rights or safety. Critically, while the white paper highlights the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, it also calls attention to the 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 across sectors. This approach prevents policy duplication and conflicts, leading to more effective and harmonized AI governance. A/C: Fei G. Feng YANG Jun Zhou Liangli Zhen Qingsong Wei Ricardo Shirota Filho Richard Siow Tao Luo xiaofeng lei Xinxing Xu Liu Yong Yuting Song Jane Tey Joshua Lam Ming Jie Chua Sara Baladram Gideon Praveenkumar John Lim Kavitha Palaniappan Lian Leng Low Nan Liu Robert JT Morris Let's work together to embrace and revolutionize healthcare for a healthier, more sustainable future! #AI #HealthcareInnovation #PopulationHealth #DigitalHealth