Cultivating a Culture of Innovation

As part of our recent event, Innovate & Elevate: Amplifying a culture of innovation, we interviewed Ben Diamant, an accomplished inventor and the head of design and product management at CMD.

In this insightful discussion, Ben emphasises that while great ideas and robust processes are essential, it’s the culture within a team or organisation that truly drives innovation forwards.

Ben’s Key Takeaways:

Importance of Culture in Innovation:

• Culture is the most critical factor in driving innovation.
• A strong culture guides teams through the entire innovation process, from idea generation to market success.

Characteristics of a Thriving Innovative Culture:

• Vibrant workspaces filled with active discussions, ongoing projects, and prototypes.
• Environments that encourage continuous learning and experimentation.

Nurturing an Innovative Culture:

• Encourage physical interaction and collaboration, especially in hybrid working environments.
• Provide adequate resources and freedom for teams to experiment and play.
• Support financial backing to allow for incremental progress and resource allocation.

Fail Fast Philosophy:

• Embrace quick, rough prototyping to accelerate learning.
• Take calculated risks and push beyond comfort zones.
• Openly discuss and learn from failures to foster resilience and continuous improvement.

Navigating Large Organisations:

• Be brave and persistent in the face of resistance.
• Tailor your approach to address individual concerns and barriers.
• Use theoretical stories, consumer interactions, and solid business evidence to persuade stakeholders.
• Facilitate decision-making without causing stakeholders to lose face.

Essential Leadership Traits:

• Lead by example in fostering a dynamic and supportive culture.
• Encourage creativity, tenacity, and a bit of audacity within the team.
• Create a safe environment for experimentation and learning from failure.

This is the first in a three part series of interviews with the speakers of The Campaign for Real Innovation event. Stay tuned for the next interviews featuring Liga Magdalenoka-Keen & Karen Schofield.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to discuss anything further, please reach out to [email protected]