Innovation Labs in Corporations

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

A lot of organisations create chaos and call it innovation but miss one essential point ... - They run hackathons without strategy. - They start with ideas before understanding problems. - They proudly generate hundreds of sticky notes - They call it agile, but it’s aimless. - They say “fail fast,” but never learn. - They launch “labs” with no link to core business. They have no clear process, no guidance, and no overview—just a lot of enthusiastic noise. And when leadership asks, “What’s the ROI?”: silence. Innovation isn’t about looking busy or creative. It’s about making real, valuable change—on purpose. Innovation is all about creating strategic impact. For that you need: STRUCTURE! Structure to transfor new technologies and ideas into reality. Without structure you’re not innovating. You’re just making innovation theatre. Ps. When you want to structure the fuzzy front end of innovation, you might check out the proven FORTH Innovation Method. Link and map in the comments. #Innovation #CorporateInnovation #Strategy #DesignThinking #InnovationTheater #BusinessTransformation #InnovationFails #InnovationLeadership #InnovationStrategy #InnovationManagement #BreakingInnovationBarriers

🔗 Blockchain in Global Supply Chains: Towards Decentralized, Programmable and Financial Infrastructures 🌍 The digital transformation of industrial supply chains — such as steel, rubber, and critical minerals — is shifting from centralized models to blockchain-based infrastructures that enable end-to-end traceability, automation, privacy, and native financial operations. Blockchain is not just a distributed database. It is a decentralized logical infrastructure capable of: ✅ Executing smart contracts to automate payments and audits ✅ Protecting sensitive data through Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) ✅ Integrating external sources (IoT, oracles) for real-time validation ✅ Tokenizing physical and financial assets, enabling instant liquidity ⚙️ Current applications across global industries: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Michelin are tracking rubber from plantations to assembly lines, certifying sustainable practices on-chain. ArcelorMittal and thyssenkrupp are tracing emissions and raw material origins in the steel industry to meet ESG standards. Platforms like Circulor, MineHub, and TradeLens are operating as blockchain-based industrial networks, fully integrated with ERP systems and IoT devices. 🚀 Emerging trends driving this transformation: 🔹 DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks): Networks such as Helium and DIMO allow the direct recording of physical data (logistics, geolocation, air quality, load sensors, etc.) on blockchain — without relying on centralized operators. This enhances real-time visibility across the supply chain, even in remote regions. 🔹 Tokenization of trade finance instruments (e.g., letters of credit, invoices): With enterprise-grade DeFi solutions (like Centrifuge or TradeFinex), it is now possible to issue and trade tokenized credit instruments on blockchain, using real-world assets (invoices, orders, contracts) as collateral. This brings instant liquidity to industrial SMEs and reduces reliance on traditional banking systems. 📊 The result: A self-governing, resilient, and financial supply chain, where physical, digital, and monetary flows are integrated into a single, verifiable network — fully aligned with global regulatory requirements (CSRD, CBAM, ISO 14067...). 📣 Companies that understand blockchain as infrastructure — not just technology — are leading the new era of intelligent and sustainable logistics. #Blockchain #SupplyChain #DePIN #Tokenization #SmartContracts #IndustrialIoT #Fintech #ESG #Web3 #FHE #ZKP #Traceability #Steel #Rubber #Liquidity #DigitalTrade #Sustainability Joaquim Alfredo José Daniel Nelley Alejandro Sivakumar Tomás David Juan Paris Hidenori Dra. Carlos

I am constantly thinking about how to foster innovation in my product organization. Building teams that are experts at execution is the easy part—when there’s a clear problem, product orgs are great at coming up with smart solutions. But it’s impossible to optimize your way into innovation. You can’t only rely on incremental improvement to keep growing. You need to come up with new problem spaces, rather than just finding better solutions to the same old problems. So, how do we come up with those new spaces? Here are a few things I’m trying at Duolingo: 1. Innovation needs a high-energy environment, and a slow process will kill a great idea. So I always ask myself: Can we remove some of the organizational barriers here? Do managers from seven different teams really need to say yes on every project? Seeking consensus across the company—rather than just keeping everyone informed—can be a major deterrent to innovation. 2. Similarly, beware of defaulting to “following up.” If product meetings are on a weekly cadence, every time you do this, you are allocating seven days to a task that might only need two. We try to avoid this and promote a sense of urgency, which is essential for innovative ideas to turn into successes. 3. Figure out the right incentive. Most product orgs reward team members whose ideas have measurable business impact, which works in most contexts. But once you’ve found product-market fit, it is often easiest to generate impact through smaller wins. So, naturally, if your org tends to only reward impact, you have effectively incentivized constant optimization of existing features instead of innovation. In the short term things will look great, but over time your product becomes stale. I try to show my teams that we value and reward bigger ideas. If someone sticks their neck out on a new concept, we should highlight that—even if it didn’t pan out. Big swings should be celebrated, even if we didn’t win, because there are valuable learnings there. 4. Look for innovative thinkers with a history of zero-to-one feature work. There are lots of amazing product managers out there, but not many focus on new problem domains. If a PM has created something new from scratch and done it well, that’s a good sign. An even better sign: if they show excitement about and gravitate toward that kind of work. If that sounds like you—if you’re a product manager who wants to think big picture and try out big ideas in a fast-paced environment with a stellar mission—we want you on our team. We’re hiring a Director of Product Management: https://lnkd.in/dQnWqmDZ #productthoughts #innovation #productmanagement #zerotoone

5 Ways to Turn US-India Culture Differences Into Collaboration Wins (With Real-World How-To’s) 1. Invest in Cultural Fluency—Not Just Sensitivity What to do: Host “culture exchange” sessions. Invite both teams to share how and why they work the way they do. Example: One company held monthly “Ask Me Anything” calls. India teams asked about the US’s drive for speed. US teams learned why Indian teams seek senior buy-in. Result: Less frustration, more alignment. 2. Blend Directness With Context What to do: Start meetings with clear, direct goals (US style), then invite scenario-based or clarifying questions (India style). Example: In a product launch, the US PM set the objectives, then the India lead explored the “what-ifs.” This led to both faster starts and better coverage of risks. 3. Rotate Meeting Leadership What to do: Don’t let the same side run every meeting. Switch between US and India leads. Example: For weekly standups, the India manager led one week and surfaced local blockers; the US PM led the next, driving focus on customer results. Both perspectives became visible, and engagement soared. 4. Build Feedback Loops That Actually Work What to do: Teach both sides to give feedback in each other’s style—direct, but always constructive. Make feedback a routine, not a surprise. Example: Teams closed every sprint with a “Start/Stop/Continue” check-in. The US team practiced softening feedback; India team practiced being more candid. Trust and psychological safety improved quickly. 5. Celebrate Shared Wins—And Shared Learnings What to do: Shine a spotlight on successes that happened because of your differences. Example: When India’s process rigor averted a risk, it was celebrated in a global town hall. When the US team’s “just try it” mindset led to a breakthrough, that was spotlighted too. Both became team best practices. The best India-US teams don’t just “manage around” culture—they make it their competitive advantage. The next time you hit a bump, ask: are we fighting our differences, or using them to win? What’s one India-US “culture hack” that’s worked for you? Share below—let’s build the new playbook together. Zinnov Amita Goyal Amaresh N. Ashveen Pai Dipanwita Ghosh Mohammed Faraz Khan ieswariya k Komal Shah Hani Mukhey Karthik Padmanabhan Kavita Chakravarthy Rohit Nair Saurabh Mehta Nairuti Sanghavi

🛑 Mr. Couchonomics Hype Check: Innovation Labs Are the Future of Corporate Disruption Every big company seems to have an “innovation lab,” “garage,” or “studio.” Foosball, beanbags, neon signage and endless slide decks promising the next unicorn 🦄 The theory suggests that one should isolate a small team, give them seed funding, and watch them out innovate the mothership. 📉 Reality check: 85% of innovation-lab projects never reach commercial launch (2022). Unfortunately most of the ideas die in PowerPoint purgatory The causes are depressingly predictable: ❗️Labs are measured on posters and P-O-Cs, not profit and pipeline ❗️Core business units block adoption (“Not-Invented-Here” syndrome) ❗️Incentives favor experimentation over scale-up funding ❗️Leadership churn means pet projects lose sponsorship mid-flight Unfortunately that’s lead to Innovation labs becoming great theatres of creativity, but terrible factories 🏭 of revenue. Real disruption happens when: ✅ KPIs are tied to P&L impact, not demo-day applause ✅ Lab teams embed with (and are funded by) core business lines ✅ CEOs are willing to sunset legacy cash cows to let new bets breathe Until then, the lab is often just a shiny box parked next to yesterday’s strategy. 💬 Have you seen an innovation lab that truly moved the needle? What made it different?

One of the clearest signals of whether a transformation is working isn’t in the plan - it’s in the conversations happening in your teams. So pay close attention to the frequency of healthy debate, constructive challenge and openness to new and divergent ideas that takes place. If the frequency is low… …there is the risk of creating the illusion of performance because people readily ‘understand’ each other, agree on everything, collaboration seems to flow smoothly and there is a collective sensation of progress. However, the opportunity cost is teams gets trapped in their own paradigms, opportunities get overlooked, risks ignored - and ultimately their output becomes derivative not innovative, performance diminishes as opposed to improving and compounding. If the frequency is high… …there is a level of psychological safety that allows for team members to be more objective, to speak up with relevant ideas, to constructively challenge each other, and bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the table - in the knowledge it won’t be held against them. This opens up the opportunity of reframing the paradigm, and connecting different perspectives and ideas. Ingredients for creativity, innovation, resilience and performance. You see homogeneous teams might feel easier, but easy doesn’t translate into Performance. Here are a few ideas to experiment with your teams… 1. Intentionally foster a team environment that replaces scepticism with intellectual curiosity, an open and learning mindset.   2. Consider how you can create a ways of working that allows all ideas and perspectives from everyone in the room to be heard. 3. Encourage dissenting perspectives. Surrounding yourself with people who are willing to disagree with you and challenge your perspectives and each other. 4. Consider whether you may need to invite others to that creative or idea generation meeting to ensure you get a broader perspective. 5. De-stigmatise failure through sharing past mistakes and celebrating lessons learnt. 6. Institutionalise a team culture of healthy candour. Candour is one of the key attributes to improving the quality of output, levelling up creativity and enabling effective collaboration. What would you add? #transformation #culture #psychologicalsafety

Today, I published a new Composites Lounge LinkedIn Newsletter — and this one is particularly close to my heart. The cover interview features Miss Addison Yao, Executive Vice President of ChangSheng Carbon (Shanghai). Yes, they produce high‑performance carbon fibres from T700 to T1100, used in demanding structural applications. But this conversation goes far beyond fibres, grades, and tensile strength. What I truly enjoyed was the international and cross‑boundary exchange. Miss Addison grew up academically between cultures and speaks with remarkable openness about how generation, mindset, speed, and expectations shape collaboration today — especially when European and Chinese teams work together. She openly reflects on the differences between conservative engineering traditions and fast‑moving, experience‑driven production cultures, and how innovation often happens exactly at that friction point. What impressed me most was her honest evaluation of generational dynamics inside the company: young, globally oriented teams working alongside senior technicians with decades of hands‑on experience — not always aligned, but deeply complementary. This interview reminded me why I love doing this work. Advanced materials may be the context, but people, culture, and trust are the real interfaces. Whether you work in aviation, composites, manufacturing, strategy, or international business — the questions raised here are universal: How fast is fast enough? How open is open enough? And how do generations learn from each other instead of talking past one another? 👉 This interview is not only for engineers. It’s for anyone who needs to work across cultures, across speed regimes, and across generations. I’m grateful to Miss Addison Yao for her candor — and for reminding us that material innovation always starts with human connection. #Composites360onTour #CrossCulturalWork #Leadership #AdvancedMaterials #CarbonFibre #InternationalBusiness #GenerationalDialogue

Most corporate innovation labs don't survive long enough to matter. They launch with beanbag chairs and big promises, then quietly disappear two or three years later, leaving behind expensive furniture and the faint smell of failed ambition. One study put it plainly: fewer than half of corporate incubators meet their strategic objectives. The innovation lab for Ingenico, a France-based giant in the payments industry, has been running for twelve years. I spent time with Romain Colnet, who has led the lab through much of its lifecycle, to understand what made the difference. A few lessons: 1. The lab started with a genuine threat, not a trend. Ingenico makes payment terminals, i.e. those devices you tap your card on at checkout. When mobile payments began to emerge, the company asked itself a hard question: what happens if smartphones make our entire product line obsolete? That's where the lab came from, an existential fear. 2. Executive ownership, not executive cheerleading. Most innovation programs report to a well-meaning senior leader who offers warm words but limited intervention. Ingenico required that every project have a single owner at the executive committee level. This is someone who can say, "I want this on my roadmap" and mean it. 3. Venture thinking in a corporate body. The lab expects projects to fail. Venture capitalists understand that, on average, six out of ten investments will fail completely. Corporate innovation labs need the same mindset. Ingenico has learned to accept that some projects won't work out, but only after testing them in the real world. "You should always try your project in the field because that's where you learn the biggest amount of useful information," Colnet advises. "Most of the time it's not what you expected, which is perfect." 4. Patience about timing. Some ideas went on the shelf for years, then came back when the market caught up. That kind of disciplined restraint is rare. My full piece is in Forbes (Link in the comments) Heed this advice from Colnet: "You should not start a lab in companies that are not accepting that you sometimes do not succeed in what you're trying. Learning is part of the process. If companies are not willing to take risks, to be bold, to move fast and to get some people that are totally thinking differently from the company, then there's a low chance you will succeed."