Innovation Management In Projects

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

🚀 The Rise of Agentic AI in Financial Services The advent of Agentic AI marks a pivotal moment in the AI super cycle, which is highly discussed in the financial services sector - ever searching for sustained efficiencies and accelerated business processes. However, its autonomous nature introduces unique risks that banks and fintech must consider, demanding robust governance and proactive risk management. My Australian colleagues explore key aspects of Agentic AI in a recent paper about "Opportunities, Risks, and Responsible Implementation": 📥 Link to the paper: https://lnkd.in/dmqEKxZA 💡 I found the risk management section particularly relevant, as these sophisticated systems - characterised by their ability to operate with increasing degrees of autonomy and make complex decisions - introduce distinct challenges and amplify existing risks in ways that require careful consideration and tailored risk management strategies. Their inherent complexity can lead to unpredictable behaviour, which complicates efforts to ensure their safety and reliability. Unlike traditional AI systems that are typically designed for specific tasks with predefined outputs, or generative AI that creates new content based on prompts, Agentic AI systems can independently set goals, make decisions and take actions autonomously in pursuit of those objectives. While some risks mirror those of other AI technologies, Agentic AI systems present their own unique challenges because of their ability to operate with less human oversight and adjust their strategies over time. This self-directed capability fundamentally changes how we must approach risk management. By understanding the specific components where these risks manifest and implementing appropriate controls, banks and fintech can harness the benefits while maintaining appropriate risk management practices. The key to successful implementation lies in treating agentic AI as a fundamentally different technology paradigm that requires new approaches to governance and controls. ☔ The paper invites to navigate and mitigate 15 risk management components: - Goal Misalignment - Autonomous Action - Tool/API Misuse - Authority Boundary Management - Dynamic Deception - Persona-driven Bias - Agent Persistence - Data Privacy - Explainability and Transparency - Model Drift - Security Vulnerabilities - Operational Resilience - Cascading System Effects - Multi-Agent Collusion - Principal-Agent Misalignment Read the full paper for a deep dive into Agentic AI’s opportunities and challenges. 👀 And stay tuned for more research about AI - I will soon release a new paper with IBM Institute for Business Value about the "risk management of AI, and with AI". Kudos to the authors and contributors: Michal Chorev, Richie Paul, Joseph Royle, Kasia Ligertwood, Sam Gandy, Alejandro Eizagaechevarria, Matt Bellio, and Phaedra Boinodiris #AI #Banking #Innovation #RiskManagement #AgenticAI

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 & 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 EA gets caught between the 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and the 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. Some orgs embed EA into SA roles so projects meet current demands. Others make EA a billable function, tying value to immediate deliverables. Both approaches bring risks: ➡ When SAs wear EA hats, decisions are localized rather than strategically aligned, risking fragmented technology landscapes. ➡ When EA is billable, there’s pressure to justify work through short-term project outcomes over enterprise-wide impact. To drive transformation, EA must be a 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿. Here are 3 Ways EA Balances The Short- and Long-Term: 𝟭 | 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 EA shouldn’t just validate solutions—it should shape them. 𝙃𝙤𝙬?  ✔ Engage EA in strategy to align roadmaps with business goals.  ✔ Ensure decisions are more than tactical—connect them to enterprise-wide outcomes.  ✔ Establish EA governance so short-term decisions don't create long-term complexity. 📊 EA works best defining the guardrails—not just reviewing outputs. 𝟮 | 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Orgs need speed to stay competitive—but not at the cost of architectural integrity. 𝙃𝙤𝙬?  ✔ Iterative architecture allows for agile decision-making while maintaining long-term vision.  ✔ EA assesses the impact of emerging technologies before disrupting existing structures.  ✔ Use reference architectures and patterns to ensure scalability while allowing for flexibility. 🔄 EA helps businesses move fast—without breaking the foundation. 𝟯 | 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗔’𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 If EA is only evaluated by project success, its strategic influence diminishes. 𝙃𝙤𝙬?  ✔ 𝗧𝗶𝗲 𝗘𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, not technical implementation.  ✔ Define KPIs that reflect cost savings, agility, and risk reduction.  ✔ Showcase EA’s role in long-term value creation, beyond project timelines. 🎯 EA’s success isn’t just about what gets built today—it’s about what remains sustainable tomorrow. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 Enterprise Architecture isn’t a support function—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗘𝗔 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. _ ➕ Follow Kevin Donovan, ring the bell 🔔 👍 Like  |  ♻️ Repost _ 🚀 Join Architects' Hub!  Sign up for our newsletter. Connect with a community that gets it. Improve skills, meet peers, and elevate your career! Subscribe 👉 https://lnkd.in/dgmQqfu2 #EnterpriseArchitecture #DigitalTransformation

The Sustainability Innovation Framework 🌎 Addressing the complexities of sustainability transformation requires a structured and innovation-driven approach. The Sustainability Innovation Framework provides a practical roadmap to align stakeholder collaboration with robust systems, ensuring measurable and impactful outcomes. Engage: Establish a clear vision by involving a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders. This includes leveraging the distinct expertise of suppliers, partners, and industry peers to identify unique opportunities for transformation. Explore: Activate the vision through innovative thinking and data-driven insights. Design thinking methodologies, stakeholder summits, and scenario analyses help unlock creative solutions and deepen engagement across the organization. Design: Transition from exploration to actionable strategies. This phase focuses on building financially viable roadmaps, quantifying risks and opportunities, and prioritizing initiatives with clear metrics to drive decision-making. Implement: Ensure long-term success through accountability frameworks, aligned resources, and structured reporting. Embedding governance systems and feedback loops facilitates continuous improvement and measurable progress. Innovation lies at the core of tackling the systemic challenges of climate change and sustainability. By integrating strategic design with technological and financial rigor, organizations can enhance their resilience while contributing to meaningful environmental and social outcomes. Source: ENGIE Impact #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange #climateaction #innovation

What do Albert Einstein, Paul McCartney, and Virgina Woolf have in common – besides being highly influential figures in their respective fields? All three revealed that some of their most creative ideas came to them whilst they were walking or sleeping. Ok, so what’s the brain up to this time? Why should disengaging help #creativity? In 2014, a group of researchers at Stanford measured the positive effects of mild physical activity on creativity – and found that walking boosted creativity by between 50-80%. 👉 When students took a brisk walk around the college campus or walked at a relaxed pace on an indoor treadmill facing a blank wall – their performance on a test of creativity called the “Alternate Uses Task” improved by a whopping 81%! The AUT tests “divergent thinking,” which is the ability to explore many possible solutions, including blue sky or out of the box thinking. 👉 Walking outdoors produced the most novel and highest quality analogies, indicating that walking had a very specific benefit in improving creativity. 👉 Furthermore, walking made people more talkative, resulting in roughly 50% more total ideas being produced compared to when sitting. In other words, just going for a short walk led to a massive increase in creativity. Or, in the words of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, "All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” Sleeping on it seems to have a similar creativity-enhancing effect as physical exercise. How many times have you come back to tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem after a sleep – or even a nap – and the pieces seemed to fall right into place? Studies have found that during the phase of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the #brain is able to make new and novel connections between unrelated ideas, which is a key aspect of creativity. This state of sleep allows for the free association of ideas, which can lead to creative problem-solving and the generation of innovative ideas upon waking. REM sleep is thought to contribute to "incubating" creative ideas, as the brain reorganizes and consolidates memories, potentially leading to creative insights. Both physical exercise and sleep are mood-enhancers, which may contribute to enhancing creativity. Research suggests that positive moods can enhance creative thinking, making it easier for individuals to think flexibly and come up with innovative solutions. Positive emotional states often increase cognitive flexibility, broaden attention, and allow for more associations between ideas, which are key elements of creativity. Turns out, there are practical ways to spark more ‘Aha!’ moments in our lives. The next time you’re struggling to think of a solution to a problem, try taking a walk or sleeping on it – the evidence-backed cheat-codes for unlocking creativity!

How Can You Keep Innovation Alive When Everyone’s Cutting Costs … Innovators are having a rough time. Budgets are shrinking. Teams are being reduced. And management’s focus has shifted from creating the future to saving the present. Yet — this is exactly when innovation is most needed. In my latest book Breaking Innovation Barriers, I share 15 strategies to win management buy-in for change. And right now, Strategy 1 — Understand Your Management’s Agenda — is the most critical. When cost-cutting dominates the boardroom, don’t fight it — align with it. Reframe your innovation as the answer to their current pain points: 💷 “Let’s start a COSTOVATION project to radically reduce costs.” 📈 “Let’s run a Quick Win Innovation Programme to boost short-term revenue.” 🌍 “Let’s launch a Sustainability Innovation Track to save resources and reputation.” Innovation isn’t a luxury. It’s an instrument to deliver what management needs today — and what your organisation needs tomorrow (of course). Let’s keep innovation alive — not by pushing harder, but by connecting smarter. Now I am curious on which strategy you rely on to keep your innovation projects alive in tough times? #innovation #designthinking #leadership #change #managementbuyin #strategy #innovationbarriers

Transforming How We Think About Collaboration: The 'Collaborative Innovation' Approach 🪄 🎯 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 Instead of seeking lowest-common-denominator agreement, start with a powerful vision that attracts committed changemakers. 👥 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Rather than "open door" meetings, carefully select participants to ensure the whole system is in the room — from grassroots to grasstops. 🔄 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Move away from "develop-then-present" to working together in real-time, leveraging collective intelligence. ⚡️ 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Stop pushing for false harmony and start using differences as catalysts for innovation. ✨ 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Build the strategy through action rather than endless planning sessions. What's powerful about this approach is how it transforms resistance and diversity into sources of innovation. It's not about getting everyone to agree — it's about weaving different perspectives into transformative interventions. Insights from Russ Gaskin, CoCreative and Ashoka's Leading Multi-stakeholder Collaborations course💡 🤔 How do you navigate the tension between inclusion and focused action in your collaborative work? #SystemicChange #Collaboration #Innovation #Leadership #CollectiveImpact

A Great Product Manager will always consider changing any setback into an opportunity. But how to tell an opportunity from a future flop? Listen, being "Agile" did not come out of any fundamental hate of the "Waterfall" (heavily planned) way of doing things. It came from the inherent unpredictability of tech and the market. Agile is about maximizing value and finding ways to win big, bet small, and maintain a low level of risk. Thus, as a PM, you are a predator hunting for an opportunity that can easily get you to your goals, in front of competition, or simply amaze your team and company with your results. Ok, but how to find those diamonds in the rough? 1) Improve on your competitors' work Your competitors already did the heavy lifting by testing what the market responds to. Instead of reinventing the wheel, make it smoother, faster, and more appealing. Apple built entire product lines on this principle: perfecting what others started. 2) Look for abandoned, proven MVPs in your company Many teams launch pilots or MVPs that show promise but get buried under shifting priorities. As a PM, you can resurrect these half-forgotten gems and carry them across the finish line. Sometimes the best opportunities are already lying in your company’s backyard. 3) Pick up complex ideas with easily proven fundamentals Big visions often scare stakeholders, but you don’t need to tackle them all at once. Focus on proving one small, undeniable piece that validates the larger direction. A single pebble of evidence can set the whole stone rolling. 4) Look for successful patterns in similar industries Innovation doesn’t always mean starting from zero. Sometimes it’s about borrowing proven tactics from another industry and applying them to yours. Gamification, loyalty mechanics, or community building can travel surprisingly well between markets. 5) Spend time reviewing comments and feedback User reviews, support tickets, and survey responses hide more opportunities than most dashboards. AI can now crunch tens of thousands of them and show you patterns in minutes. If you’re not mining feedback for product ideas, you’re sitting on gold and ignoring it. 6) From time to time, test a wild idea Not every bet should be rational or backed by data. Occasionally, you need to test something bold and unconventional that might just click. Steve Jobs once tossed a prototype iPod into an aquarium to show it could still be smaller, as it produced bubbles of air once underwater. But all those 6 approaches only work if you are willing to take things into your hands and not be forced into delivering management-ordered features. You need to be truly agile, meaning bold and willing to take risks. Those who play by the rules likely won't win. The house always wins. You want to win. Try harder. So... Did you ever take a risk? How did it end? Tell me your story in the comments :) #productmanagement #productmanager #agile  

Unpacking Connected Innovation IEs are inherently capable of creating socio-economic benefits for multiple stakeholders: shared value. Actors within improve their own results while generating collective impacts for systems as a whole/ society at large. SV creation in IEs is represented as: 1️⃣ Outputs/ value results Objective types, priorities and performance. Objectives unfold in spheres of social, economic, environmental, innovation impact. Latter includes patents, products, R&D spending, collaborative projects, innovative jobs. Performance is expressed in terms of rapidity of SV creation, intensity, resilience. 2️⃣ Modalities to reach results Strategies adopted along macro-strands, individuated to explain relations between SV and IEs: relate to alignment & coopetition, both crucial & debated in IE contexts. Internally, alignment requires definition and acceptance of overarching goals & value propositions. Externally to avoid lock-ins of inner looking systems and to enhance viability in the outer socio-technical regime. In coopetition, actors as independent players compete while aiming to collaborate, to co-create. Letter is key to knowledge exchange & generation amongst actors which complement each other’s in a non-generic way. Competition enhances the stimulus to continuously improve & innovate. They occur simultaneously but also in contrast, requiring trust and the sharing of resources, data-information, which might be complex in a competitive environment. 3️⃣ Instruments supporting strategies Internal mechanisms: tools, systems, platforms that reinforce personal relations & intangible flows, manifest heterogeneity in terms of formality vs openness. Formal mechanisms are databases, etc., and informal are personal relations, communication, participation to events. Openness must be effectively controlled as it is fundamental to create and disseminate innovation & value, but also implies sharing competitive resources, tacit knowledge & risks. 4️⃣ IE characteristics as inputs - Actors: Diverse entities, e.g., individuals or organizations and roles like orchestrators, brokers and intermediaries. Independent and interdependent, they have numerous relations, also manifesting in heterogeneity in the SV creation process. - Structure: The IE’s width (proximity) and sectors in focus relevant for understanding and managing SV creation. Identifying the proper IE boundaries is crucial for uncovering SV creation modalities. - Relations: Helixes of continuous & dynamic interactions amongst industry, academia, public institutions, civil society. Relations can be internal to the IE or with outer levels, intense and strong and support in this way value creation. - Governance: SV creation is a complex task demanding support from institutions (governance structures), which can be top-down, bottom-up or absent (complex adaptive systems), composed by diverse leading bodies. #innovationecosystems #valuecreation #valuecocreation

Your company isn’t starved for talent. It’s drowning in untapped potential. What you call ‘underperformance’ is often brilliance left uncultivated. Potential caged by outdated culture. Ideas abandoned before they ever take flight. After studying hundreds of high-performing organizations, I've identified five critical elements that separate companies that consistently innovate from those that consistently stagnate: 1. Create a Culture of Possibility Create an environment where new ideas flourish from every direction and level, with everyone challenging the status quo. 2. Embrace Crazy Ideas Encourage your team to dream up unprecedented solutions and transform abstract ideas into tangible reality. 3. Welcome Conflict Create space for your team to practice radical candor. Discuss issues, identify solutions. See it as an opportunity for improvement. At Motto®, we define, discuss, and decide on company-wide topics. 4. Reinforce the Vision Ensure everyone regularly understands the vision and sees their personal role within it, getting fired up about big ideas. 5. Build an Adaptive Culture Develop an organization that pivots quickly, nurtures wild ideas, and brings disruptive energy to all aspects of the business. Focus "inward" by reshaping culture to counter external disruption with internal innovation. The most dangerous competitors in your industry aren't the ones with the most resources, they're the ones who've mastered these five cultural elements. What if innovation isn’t a department, it’s your default?