Creating an Urgency to Innovate at a large company

Consultation and Customization: Before the workshop, First Loop held several consultation meetings with the head of innovation. These discussions were crucial for understanding the company’s specific challenges and goals. Through these meetings, First Loop identified key issues such as the misalignment of objectives, cultural resistance to failure, and the need for faster innovation. This deep understanding allowed First Loop to design a custom workshop tailored to the organization’s unique needs.

Full-Day Workshop: First Loop conducted a full-day workshop with 18 participants, including heads of countries, VPs, and Directors. The workshop was designed to address the innovation challenge by identifying the root causes of the slow product development cycle and the cultural barriers to innovation.

Focus Areas:

• The Loop Process: First Loop introduced its innovation methodology, which combines design thinking and Lean Startup principles. This user-centric approach focuses on understanding the end user’s needs, ideating on prioritized problems, and rapidly prototyping solutions. The loop process encourages iterative development, where ideas are tested and refined quickly.

• Cultural Shift: To address the cultural barriers, First Loop brought in an external consultant specializing in public speaking and improv techniques. This consultant led exercises designed to help participants embrace failure and reduce ego-driven behavior. The workshop included a survey to assess the current cultural challenges and openness to experimentation among the participants.

• Ego and Alignment: The workshop employed a "working individually together" approach, where participants first worked independently on exercises and then shared their ideas in a round-robin format. This method ensured that everyone had an equal opportunity to contribute and receive constructive feedback. Ideas were captured using whiteboards and sticky notes for later review and prioritization.

The workshop was held at the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, a venue chosen for its inspiring atmosphere that celebrates art, culture, and innovation. Various tools and methods were used during the workshop, including mapping out technologies on the S-curve and using the three horizons of innovation model to evaluate current and future innovation efforts.

Post-Workshop Support:

• Digital Board: After the workshop, First Loop provided a digital board that compiled all the ideas generated during the session. This board was organized on an individual participant basis and included an overall summary. This resource allowed participants to revisit the workshop content and ideas at their convenience, ensuring that the momentum gained during the workshop could be sustained.

• Comprehensive Report: First Loop also crafted a detailed report that summarized the main findings from the workshop. The report highlighted key insights, identified areas for improvement, and provided a clear set of next steps for the company to follow. This report served as a roadmap for the company’s ongoing innovation efforts, helping to maintain focus and direction.

• Cheat Sheets and Templates: To further support the company’s innovation efforts, First Loop provided simple cheat sheets of all the exercises conducted during the workshop. These were accompanied by templates, enabling the company to recreate the workshop independently if needed. This ensured that the tools and methods introduced during the workshop could be consistently applied within the organization.