Great, innovative teams are characterised by their ability to move quickly, iterate fast, and learn even faster. These teams can be found in startups, but they can also exist in larger organisations as multidisciplinary teams. Such teams are often made up of individuals who possess unique skills and expertise that complement each other.

For most teams, the default mode is execution mode: build and deliver as soon as possible. However, when we are building something new, this way of operating can potentially lead to wasted time and missed opportunities. It is essential to get into exploration mode first and understand the problem in-depth before building a new solution.

Innovation is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? For me, innovation is implementing new ideas that bring value to people. You don’t have to be a creative genius to be innovative – It’s all about the context. What might be ordinary for startups could be groundbreaking for established corporations. Implementing these ideas and measuring their impact is key because what gets measured gets improved.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to dive headfirst into many innovation projects. They ranged from strategic innovation projects to customer experience improvements, and from exploring new ways of working to executing human-centred automation solutions.