Drivers of Innovation

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

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

How can ordinary business become innovation powerhouses? They can start by embracing four, too-rare practices. Here's a summary of them from my Harvard Business Review article and 50+ interviews across companies like Google, Microsoft, and Levi's: 🔍 1. Trend Sensing Don’t just chase hype; develop systems to spot early, actionable signals. PepsiCo’s "Do Us A Flavor" contest, ostensibly to find its new flavor of Lay's potato chip, was really about surfacing emerging consumer tastes in real time. 🤝 2. Strategic Partnerships Innovation thrives beyond company walls. From Johnson & Johnson’s university incubators to Levi’s collaboration on "smart" clothing with Google, long-term alliances often fuel the boldest moves. 💡 3. Intrapreneur Programs Ideas die without oxygen. Give employees space (and safety) to test bold concepts. Google lets teams pitch and develop ideas for 6 months—no penalty if they fail. 🌐 4. Innovation Communities Innovation is social. Bayer built a 700-person internal network to swap insights across functions—sparking new business models like agricultural finance from unlikely places. A link to the HBR article is in the Comments below. Innovation isn’t just about serendipity—it’s about systems. Are you investing in the right ones?

I've scaled AI and cloud across industries. Yet the real lever? Shaping a culture where innovation is instinctive, not an initiative. Here’s how I do it Tech alone doesn't drive change. It's the human element that sparks true innovation. Here's what I've learned about fostering a culture of innovation: 1. Embrace curiosity at all levels Encourage questions, exploration, and continuous learning 2. Reframe failure as feedback Create safe spaces for experimentation and iteration 3. Cultivate diverse perspectives Innovation thrives when different viewpoints collide 4. Empower decision-making Trust your team to take calculated risks 5. Celebrate small wins Recognize progress to maintain momentum 6. Connect tech to purpose Help everyone see how innovation impacts the bigger picture 7. Foster cross-functional collaboration Break down silos to spark unexpected ideas 8. Lead by Pizza Model the innovative mindset you want to see and award teams with Pizza parties. Remember: The most powerful tool in your tech stack is the collective mindset of your team. Shift your focus from just implementing new tech to nurturing the innovative spirit of your people.

Far too often, I see leaders and companies move on from innovation, believing it's only necessary during the startup phase. In reality, it's what keeps companies alive and thriving. As companies grow, it's easy to fall into routine and let creativity fade. But innovation must continue-even as you scale. An older HBR article I came across this morning highlights how breakthroughs in management can create lasting advantages that are hard to replicate. Companies focused only on new products or efficiency often get quickly copied. To stay ahead, businesses must become "serial management innovators," always seeking new ways to transform how they operate. This idea remains as relevant now as it was back then. The benefits of sustained innovation are undeniable: •Competitive Edge •Increased Revenue •Customer Satisfaction •Attracting Talent •Organizational Growth and Employee Retention Embrace the innovation lifecycle-adapting creativity as your organization matures. Sustaining creativity means creating an environment where people feel safe to push boundaries. Encourage your teams to think big, take risks, and use the experience of your organization. Here are three strategies that I’ve seen work firsthand: Make Experimentation a Priority: Mistakes are part of the process—they help us learn, grow, and innovate. As leaders, share your own experiences with risk-taking, talk about what you've learned, and celebrate those who take bold steps, even when things don’t go as planned. It sends a powerful message: it's okay to take risks. Promote Intrapreneurship: Many of the best ideas come from those closest to the work. Encourage your people to think like entrepreneurs. Give them ownership, the tools they need, and the freedom to explore. Whether it’s through ‘innovation sprints’ or dedicated time for passion projects, showing your team that their creativity matters sustains momentum. Address big challenges, ask tough questions, and let your people feel empowered to tackle them head-on. Break Down Silos: True innovation happens when people connect across departments. Create opportunities for cross-functional interactions-through gatherings, open forums, or spontaneous connections. Diverse perspectives lead to game-changing solutions, and breaking down silos opens the door to that kind of synergy. Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It requires dedication, a commitment to growth, and a willingness to challenge what’s always been done. To all the leaders out there: How are you ensuring your teams remain creative and engaged? What strategies have you found that create space for bold ideas within structured environments? —-- Harvard Business Review, "The Why, What, and How of Management Innovation" #Innovation #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #Creativity #BusinessGrowth #Intrapreneurship #CrossFunctionalCollaboration #ImpactLab

It's only midyear, but major changes are already underway in global enterprises. As AI #innovation and #geopolitical disruption are reshaping entire economies, here are three macro trends I'm watching closely:    - #AI drives ROI in business #operations  After years of experimentation, AI is now driving measurable value, with organizations achieving an average ROI of 1.7x. But as Gen AI and Agentic AI projects move from pilot to production-scale, AI strategies must be built with the right goals, processes and change culture in place to deliver lasting value: https://lnkd.in/emiHh-zw    - AI agents are becoming #collaborators They are evolving from tools to teammates, capable of independent action and human collaboration - yet trust in AI has declined this year. As barriers to adoption remain, leaders must embed trust, ethical oversight and risk mitigation into AI projects from the start to ensure meaningful human-AI chemistry: https://bit.ly/4lYBexP - #Reindustrialization reshapes supply chains  A new wave of reindustrialization in Europe and the US promises to pivot towards local resilience and autonomy. Our report provides a roadmap for “rightshoring”, integrating sustainability and resilience, and developing a future-ready talent strategy ahead of the next phase of industrial competitiveness: https://lnkd.in/eMUNFCgV    With the summer holiday period across much of Europe, it's a timely moment to reflect on the structural shifts already shaping the second half of 2025 and influencing the next phase of enterprise transformation.

Women aren't just participating in healthcare innovation, they're leading it. And #InternationalWomensDay is a great time to celebrate some of the big movers and shakers. 👩🏻⚕️ Dr. Regina Barzilay didn't just survive breast cancer – she turned her experience into action. Her AI model now predicts cancer risk years before symptoms appear. That's not just cool tech — it's literally saving lives. 📱 Ever heard of FemTech? You can thank Ida Tin, who not only coined the term but built Clue into one of the world's most-used period tracking apps. She put women's health solutions on the map and created a multi-billion dollar industry in the process. 🤰🏽 Maternal mortality remains high, especially for women of color and those in underserved areas. AI tools like MOMALA predict pregnancy complications before symptoms appear. Health equity in action, folks. 🔬 Dr. Nimmi Ramanujam's portable cervical cancer screening device (Pocket Colposcope) is bringing life-saving diagnostics to women in remote areas who've been overlooked by traditional healthcare systems. When women lead in health tech, everyone benefits. They're solving real problems that affect millions of women daily. Yet women-led health startups still only account for 2% of VC investment, according to The Guardian. Imagine what could happen if we closed that gap! Who's a woman in health tech you admire? Drop their name in the comments.👇🏼

Change isn’t a one-time event anymore. It’s a continuous operating rhythm—and the rules, tools, and expectations are evolving fast. Here are 5 trends reshaping transformation in 2025—and how to stay ahead of them: 📈 Trend 1: The New Pace of Change ↳ Transformation is now an operating rhythm—not a project. ↳ Organizations now undergo 5–6 major changes per year, up from 1–2 pre-2020 (SHRM). ✅ How to Lead in Constant Change ↳ Build a culture of iteration—normalize quick feedback loops and ongoing adjustments. ↳ Use dynamic playbooks over rigid plans. 📈 Trend 2: Leading Across Distance ↳ Hybrid work has become a core part of how organizations scale and compete. ↳ Poor context flow across tools and functions creates misalignment, delays, and resistance. ✅ How to Lead Over Distance ↳ Use asynchronous tools like Loom and Trello to create visibility. ↳ Over-communicate context—don’t just share decisions; share the thinking behind them. 📈 Trend 3: Inclusion Accelerates Adoption ↳ Change that doesn’t include everyone doesn’t stick. ↳ Inclusive change efforts move faster—because more people are invested in the outcome. ✅ How to Drive Inclusive Transformation ↳ Co-create with ERGs and frontline voices—they bring insight that top-down plans often miss. ↳ Design for lived experience—scenario-test change with real users and real teams. 📈 Trend 4: Tech as a Co-Pilot ↳ Automation and analytics are reshaping how change is designed, delivered, and optimized in real time. ↳ AI can flag hotspots and resistance early—giving leaders a head start through sentiment analysis, engagement tracking, and predictive models. ✅ How to Integrate Tech into Leadership ↳ Use tech to anticipate resistance, guide decisions, and adapt in real time. ↳ Link KPIs to user adoption behaviors—not just rollout completion. 📈 Trend 5: Human-Centered Leadership ↳ People don’t resist change—they resist poor leadership during change. ↳ In high-change environments, presence, EQ, and storytelling matter more than strategy. ✅ How to Lead People-First ↳ Use fail-forward storytelling—real lessons normalize experimentation. ↳ Coach mid-level leaders into change catalysts—equip them with change tools they can apply in their teams. The way you lead through change will matter more than what you change. How is change impacting your workplace in 2025? ♻️ Reshare to equip your network with tools to drive meaningful, people-centered change. ➕ Follow Morgan Davis, PMP, PROSCI, MBA for actionable insights on leading organizational change.

Women’s contributions to tech are often overlooked. Case in point: We call it “software engineering” because of Margaret Hamilton. She coined the term while leading NASA’s software team for Apollo 11, arguing that software should be engineered with the same precision and discipline as hardware. And she proved it. Minutes before the Lunar Module was set to land on the moon in 1969, alarms started flashing on board. The guidance computer was overloaded. Most missions would have aborted. But Hamilton’s design was built for this. Her software was smart enough to know when to ignore non-essential tasks and prioritize critical ones: to keep the mission on track. That’s fault-tolerant computing at its finest. Her work shaped asynchronous programming, modular architecture, and error recovery. These are concepts that power AI, cloud, and distributed systems today. Another inspiring thing about Hamilton? She was a self-driven learner in a time when no formal training for “software engineering” exists. She learned by building. That’s how great engineers should grow: by experimenting, learning, and iterating. On International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the pioneers who shaped tech, and the women pushing it forward today. Who’s a woman in tech that inspires you? Tag them here so we can give them the recognition they deserve. #SoftwareEngineering #MargaretHamilton #WomensHistoryMonth #InternationalWomensDay

What Happens When Women Lead in Data? We talk a lot about data, how to collect it, analyze it, and leverage it. But rarely do we ask: Who’s leading these efforts? When women lead in data science and AI, they bring more than technical skills. They bring perspective, empathy, and a drive to build systems that work for everyone. And the results are Powerful, Inclusive and Transformative. Here’s how; 1. Inclusive Design Take Femtech as an example. Alicia Chong Rodriguez, founder of Bloomer Tech, developed a smart bra that monitors women’s heart health, something sorely missing from mainstream medical tech. Why:- - Because most health data excludes women. - Women in leadership noticed this gap, and innovated around it. When women lead, blind spots get solved. 2. Tackling Bias from the Inside Dr. Joy Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League to challenge racial and gender bias in AI. Her work exposed how facial recognition systems perform worst on women with darker skin. Because the training data was biased. The system followed suit. Her leadership pushed Big Tech to reform.   Lesson: Data doesn’t lie, but it often reflects our existing biases. 3. Building Trust with Ethical Leadership Women leaders tend to drive more transparent, people-centered decision-making. This isn’t about being “soft.” It’s about building trust with users, teams, and the public. In the age of AI, where transparency is everything, this is a leadership advantage. 4. Better Representation When women lead data initiatives: Data models become more inclusive. Assumptions are challenged. Outcomes become more equitable. It’s not just a win for women, it’s a win for innovation and society at large. These wins aren’t unicorn stories. They’re evidence of what’s possible when we make space for women in data leadership. Let’s stop treating them as exceptions, and start seeing them as the standard we should all aspire to. 👉 Who’s a female data leader that inspires you? Tag her and let her know she’s making a difference.