When people talk about innovation, it’s often described as a breakthrough moment — the spark that changes everything. In practice, it usually looks very different. Progress tends to come from the smaller steps: listening carefully, sharing experiences openly, and being willing to test something, learn from it, and try again.
At Innovation Pioneers, the most valuable lessons rarely come from polished presentations. They come from peers comparing what worked, what didn’t, and how they adapted. Bringing together Innovation Managers from iconic members like IKEA, Volvo Cars, Tetra Pak, and Alfa Laval is nothing short of inspiring. But when they meet startups and scale ups in a three week Innovation Sprint for one of our AI Hackathons, that’s when you find that trust and openness are often more powerful than any single process or tool.
The same has been true in my work with Innovation and Change Management across industries — from Coca-Cola, agencies in Europe, even with SchoolTry, the EdTech venture in Africa: Great collaborations do it every time. I think it’s that sweet spot where people with different perspectives learn to move forward together, even when the path isn’t clear.
From the outside, collaborations can sometimes look messy. Innovation rarely follows a straight line. But if you look closely, there’s a rhythm to it — people working independently but also in relation to one another, testing, adjusting, and building momentum. Out of that shared effort, new possibilities emerge.
LEARN TOGETHER. TRUST THE PROCESS. KEEP MOVING.
Roland Williams is a dynamic leader and motivational speaker whose career spans creative roles at IBM, The Coca-Cola Company, and agencies in Europe. His expertise lies in helping organizations align business goals with strategic growth, making him an invaluable resource for leaders seeking to ignite innovation. In addition to his work at Innovation Pioneers, he is Head of Growth at SchoolTry and co-author of Principles of Intrapreneurial Capital, a book on navigating change with clarity and purpose.
