Summary

Duration: 2 hours

Group Size: ~10 participants

Format: In-person, highly interactive

Workshop Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify what prevents risk-taking and innovation in their team
• Understand the conditions that enable experimentation and new ideas
• Apply frameworks for encouraging and supporting intelligent risk-taking
• Practise proposing ideas, experimenting, and responding to others’ ideas
• Leave with practical tools for immediate application

Materials Needed

• Flipchart/whiteboard
• Post-it notes (multiple colours)
• Printed handouts: Innovation Culture Assessment, Intelligent Risk Framework, Idea Advocacy Guide, Supporting Innovation Toolkit, Personal Action Plan
• Scenario cards for practice
• Timer
• Name tags/table tents

Process

SEGMENT 1: Opening & Discovery (25 minutes)

Welcome & Context Setting (5 min)

• Brief welcome and workshop objectives
• Ground rules: all ideas welcome, no judgement, experimentation encouraged
• Normalise that innovation requires risking failure

Activity: “Innovation Audit” (20 min)

Purpose: Surface what prevents risk-taking and innovation, and identify what enables it

Setup: Create four flipchart stations:

• Station 1: “An idea I had but didn’t share”
• Station 2: “What stops people from trying new things here”
• Station 3: “A time someone took a risk and it worked”
• Station 4: “A time someone took a risk and it didn’t work - what happened?”

Process:

1. Silent posting (8 min): Participants write anonymous examples on post-its
2. Clustering (5 min): Group similar themes at each station
3. Discussion (7 min):
   • What ideas are we not hearing?
   • What makes it risky to innovate?
   • How do we respond to risks that work vs. don’t work?
   • What enables innovation?

Facilitator Note: Common themes include fear of looking foolish, being shot down, wasting time, past ideas rejected, no time for experimentation, penalties for failure. These inform the workshop.

SEGMENT 2: Understanding Risk and Innovation (20 minutes)

Mini-Teach: The Innovation Paradox (12 min)

The Core Paradox: Everyone says they want innovation, but innovation requires:

• Trying things that might not work
• Looking foolish sometimes
• Challenging the status quo
• Spending time on experiments
• Accepting that some ideas will fail

Most organisations punish these exact behaviours.

Why Innovation Requires Psychological Safety

You cannot innovate without:

• Proposing ideas that might be wrong
• Asking questions that might seem obvious
• Trying approaches that might fail
• Challenging assumptions that might be correct
• Admitting failures when experiments don’t work

If any of these feel unsafe, innovation stops.

Three Types of Risk:

1. Intelligent Risks

• Calculated experiments with potential upside
• Based on hypothesis or reasoning
• Acceptable chance of failure
• Learning happens regardless of outcome
• Example: Testing a new approach on small scale

2. Reckless Risks

• No thought or planning
• Ignoring known dangers
• Unnecessary risk
• Example: Skipping quality checks to save time

3. Playing It Safe (Hidden Risk)

• Doing what’s always been done
• Avoiding all experimentation
• Slow decline and irrelevance
• Example: Not adapting to market changes

Key Insight: In a changing world, playing it safe is actually the riskiest strategy. Not innovating means falling behind.

Innovation Culture vs. Risk-Averse Culture:

The Cost of Risk-Aversion:

When people don’t take risks:

• No new ideas emerge
• Problems don’t get solved creatively
• Organisation becomes stagnant
• Best people leave (innovators want to innovate)
• Competitors overtake you
• You become irrelevant

Interactive Discussion: “Our Innovation Culture” (8 min)

Quick Reflection:

On a scale of 1-5, where is your team?

1. Very risk-averse - no one tries new things
2. Mostly risk-averse - occasional innovation
3. Mixed - depends on the idea and who proposes it
4. Mostly innovative - experimentation encouraged
5. Very innovative - constant experimentation and new ideas

Show of hands for each number

Pair Discussion (4 min):

• What enables innovation in our team?
• What prevents it?
• What would need to change?

Brief share-out (2 min): Capture key insights

SEGMENT 3: Proposing Ideas and Experiments (30 minutes)

Framework Share: The Idea Advocacy Framework (10 min)

When you have an idea, how you propose it matters

Step 1: Frame It as an Experiment, Not a Solution

Weak framing:

• “We should do X” (sounds like you know the answer)
• “This is the solution” (leaves no room for input)
• “Everyone should…” (prescriptive)

Strong framing:

• “What if we tried X?” (invitation to explore)
• “I wonder whether…” (curiosity)
• “Could we experiment with…” (low-commitment test)
• “I have an idea I’d like to test” (hypothesis)

Why this works: Experiments feel lower-risk than commitments. It’s easier to try something than to adopt it permanently.

Step 2: Share Your Reasoning

Include:

• What problem you’re trying to solve
• Why you think this might work
• What you’re uncertain about
• What you’re hoping to learn

Example: “I’ve noticed we’re spending a lot of time in meetings that feel unproductive. What if we tried having a clear agenda and time limits? I think it might help us stay focused, but I’m not sure if it will slow us down. Could we test it for two weeks?”

Why this works: Showing your thinking invites others to improve it. Being open about uncertainty makes it safer for others to add ideas.

Step 3: Make It Safe to Challenge

Explicitly invite input:

• “What am I not seeing?”
• “What concerns does this raise?”
• “What would make this better?”
• “Poke holes in this - help me improve it”

Why this works: When you invite challenge, people feel safer engaging. You’re signalling that dissent is welcome.

Step 4: Start Small

Propose a small test:

• Pilot with one team
• Try for one week
• Test with a few customers
• Low-budget experiment

Why this works: Small experiments are lower-risk and easier to approve. Success with small tests builds confidence for bigger ones.

Step 5: Define Success and Learning

Be clear about:

• What success looks like
• What you’ll measure
• What you’ll learn even if it fails
• When you’ll review results

Example: “We’ll know this works if meeting times decrease by 20%. We’ll learn about whether structured agendas help us regardless of the outcome. Let’s review after two weeks.”

Why this works: Clear metrics make it easier to evaluate objectively and learn from results.

Activity: “Idea Advocacy Practice” (20 min)

Setup: Participants practice proposing ideas using the framework.

Individual Preparation (7 min): Think of an idea you have (or have had) for improvement. Using the Idea Advocacy Framework, prepare to pitch it:

1. Frame as experiment
2. Share reasoning
3. Invite challenge
4. Start small
5. Define success

Trio Practice (10 min):

Groups of 3:

• Person A: Proposes their idea (2 min)
• Persons B & C: Respond as team members - ask questions, raise concerns (1 min)
• All three: Discuss what worked (1 min)
• Rotate until all have practiced

Whole Group Debrief (3 min):

• What made proposals compelling?
• What made it feel safe to challenge ideas?
• What would you do differently with real ideas?

Facilitator Note: Watch for proposals that are too big (not experiments), defensive responses to questions, or lack of invitation for input.

SEGMENT 4: Supporting Others’ Innovation (25 minutes)

Framework Share: How to Respond to Ideas (10 min)

Your response to others’ ideas shapes whether innovation continues

The Golden Rule of Innovation: Separate idea generation from idea evaluation. First, understand and explore. Then, evaluate.

Part 1: Receive the Idea (First 2 minutes)

Do:

• Listen fully without interrupting
• Ask clarifying questions
• Seek to understand
• Show genuine interest

Don’t:

• Jump to problems immediately
• Compare to past failures
• Shoot it down
• Dismiss without consideration

Questions to ask:

• “Tell me more about your thinking”
• “What problem are you trying to solve?”
• “How would this work?”
• “What made you think of this?”

Part 2: Find the Potential (Next 2-3 minutes)

Before identifying problems, find what’s valuable

Look for:

• The insight or need it addresses
• Creative aspects
• Parts that could work
• Ways to build on it

Say things like:

• “What I like about this is…”
• “The interesting part of this is…”
• “This could help with…”
• “There’s something here about…”

Why this matters: When you find potential first, the proposer feels heard. Then they’re open to refining.

Part 3: Explore Constructively (Next 3-5 minutes)

Now you can raise concerns - but constructively

Frame concerns as questions:

• “How would we address…?”
• “What about…?”
• “I’m wondering about…”
• “Help me understand how we’d handle…”

Not as dismissals:

• “That won’t work because…”
• “We tried that before”
• “That’s not practical”
• “No one will go for that”

Offer to help improve:

• “What if we…”
• “Could we modify it to…”
• “Building on this, what about…”

Part 4: Decide Next Steps (Final 1-2 minutes)

Possible outcomes:

• Try it as an experiment
• Develop it further
• Combine with other ideas
• Park it for now (with explanation)
• Not pursue (with clear reasoning)

Whatever the outcome, acknowledge:

• “Thanks for bringing this forward”
• “I appreciate the creative thinking”
• “This got us thinking about…”

Even if not pursuing: “We’re not going to pursue this right now because [clear reason], but I appreciate you raising it. It’s made us think about [learning or insight].”

The Worst Responses:

These kill innovation:

• “We’ve always done it this way”
• “That will never work”
• “That’s not your area”
• “That’s not how we do things here”
• “Let me explain why that’s wrong…”
• silence (no response at all)

Activity: “Responding to Ideas Practice” (15 min)

Setup: Pairs practice receiving and responding to ideas constructively.

Scenarios provided:

1. A team member suggests a new way of doing client reports that would save time but requires changing the template
2. Someone proposes trying a standing meeting format instead of sitting
3. A colleague suggests using a new tool that would require everyone to learn it
4. Someone wants to experiment with flexible working hours

Process:

• Round 1 (6 min): Partner A proposes idea, Partner B responds using the 4-part framework
• Quick reflection (2 min): What made the response feel supportive? What could be better?
• Round 2 (6 min): Switch roles with different scenario
• Debrief (2 min): What responses encouraged vs. discouraged innovation?

Facilitator Note: Listen for responses that jump to problems, compare to past failures, or dismiss without genuine consideration.

SEGMENT 5: Creating Space for Experimentation (20 minutes)

Interactive Teaching: The Conditions for Innovation (10 min)

Innovation doesn’t just happen - it requires deliberate conditions

Condition 1: Permission to Experiment

Make it explicit:

• “We encourage trying new approaches”
• “Experimentation is part of your role”
• “I want to hear your ideas”

Create structures:

• Dedicated time for innovation (e.g., 10% time)
• Innovation budget (even small)
• Regular idea-sharing forums

Remove barriers:

• Don’t require perfection before trying
• Allow small-scale tests
• Reduce approval layers for experiments

Condition 2: Time and Resources

The reality:

• If everything is urgent, no one innovates
• Innovation requires slack in the system
• Protected time matters

Practical approaches:

• Schedule innovation time
• Build experimentation into project plans
• Provide small budgets for tests
• Allow “failure time” in schedules

The investment mindset: Time spent on experimentation is an investment, not waste.

Condition 3: Psychological Safety to Fail

Critical behaviours:

• Thank people for trying, even when it fails
• Ask “What did we learn?” not “Who’s to blame?”
• Share your own failed experiments
• Distinguish between intelligent failures and recklessness

Language that helps:

• “That didn’t work, and we learned…”
• “Great experiment. What’s next?”
• “Thanks for testing that assumption”

Language that kills innovation:

• “I knew that wouldn’t work”
• “What a waste of time”
• “You should have known better”

Condition 4: Diverse Perspectives

Innovation needs different viewpoints:

• Junior people see things differently
• Different disciplines bring new ideas
• Outsiders question assumptions

Actively seek:

• Ideas from unexpected sources
• Cross-functional input
• External perspectives
• Challenge to “the way we do things”

Condition 5: Learning Loops

Build in reflection:

• Regular “what did we learn?” discussions
• Share experiment results (successes and failures)
• Document insights
• Apply learning to next experiments

Make learning visible:

• Celebrate learning, not just success
• Share “interesting failures”
• Create knowledge repositories
• Discuss what doesn’t work

Activity: “Creating Innovation Conditions” (10 min)

Setup: Small groups (3-4) identify one condition to strengthen in their team.

Group Work (7 min):

Each group chooses one condition:

• Permission to experiment
• Time and resources
• Safety to fail
• Diverse perspectives
• Learning loops

Discuss:

• Current state: What’s the barrier?
• Desired state: What would be different?
• One specific action to take

Share-Out (3 min):

Each group briefly shares their focus and action

Facilitator Note: Capture ideas. Emphasise that small changes in these conditions can have big impact.

SEGMENT 6: Intelligent Risk-Taking (20 minutes)

Framework Share: The Intelligent Risk Framework (8 min)

Not all risks are equal - be smart about which to take

Assess Potential Upside:

Questions:

• What could we gain?
• How significant is the improvement?
• What problems could this solve?
• What opportunities could this create?

High upside: Worth more risk

Low upside: Less justifiable

Assess Potential Downside:

Questions:

• What could go wrong?
• How reversible is this?
• What’s the worst-case scenario?
• How likely is failure?
• Can we contain damage?

High downside: More caution needed

Low downside: Easier to justify

Download the 2x2 Risk Matrix below

Quadrant Actions:

Go For It (High Upside + Low Downside):

• Smart risks worth taking
• Most innovation happens here
• Experiment freely

Small Bets (Low Upside + Low Downside):

• Worth trying if easy
• Good for learning
• Don’t invest heavily

Careful Evaluation (High Upside + High Downside):

• Needs thorough analysis
• Pilot carefully
• Build safeguards
• Make informed decision

Don’t Do It (Low Upside + High Downside):

• Reckless, not intelligent
• Avoid these risks

Making Risks Intelligent:

Ways to reduce downside:

• Start small (pilot before rolling out)
• Make it reversible (easy to undo)
• Build in checkpoints (review early)
• Limit scope (one team, not all)
• Create safety nets (backup plans)

Ways to increase upside:

• Clear hypothesis (what you’re testing)
• Good measurement (track results)
• Learning focus (insights regardless of outcome)
• Knowledge sharing (others benefit from learning)

Activity: “Risk Assessment Practice” (12 min)

Setup: Groups assess different innovation proposals using the framework.

Proposals:

1. Implement a completely new project management system across the organisation
2. Try a new meeting format with your team for two weeks
3. Propose a new product feature based on customer feedback
4. Change the entire sales process without testing

Small Groups (8 min):

Each group assesses 2 proposals:

• What’s the potential upside?
• What’s the potential downside?
• Which quadrant does this fall in?
• How could you make this risk more intelligent?

Share-Out (4 min):

Groups share one interesting assessment

Facilitator Note: Help groups see that most “big” risks can be made more intelligent by starting smaller.

SEGMENT 7: Integration & Commitment (10 minutes)

Tool Distribution (2 min)

Provide take-home resources:

• Innovation Culture Assessment
• Intelligent Risk Framework
• Idea Advocacy Guide
• Supporting Innovation Toolkit
• Experiment Planning Template

Personal Action Planning (6 min)

Individual completion of Action Plan:

• One idea I’ll propose as an experiment:
• One way I’ll respond better to others’ ideas:
• One condition I’ll help create:
• One intelligent risk I’ll take:

Closing Circle (2 min)

Quick popcorn-style sharing: “One thing I’ll experiment with is…”

Secret Sauce

Energy Management

• Workshop moves from discovery → understanding → skills → systems → action
• Practice activities should feel energising (innovation is exciting!)
• If energy feels low, emphasise the opportunity and possibility

Common Challenges

• Cynicism: “We’ve tried to innovate before.” Acknowledge, focus on specific behaviours.
• Fear of failure: Deep-rooted. Create safety throughout workshop.
• Conflicting priorities: “We don’t have time to innovate.” Discuss this directly - innovation isn’t separate from work.
• Past punishment: People may have been punished for failed experiments. Acknowledge and emphasise different approach.

Timing Flexibility

• If running behind: Shorten risk assessment activity to 8 min
• If ahead: Add more discussion on specific team challenges or brainstorm experiments

Key Facilitator Moves

• Model enthusiasm for ideas (even imperfect ones)
• Share your own failed experiments openly
• Redirect “that won’t work” language to questions
• Emphasise small experiments over big commitments
• Balance optimism with intelligent risk assessment

Psychological Safety

• This topic requires safety to propose ideas
• Make it genuinely okay to suggest “bad” ideas during practice
• Celebrate creative thinking regardless of feasibility
• If someone is shot down during practice, intervene supportively

Follow-Up Suggestions

• Weekly: “What are we experimenting with?”
• Monthly: Share experiment results (successes and failures)
• Quarterly: Review innovation culture
• Celebrate interesting failures publicly

Success Indicators

You’ll know the workshop worked if:

• Participants can name specific barriers to innovation in their context
• They understand the link between psychological safety and innovation
• They have frameworks for proposing and responding to ideas
• They’ve practiced and feel more confident experimenting
• They have specific experiments planned
• The room feels energised about possibility
• People are excited to try things, not just worried about failure

Appendix: Key Concepts Summary

The Innovation-Safety Link

You cannot have innovation without psychological safety. If it’s not safe to fail, people won’t try new things.

Intelligent vs. Reckless Risk

Intelligent risks are calculated experiments with learning potential. Reckless risks are thoughtless. Playing it completely safe is actually riskiest long-term.

Frame as Experiments

“Let’s try this” feels safer than “let’s commit to this.” Framing ideas as experiments makes them easier to approve and try.

Response Shapes Culture

How you respond to ideas determines whether people keep proposing them. “Yes, and…” encourages more than “yes, but…”

Small Experiments Win

Big innovation often comes from many small experiments. Lower the barrier to experimentation by starting small.

Learn from Everything

Success isn’t the only valuable outcome. Failed experiments that generate learning are successes too.