Organizations widely agree that innovation is urgent and important. But here’s what’s less clear: how to consistently fuel and foster that innovation. Through our research, we’ve identified four main building blocks for cultures of innovation, and there are clear strategies that separate organizations that experience repeatable success versus ones where innovation is less frequent. We’ve already explored how purpose fuels innovation.

Failure and innovation are two sides of the same coin, but companies can easily forget this when striving for perfection. As humans we’re naturally drawn to celebrating success. We focus on the glory of winning and the outcomes of groundbreaking products while often glossing over the string of missteps, experiments, and failures along the way. But ignoring failure is a mistake. Yes, failure has negative connotations, but it’s often a critical stepping stone to success.

Welcome to the first installment in our four-part series examining the fundamentals of innovation velocity. In today’s competitive landscape, the most successful companies know that it’s not enough to build something great — they also have to bring it to market ahead of the competition. This is where innovation velocity comes into play. As a concept, velocity isn’t just about moving quickly, it’s about moving quickly and toward the right goal.

Design thinking has always been about understanding human needs to create innovative solutions. With AI deepening that understanding, sparking greater creativity, and fostering global collaboration, we’re entering a new era of design thinking — one where technology and human ingenuity come together to solve our biggest challenges.