About this session
Innovation benefits from difference when that difference is relevant to the problem and able to influence the outcome.
A team may contain people with very different experiences and still produce narrow thinking if the same voices dominate, assumptions go unchallenged, important users are absent, or unfamiliar ideas are filtered out too early.
Participants learn to think more deliberately about whose knowledge a problem requires. Diversity can include function, expertise, geography, seniority, customer proximity, lived experience, culture, working style, career path, and many other forms of difference.
The aim is not to treat people as representatives of a category, but to improve the range of information, perspectives, questions, and constraints available to the innovation process.
The session then moves into the mechanics of inclusion: how ideas are generated, whose contributions receive airtime, how disagreement is handled, how ideas are evaluated, and how prototypes are tested with people who may experience the solution differently.
Participants leave with practical methods for making innovation both more inclusive and more effective.
What your people take away
- Identify which perspectives, experiences, disciplines, and stakeholder knowledge are missing from an innovation challenge
- Design ideation processes that reduce dominance and create meaningful participation
- Use disagreement and difference to challenge assumptions and expand possibilities
- Recognize bias and power dynamics that can affect which ideas receive attention or investment
- Test solutions with a broader range of relevant users and contexts
- Measure whether inclusion is improving the innovation process and the quality of what emerges from it
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Bring the Right Differences Into the ProblemA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem: start with the knowledge the problem requires, look beyond the usual experts and avoid tokenism & representative burden.
- Start with the knowledge the problem requires
- Look beyond the usual experts
- Avoid tokenism & representative burden
Covers 3 of 4 points in Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem.
60 minutes
Use Diversity of Perspective to Improve InnovationA focused introduction to inclusive innovation. Participants identify whose perspective is missing from a real innovation challenge, examine how group dynamics affect ideation, and use a practical process for bringing broader insight into idea generation and selection.
- Diversity of perspective
- Innovation blind spots
- Relevant stakeholder knowledge
- Inclusive participation
- Idea-selection bias
- Inclusive Innovation Quick Canvas
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem.
90 minutes
Design a More Inclusive Innovation ProcessThe extended session moves from diverse inputs into participation design, dissent, accessibility, idea evaluation, bias, and inclusive testing. Participants redesign a realistic innovation challenge so different perspectives can influence the work from problem definition through experimentation.
- Perspective and knowledge mapping
- Tokenism and representative burden
- Participation architecture
- Independent ideation
- Constructive dissent
- Evaluation criteria
- Inclusive testing
- Inclusive Innovation Process Map
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem and Design Inclusive Ideation & Participation.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem, Design Inclusive Ideation & Participation and Evaluate Ideas Without Filtering Out Difference.
Full day
Inclusive Innovation LabA hands-on full-day workshop covering all four modules. Participants work through a real or realistic innovation challenge, identify missing perspectives, redesign participation, generate ideas using inclusive methods, challenge selection bias, examine overlooked users, and build an inclusive experimentation plan.
- Module 1 — Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem
- Module 2 — Design Inclusive Ideation & Participation
- Module 3 — Evaluate Ideas Without Filtering Out Difference
- Module 4 — Turn Inclusive Insight Into Better Innovation
- Perspective & Knowledge Mapping
- Innovation Blind-Spot Audit
- Inclusive Ideation Lab
- Participation Architecture Exercise
- Constructive Dissent Practice
- Idea Evaluation Bias Challenge
- User & Edge-Case Mapping
- Inclusive Experiment Design
- 90-Day Inclusive Innovation Plan
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem
Every length- Start with the knowledge the problem requiresInclusive innovation is not simply about assembling the most visibly diverse group possible.
- Look beyond the usual expertsThe people closest to a problem may hold information that seniority or formal expertise does not provide.
- Avoid tokenism & representative burdenOne individual cannot speak for an entire demographic, culture, profession, generation, or customer group.
- Make the blind spots visibleTeams naturally develop shared assumptions about customers, feasibility, risk, value, and how work gets done.
Design Inclusive Ideation & Participation
90 minutes and longer- Design for participation, not just attendanceInviting different people into the room does not guarantee their perspectives influence the work.
- Separate generation from group influenceWhen ideas are generated only through open discussion, early suggestions can anchor the group and louder contributors can shape what everybody else considers possible.
- Make dissent usefulDifferent perspectives only improve innovation when disagreement can survive long enough to be examined.
- Make the process accessibleParticipation can be affected by language, disability, neurodiversity, location, time zone, technology, meeting format, preparation time, and how information is presented.
Evaluate Ideas Without Filtering Out Difference
3 hours and longer- Make evaluation criteria explicitIdeas can be rejected because they feel unfamiliar rather than because they fail against the actual objectives.
- Watch for idea-selection biasStatus, presentation style, familiarity, similarity to previous solutions, and enthusiasm can affect which ideas receive attention independently of their underlying quality.
- Don't make new ideas prove too much too earlyUnfamiliar ideas often contain more uncertainty precisely because the organization has less experience with them.
- Check who benefits & who may be excludedA solution can work extremely well for the average or most visible user while creating friction for people with different needs, contexts, resources, abilities, or circumstances.
Turn Inclusive Insight Into Better Innovation
Full day only- Test with different realitiesA prototype tested only with people who resemble its designers can validate assumptions rather than challenge them.
- Track whose insight changes the solutionInclusive participation becomes meaningful when contributions affect decisions, prototypes, priorities, or the understanding of the problem.
- Measure the process & the outcomeSimply counting who attended an innovation workshop says little about whether different perspectives improved the work.
- Build inclusion into the innovation systemInclusive innovation should not depend on one exceptionally thoughtful workshop.
Tools and materials
- Perspective & Knowledge Map
- Innovation Blind-Spot Audit
- Assumption Challenge Canvas
- Participation Architecture Canvas
- Inclusive Ideation Toolkit
- Idea Evaluation Framework
- Selection Bias Check
- Constructive Dissent Protocol
- Inclusive Experiment Canvas
- Inclusive Innovation Operating System
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success
How long is Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success?
Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem: start with the knowledge the problem requires, look beyond the usual experts and avoid tokenism & representative burden. A 60-minute session covers Bring the Right Differences Into the Problem in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Design Inclusive Ideation & Participation. A 3-hour session adds Evaluate Ideas Without Filtering Out Difference. A full-day session adds Turn Inclusive Insight Into Better Innovation. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Inclusive Innovation: Leveraging Diversity for Creative Success to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.