What strategies can you use to create an innovative culture in the human rights sector?

To foster an innovative culture in the human rights sector, begin by clearly defining a compelling innovation vision that aligns with the sector's core values and goals. Communicate this vision widely, emphasizing the role of innovation in addressing pressing human rights challenges. Encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration by establishing platforms that facilitate idea exchange among diverse stakeholders, from legal experts to technology innovators. Implement reward systems that recognize and celebrate innovative initiatives, reinforcing a culture where experimentation and creative problem-solving are valued and integral to advancing human rights causes.

While defining your innovation and goals, keep two things in mind - technological landscape and customer feedback. Identifying emerging technologies that can be leveraged to enhance your product and understanding the pain points of your customer enhance the likelihood of successful innovation initiatives. Also, embrace an agile mindset in your innovation strategy to incorporate changes as and when needed. Consider collaborating with external vendors or partners for fresh perspective on your innovation process.

This is a sensitive and important topic in 2024. I am not in the human rights sector, but have innovated with and for various cultures in the world, as a designer and product manager. #1 Design teaches inclusion Only by inclusion, do we build (socially) sustainable solutions. Inclusion can mean placing oppressed and opperssors at same sketchboard. #2 Design-With empowers change Don't just innovate for those whoe human rights are infringed, innovate with them. Empower innovators to empower others. #3 innovation is not invention Seek changes that have succeeded. This may shift your focus, for example, technology-out, legislation in, or education-in. #4 innovate change, not products A human problem gets solved by humans, not objects.

Data & intentionality. At COP28, we went around the pavilions collecting data on behalf of YOUNGO’s effort to produce a youth inclusion report. With most organisers not having data such as the age of their speakers or audience, it was not possible to know how many youth were invited as speakers, or were audiences / visitors, and thus included. To include a group of persons, it’s critical to be intentional, that would mean setting transparent quotas, standards, or a simple checklist to ensure the involvement and representation of a target group, age, gender, disability etc is not left to chance, but curated and designed to be inclusive.

Eileen Goh shared an excellent example of how her team gathered data through market research. I think this is a crucial step to ensure the team is clear about the problem they are trying to solve. Taking time to understand the nuances of the problem is important. Having a diverse team will help. A diverse team will generate more creative ideas and will have greater emotional intelligence. Learning and collaboration will occur organically, particularly if teammates are inspired. If scope creep is carefully managed and a plan is put in place to get early feedback-success should follow.

Desde el punto de vista de la tecnologia, por primera vez tenemos herramientas que pueden ser usadas como "garantes" de procesos relacionados con el respeto a los derechos humanos. Blockchain nos permite de manera "neutral" certificar, trazar o controlar aspectos que puedan ser registrados como clave dentro de la atención, soporte, desarrollo o atención de las personas y/o ciudadanos. Es un paso clave para crear no solo una digitalización de muchos proceso que redunda en una mejor atención a las personas sino en una capa de verificación neutral que garantiza total transparencia e independencia.

Some other effectives ways to create an innovative product and as a result build upon the culture of the existing team is through effective listening sessions led by your organization. These listening sessions occur at various points within the year. Focusing on different personas is always best to ensure the sampling of feedback is beneficial for all internal stakeholders involved. For example, an effective listening session with C-level executives is one way to understand broad outliers that exist within their own organizational models. Identifying a shared constant challenge, focus, or initiative at the C-level would bring value to a select few within your organization. The same could be true of Product and Innovation, UI & UE feedback.

I often see new ideas, enthusiasm, eagerness, shut down and responded with coldness. Teams require designated safe spaces to test new ideas. Rather than saying no immediately, ideas should be fairly presented. As ideas are usually created because of pain points experienced. If new ideas are proposed, it’s usually because the pain point still exist. Simple exercising to promote and not dismiss such enthusiasm: 1) creating and maintaining an idea bank or library which the team actively contributes to and uses for improvements ideas,2)allow&support sandboxing exercises annually, where staff can work together on a passion projects that solve pain points of the organisation / ideas aligned to company’s strategy / CSR goals.