"Beyond the Innovation Department: Building a Culture Where Curiosity Can Thrive"

"The next big breakthrough isn’t hiding in an innovation lab; it’s waiting in the minds of people who feel safe enough to dream out loud every day."

When I watch my granddaughters lost in play, it’s like stepping into a parallel universe. They don’t just play with dolls; they create entire worlds. In their eyes, a doll isn’t a doll—it’s a queen, a scientist, an astronaut on a secret mission. There are no rules, no limits, no self-doubt. They shape reality as they please, letting their imaginations run free. Watching them, I can’t help but wonder: why does that magic fade as we grow up? Why do we stop feeling safe enough to let our ideas roam as wildly?

In companies, we’ve built entire structures to “encourage innovation.” There are in-house startups, shiny innovation departments, creative spaces with bean bags and whiteboards, and slogans about “thinking outside the box.” But let’s be honest—how many of these initiatives lead to breakthroughs that genuinely shake up traditional industries? For all the resources and talk, most of the results are… safe. Incremental improvements, tweaks to existing products, a fresh design maybe. But true breakthroughs? Transformations that redefine an industry or invent something new altogether? They’re as rare as ever.

Why is that? Why, despite all these efforts to foster creativity, are we still stuck in the old ways?

Playing It Safe in the Innovation Sandbox

Here’s the problem: these “innovation labs” and “in-house startups” are often just another layer of control. They’re neatly fenced-off spaces where creativity is allowed to play, but only within boundaries. People are invited to come up with “big ideas”—but not too big, not too risky, and definitely nothing that threatens the status quo. It’s like giving children a sandbox and telling them to build a castle, but only out of the sand that’s already there. No bringing in new materials, no digging outside the lines.

Real breakthroughs require a different mindset. They need people who feel safe enough to take genuine risks, to question everything, and to challenge sacred cows. But traditional industries, by nature, are resistant to this kind of disruption. They’ve built themselves on decades, sometimes centuries, of rules, structures, and established norms. Allowing real, boundary-pushing innovation means inviting chaos—and that’s a terrifying prospect for most companies.

Innovation Isn’t Just for the 'Innovation Department'

We talk about innovation as if it’s a department’s job. But here’s the truth: innovation is everyone’s job. The most revolutionary ideas rarely come from a designated team of “creatives.” They come from people who see things differently because they’re inside the day-to-day, noticing inefficiencies, spotting customer pain points, and understanding where things don’t quite work. Yet, we isolate innovation, assigning it to specific people, while the rest of the company is expected to “keep things running.”

The irony? The people closest to the actual work, the ones who live and breathe it every day, are often the best equipped to imagine a different way of doing things. But in most companies, they don’t feel safe to suggest anything radical. They stick to what’s expected, afraid of rocking the boat, of seeming impractical or unrealistic. They have ideas—wild, ambitious, game-changing ideas—but they don’t dare to share them.

Why Adults Fear the Imagination of a Child

There’s a reason we’re comfortable with children playing imaginary games but uneasy with adults who think too imaginatively. Children’s fantasies are harmless; they’re “just playing.” But adults with big imaginations? They’re seen as a threat, as people who might challenge the rules we’ve carefully constructed. They could propose ideas that don’t fit into the quarterly earnings model or KPIs. And so, companies stifle them, unknowingly clipping the wings of the very people who might lead them to the next big thing.

Yet, every meaningful advancement, every piece of progress, owes itself to someone’s bold imagination—someone who dared to wonder, “What if…?” We need the audacity of curiosity, the bravery to dream like children. Because that’s where true innovation lives, in the minds of people unafraid to envision a world that doesn’t yet exist.

The Real Challenge: Making Curiosity Safe

If companies want real breakthroughs, they need to stop fencing off innovation. They need to build a culture where every employee, in every role, feels safe enough to share wild ideas. Not just the “creatives” in the innovation department, but the accountant, the warehouse manager, the customer service rep. They all bring unique perspectives, and they all have ideas. The challenge is creating an environment where they feel safe to voice them, where they’re not laughed at or ignored but encouraged to dream out loud.

This isn’t easy. It requires leaders who are willing to let go of control, who value exploration as much as execution, and who understand that real progress is unpredictable. It means celebrating questions, not just answers, and fostering a culture that values imagination over immediate results.

The Risk of Staying Safe

The cost of playing it safe is high. Companies that fail to embrace real curiosity risk becoming irrelevant. They get stuck in the comfort of what’s worked before, never daring to step into the unknown. They make small improvements while competitors or entirely new industries redefine the market. The truth is, the next big breakthrough won’t come from the comfort zone. It’ll come from the edges, from people willing to push boundaries and explore what’s possible.

The Call to Dream, Every Day

So, as I watch my granddaughters play, I see a reminder of what’s possible when imagination is unbound. Their play isn’t just a game; it’s a lesson in daring to dream, to create worlds without limitations. Imagine if every company encouraged that level of creativity in the workplace—not as a special event or a designated role, but as a daily practice. Imagine if every employee felt empowered to bring their wildest ideas to the table.

Because real innovation isn’t about a few “creative types” in a corner office. It’s about creating a culture where everyone feels safe to imagine, where every “What if…?” is valued, and where the next breakthrough can come from anyone, anywhere. That’s the kind of environment that leads to true transformation. And that’s the kind of world we need to build—one where imagination, like that of a child, is seen as a strength, not a threat.