Building a design-driven innovation culture

Building a design-driven innovation culture

FMCG

EU

Capability Building

Organisational Coaching

Capability Building

Organisational Coaching

Capability Building

Organisational Coaching

FMCG

EU

Capability Building

Organisational Coaching

Capability Building

Organisational Coaching

Project scope

Establish shared knowledge and understanding of the role of design as an innovation driver within an FMCG company

Team

Dagmara Siemieniec

Jonathan Fortunati

Laura Polazzi

Deliverables

Training workshops

“Innovation is often framed as a technology breakthrough, but design can unlock just as much value. R&D teams can build this capability without having to create a dedicated design department.”

Laura Polazzi

What we did

In an R&D-driven FMCG organisation, innovation was largely driven by technical feasibility and internal expertise, while the role of design as a strategic lever remained underused. Together with the client, we surfaced a clear gap: teams had limited shared language and practical tools to translate consumer needs into differentiated solutions, and to use design intentionally to improve innovation outcomes. We designed and facilitated a structured enablement program for a cross-functional group of around 20 participants, primarily from R&D and Marketing. Across a series of sessions, we introduced the fundamentals of design-driven innovation, why it matters in FMCG, where it creates value, and how to apply it in day-to-day product development. To ground the content in reality, we brought in a broad set of FMCG references and examples, showing how leading companies use design to shape propositions, experiences, and product-service thinking.

The program combined theory with hands-on exercises, allowing teams to apply methods directly to their own challenges and explore alternative solution directions. Through dedicated Q&A and debate formats, we created space to challenge assumptions, build alignment, and identify where design could have the biggest impact. As a concrete output, the team pinpointed ongoing projects where design support could improve outcomes and translated learnings into clearer future briefs, establishing a shared foundation for stronger collaboration and more focused innovation moving forward.

The program combined theory with hands-on exercises, allowing teams to apply methods directly to their own challenges and explore alternative solution directions. Through dedicated Q&A and debate formats, we created space to challenge assumptions, build alignment, and identify where design could have the biggest impact. As a concrete output, the team pinpointed ongoing projects where design support could improve outcomes and translated learnings into clearer future briefs, establishing a shared foundation for stronger collaboration and more focused innovation moving forward.

What we did

In an R&D-driven FMCG organisation, innovation was largely driven by technical feasibility and internal expertise, while the role of design as a strategic lever remained underused. Together with the client, we surfaced a clear gap: teams had limited shared language and practical tools to translate consumer needs into differentiated solutions, and to use design intentionally to improve innovation outcomes. We designed and facilitated a structured enablement program for a cross-functional group of around 20 participants, primarily from R&D and Marketing. Across a series of sessions, we introduced the fundamentals of design-driven innovation, why it matters in FMCG, where it creates value, and how to apply it in day-to-day product development. To ground the content in reality, we brought in a broad set of FMCG references and examples, showing how leading companies use design to shape propositions, experiences, and product-service thinking.

The program combined theory with hands-on exercises, allowing teams to apply methods directly to their own challenges and explore alternative solution directions. Through dedicated Q&A and debate formats, we created space to challenge assumptions, build alignment, and identify where design could have the biggest impact. As a concrete output, the team pinpointed ongoing projects where design support could improve outcomes and translated learnings into clearer future briefs, establishing a shared foundation for stronger collaboration and more focused innovation moving forward.

Results

Cross-company understanding of the value of design and how to use it to drive innovation

01

Cross-company understanding of the value of design and how to use it to drive innovation

01

Cross-company understanding of the value of design and how to use it to drive innovation

01

Acquisition of basic skills and tools to better manage design (and designers) internally

02

Acquisition of basic skills and tools to better manage design (and designers) internally

02

Acquisition of basic skills and tools to better manage design (and designers) internally

02

Let's move things FFForward

What are your working on?

Let's move things FFForward

What are your working on?

Let's move things FFForward

What are your working on?