Innovation Strategy Awards

Tactic: Always-On Innovation Office to maintain momentum between idea generation and execution

Tactic: Internal Incubator Program coaching employees from raw concept to boardroom pitch

Tactic: Human-AI Collaboration Cycles pairing makers with GenAI to explore more territory before narrowing to the strongest options

Tactic: Cross-Sector Pilot Networks bringing competitors, academics, and government into real-world testing environments

Tactic: Quantity-First Brainstorming with structured play to surface bolder ideas before refining

Tactic: Pain Point Mapping across user types to identify where trust breaks and transactions fail

Tactic: Cultural Synergy + aligning Kellanova brands with consumer passion points in culturally relevant ways such as fashion, music, sports + entertainment

Tactic: Rapid Learning Cycles & Storytelling to connect new solutions with consumers

Tactic: Carbon Footprint Transparency + carbon footprinter tool launch to help consumers quantify the carbon impact of their ingredients

Tactic: “Keep on Dancing Through Grundfos” Teams chat connecting employees globally for spontaneous idea sharing and discussions

Tactic: Firefly Tests to quickly validate ideas and adjust based on real-world feedback

Tactic: “Beyond the Hashtag” program applying emerging tech trends to create new business opportunities

Tactic: Align to changing consumer needs by co-creating with the consumer directly, and leverage their honest feedback to make your product better and more user-centric.

Tactic: Leverage design thinking to support your community by fostering a culture of experimentation and collaboration. The $1 Reno-Innovate Fund provides new ideas with a two-year testing phase and reframes failure as a learning opportunity.

Tactic: Take brainstorming outside of your market to unlock new and unexpected areas of opportunity and to reach untapped consumer groups more authentically.

Tactic: Adopt a Customer 360 Approach leveraging cross-industry trends and consumer insights to address processing issues during times of chaos and uncertainty. During the pandemic, they relied on this approach to create better, more adaptable supply chain solutions.

Tactic: Approach innovation through a human-centric lens and cultivate a culture of innovation company-wide through initiatives that promote curiosity while challenging conventional thinking. Their Trend Collective and Curiosity Council facilitate collaborative ideation while enhancing knowledge and skills.

Tactic: Empower your people and challenge them to save the world. More specifically, for Vicki, this award recognizes her taking the bold leap and spending $1 Billion on a Direct Air Carbon Capture facility to extract pollution from the sky.

Tactic: Create a "Failure Playbook" so that we can learn best practices from our mistakes.

Tactic: Give people a "Written Permission Slip to Fail" so they can face fear of failure head on.

Tactic: Proactively address all possible fears with a solution-based state of mind across your organization. This mindset pushes teams to go beyond identifying challenges and opportunities, leading to more actionable solutions.

Tactic: Host "Poster Sessions" where people share ideas that are like a science fair for adults in order to create collisions.

Tactic: Enable Passion Projects, but tie them to company-centric North Star ideas, to fill the gap between dreams and day-to-day.

Tactic: Battle test ideas using "Extreme Scenarios" and then work back to the more applicable idea.

Tactic: Future test ideas by innovating 10 years out, then work back; Engaging all 5 senses with immersive meetings.