Empowering an Innovation Team in a Global Pharmaceutical Company

The Client

A leading global pharmaceutical manufacturer aiming to foster a culture of innovation across its Asia operations.

The Situation

The company had formed a cross-functional innovation team made up of volunteers from different departments and seniority levels. Their mission was to promote innovation by championing new techniques like design thinking, organizing ideation events, and embedding an innovative mindset within their respective areas.

To strengthen their impact, the team came together for a three-day session to enhance their facilitation skills and define a clear agenda for the next 12 months. However, they faced common challenges: a lack of confidence in driving innovation, limited leadership buy-in, and the struggle to balance innovation efforts with their day-to-day responsibilities.

Our Approach & Solution

We designed and delivered a highly interactive three-day program, blending training with hands-on application. The first half of the program focused on building facilitation skills, design thinking, and ideation techniques. Armed with these new skills, the team then designed their own ideation and decision-making session to map out their agenda for the coming year.

On the final day, we supported them in running their self-designed workshop, guiding them through the full innovation process—from reflection and brainstorming to convergence and decision-making. The goal was not just to plan the next 12 months but to equip the team with the confidence and tools to independently run similar sessions in the future.

Key Outcomes

Through reflection exercises, the team identified key roadblocks to their success, including a lack of confidence, limited leadership attention, and insufficient time and resources. The ideation session helped them develop actionable strategies to overcome these challenges, establish clear priorities, and assign responsibilities.

By the end of the program, they had not only defined their path forward but also gained practical skills in planning and facilitating innovation events—ensuring they could continue driving change within the organization long after the workshop ended.

Capabilities Leveraged

Innovation Techniques | Training & Facilitation | Design Thinking | Team Coaching

This project was successfully delivered by one or several of our DBON team members, either as part of DBON or in a previous role. It reflects the experience and methodologies we bring to all our engagements today.