How Design Thinking and structured collaboration accelerate innovation in practice

Talking about innovation is easy — the hard part is turning it into action within the routines and structures of a large organization. And it was precisely this challenge that we set out to face in partnership with MSD, by conducting two workshops with the Human Health and Animal Health areas, alongside the Innovation & Experimentation CoE team.

The proposal was clear: to create a safe, practical, and guided space for participants to reflect on their real challenges and co-create pathways to face them.

To achieve this, we used the Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) — a lightweight, structured, and highly applicable framework that focuses on avoiding distractions and aligning teams around practical, prioritized decisions.

A practical journey in a few hours

The workshop was divided into short blocks, with activities that stimulated:

• Active listening among participants;
  
• The identification of key points of attention in their routines;
  
• The formulation of challenges in the format “how might we…?”;
  
• The ideation and selection of viable solutions;
  
• The construction of collaborative action plans.
  

What impresses in the LDJ is how it transforms difficult conversations into concrete proposals, without relying on lengthy discussions. Everything happens visually, silently (yes, part of the process is done in silence!), with high participation and total focus on action.

Design with purpose — and technology with context

During the workshop, we also challenged the group with reflections on the role of technology in this process. In particular, we showed how Artificial Intelligence, when applied and contextualized to the business, can amplify the impact of solutions.

This is not about using AI for the sake of it — but seeing it as a lever to accelerate analyses, automate routines, and free up time for teams to focus on what really matters: creating value.

Results that go beyond ideas

At the end of the sessions, the groups left with:

• A shared vision of the main challenges facing their areas;
  
• Prioritized solutions based on effort and impact;
  
• An initial action plan, ready to be tested;
  
• And most importantly: a sense of protagonism and engagement with innovation.
  

It was inspiring to see how, in just a few hours, the right method and willingness to collaborate can create an environment of trust and co-creation that goes far beyond the workshop.

What we learned

This type of experience reinforces an essential point: innovation does not depend solely on tools or disruptive ideas — it emerges when the right people feel heard, motivated, and invited to think together, with a clear focus and shared purpose.

Design Thinking and AI are not ready-made solutions, but powerful catalysts for change when applied with intention and context.

If you are looking for ways to drive innovation in your company, perhaps the answer lies not in doing more — but in creating space to think better, together.