Innovation Workshops and the Impact of AI
Chapter 5 of Innovation Mode (Author's Edition, 2026): brainstorming, design sprints and hackathons transformed by AI, and how to run and measure them.
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Running corporate hackathons, design sprints and innovation events that produce decisions.
For the guides, start with the corporate hackathon hub or the Design Sprint Guide.
4 articles
Hackathons and design sprints
Planning a Corporate Hackathon? 30 Strategic Themes for the AI Era
A corporate hackathon is a serious investment, and its theme decides what it returns. These 30 themes frame strategic problems in every corporate function, from HR and finance to sales and operations, each written as a brief ready for your teams. Now that AI lets anyone build a working prototype, they are designed to bring in the people closest to each problem, not just developers.
Hackathons and design sprints
Should We Still Organize Corporate Hackathons in the AI Era?
AI can generate ideas in seconds - so are corporate hackathons still relevant? More than ever. But the old annual model is broken. Here's why innovation leaders should run hackathons more frequently, how AI tools make them more inclusive, and what it takes to turn hackathon concepts into real products.
Hackathons and design sprints
Running a Design Sprint: How To Ensure Success
Design Sprints can generate remarkable output for your company, such as a backlog of impactful ideas (also with IP opportunities), functional prototypes, learnings, and key insights from customers along with real business opportunities. At the same time, they can lead to significant cultural improvements towards the ‘innovation mode’. But …
Hackathons and design sprints
How to Win a Hackathon: A Practical Guide for Participants
Winning a hackathon takes much more than a great idea. You also need the right team, working practices, mentality, and the right strategy. Consider the following practical hints to … hack the next hackathon!
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Design Sprint Quick Start Guide
How to set up a design sprint: when to run one, the five success factors, and how to connect it to the innovation framework. 27 slides.
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How to Run Successful Design Sprints
What a design sprint is, the success factors and risks to manage, and how to connect sprints to business value. 14 slides.
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How to Win a Hackathon in the Era of AI
A survival guide for hackathon teams: read the brief, test your idea, build the right team, prototype fast with AI, gather the evidence and pitch. 14 slides.
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Guides, templates and programmes on hackathons and design sprints.
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