The Innovation North Lab

Innovating in Today’s World

In today’s turbulent environment, innovation and adaptation are more important than ever before. Disruptions are no longer singular events, but faster, deeper, and more frequent than ever before.

There’s a simple explanation for this: the world is becoming more systemic. The increasing movement of people, products, and data connect all parts of the world. A change in one part of the world quickly catalyzes change(s) elsewhere. In recent years, we saw how COVID-19 triggered supply chain disruptions that had cascading impacts across industries all around the world.

When faced with disruptions in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, most innovators tend to turn inwards for certainty. This leads innovators towards simple solutions that may create value for themselves in the short term, and may ultimately harm themselves and society in the long term. This inward focus is unlikely to generate ideas that prepare the business for what is to come.

Through the Lab, Innovation North has brought together Canada’s leading corporations, who we call Practice Partners, and researchers from Ivey Business School to innovate the innovation process. We meet quarterly and invite renowned speakers to share their thought leadership on topics related to innovation and systems.

Watch the short video below to learn more about the Lab:

Our North Star

At Innovation North, we believe that business and society can work together towards a prosperous future.

This is our North Star – our overarching goal and purpose.

Innovation North is home to a community of researchers and business leaders who are working towards this future by applying systems thinking to corporate innovation. The Lab has co-created a tool called The Compass which helps solve complex problems by generating novel, actionable ideas.

We recognize that we may not reach our North Star in a lifetime. But by undertaking the journey, we are working towards a prosperous future.

Approach to Innovation

Organizations that embrace our approach innovate ideas that foster resilient and sustainable systems to work towards a prosperous future. The principles below are guiding our journey: