David Robertson

Diversity brings numerous advantages to any organization, including higher productivity, quicker problem-solving, stronger employee engagement, and greater innovation. But how can you leverage diversity to enhance innovation? In this engaging talk, David Robertson—innovation expert, MIT faculty member, and member of the Cherokee Nation—shares practical strategies to foster company-wide creativity. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and utilizing the diverse skills, experiences, and cultural backgrounds within teams. Robertson will guide audiences on how to not only cultivate these unique perspectives but also integrate them in unexpected ways to drive groundbreaking innovation across any industry.

Leading an innovation project presents unique challenges that differ significantly from traditional business operations. The leadership skills that drive career advancement may not necessarily translate to success in managing innovation—and, in some cases, can even lead to counterproductive decisions.

Adding to the complexity, there is no universal approach to innovation. Some situations call for exploring untapped markets, while others demand the adoption of disruptive technologies. In some cases, incremental product improvements suffice, whereas others require uncovering hidden customer needs through extensive field research.

This workshop equips participants with a clear understanding of different innovation strategies, when to apply each, and how to guide a team through the process. It provides a structured, reliable set of innovation techniques and a roadmap for implementation. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, interactive activities, and a smartphone-based simulation, attendees will gain practical, time-tested methods for leading innovation.

Designed for team leaders, product managers, and mid-to-senior managers overseeing innovation teams, this interactive program delivers essential tools and frameworks. Participants will walk away with proven techniques for driving innovation, a structured methodology for applying them, and actionable recommendations on roles, processes, structure, and metrics to foster a culture of innovation within their organizations.

Companies today often find themselves torn between two common innovation strategies. One focuses on incremental product improvements or minor variations—yet these rarely lead to groundbreaking success. The other embraces radical industry disruption, a thrilling but high-cost and high-risk approach that isn’t practical for most organizations.

In this insightful talk based on his book The Power of Little Ideas, David Robertson presents a smarter alternative. Instead of choosing between small, safe updates or massive overhauls, successful companies innovate around the box. This means enhancing core products—the ones that define your brand—with complementary innovations that expand their appeal without altering their core identity.

For example, Gatorade didn't simply release new flavors—it built a complete ecosystem of products designed for use before, during, and after athletic performance. Victoria’s Secret didn’t just launch another bra—it extended into swimwear, fragrances, and cosmetics. By taking this strategic approach, brands like Disney, GoPro, Red Bull, Apple, Amazon, and LEGO have created lasting innovation without taking excessive risks.

In this engaging session, Robertson breaks down the internal transformations necessary to succeed with this model, from adjusting processes and roles to redefining rewards and structures. He proves that innovation can be sustainable, low-risk, and highly rewarding. By adopting this approach, your company can harness small, strategic ideas that lead to big, lasting results.

Today’s innovation often revolves around meeting individual needs and desires—but according to MIT innovation expert David Robertson, that approach falls short. Human behavior isn’t shaped in isolation; rather, it is deeply influenced by the communities we belong to.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, a culture rooted in egalitarianism and communal values, David understands the power of collective thinking. He argues that by embracing these principles, organizations can develop an innovation framework that draws people in rather than shutting them out.

In this enlightening talk, David explores 12 Cherokee values—such as recognizing something sacred in every person and fostering unity in decision-making—that have shaped some of history’s most influential Cherokee innovators. By integrating these values into your design and business processes, you can create innovation that truly resonates with communities, rather than just individuals.

David shares actionable strategies for engaging customer communities in meaningful dialogue, embedding shared values into product design, and driving innovation that fosters deeper connections and long-term loyalty. This session is ideal for leaders looking to move beyond conventional, transactional innovation and towards a more inclusive, impactful approach.

Managers are constantly inundated with theories on how to drive innovation—each promising growth and profitability. Yet, in practice, these strategies often fail to deliver meaningful results. MIT innovation expert David Robertson offers a different perspective, drawing from one of the most remarkable business turnarounds in modern history: LEGO’s comeback from near bankruptcy.

In 2003, LEGO was on the brink of collapse. The company’s leaders had followed widely accepted innovation principles—such as pursuing blue ocean strategy, disruptive innovation, open innovation, and full-spectrum innovation—but instead of success, they found themselves facing financial ruin. Ironically, challenging designers to “think outside the box” almost destroyed the company.

LEGO’s revival came through a radical restructuring of its innovation management system. By adopting a more disciplined, strategic approach to innovation—balancing creativity with clear processes—LEGO transformed into the fastest-growing and most profitable company in the toy industry, achieving 22% annual sales growth and 38% profit growth for six consecutive years.

In this engaging keynote, Robertson reveals the secrets behind LEGO’s success and how companies can apply these lessons to their own innovation strategies. He outlines the essential “bricks” of an effective innovation system—including the right processes, tools, roles, and policies—to help organizations foster sustainable growth.

This talk also features Robertson’s famous “duck test”—an interactive, hands-on exercise that challenges audiences to think innovatively with limited resources. By the end of the session, attendees will walk away with a proven, practical framework for managing innovation, ensuring that creativity drives business success rather than chaos.