On November 24, Lenovo organised a private anniversary event in Singapore together with its strategic partner Intel and Gen.T. At the event, Intel's George Chacko shared his views on the far-reaching influence of the iconic ThinkPad: “[The ThinkPad] has gone to the top of Mount Everest, it’s gone to the deepest part of the sea, it’s travelled across the Nile, it’s been to the Space Station. It’s been everywhere you can think of; that’s just the quality of the brand. And to be associated with such a great product is simply an honour.”

Shortly after, a special edition of the series was unveiled to mark the occasion. Cue the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 30th Anniversary Edition, powered by the Intel vPro® Platform, Built for Business. The notebook bears design elements that commemorate the anniversary and is a supreme testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability—packaged in a fully compostable box made from bamboo and sugarcane fibre. As a special edition, there are only 5,000 units produced too, each stamped with a commemorative serial number.

Besides its packaging, Lenovo’s commitment to sustainability was reinforced through its plans to have all notebooks made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled content by 2026. Further to that, the company also aims to be net zero by 2050.  

With innovation in focus, the evening’s agenda quickly progressed on to an invigorating panel discussion helmed by Gen.T’s Lee Williamson and Gen.T honourees, surgeon and academic Rena Dharmawan and entrepreneur Maxim Tint.

The context of the panel was as such: The onset of the pandemic has spurred leaders to future-proof their businesses, with key elements such as employee wellness propelled into the spotlight. How can leaders then foster an innovative workplace?

Dharmawan took the mic first to highlight the difference between innovation and invention—terms often used interchangeably. “[From a healthcare perspective], invention is really about research, while innovation is how you make this improve patient outcomes.” Tint concurs: “To me, innovation goes beyond an idea and patent. It’s about bringing the invention to market to impact lives at scale, and to preferably create a commercially sustainable business out of it to continue the cycle of innovation.”

When asked about teaching innovative thinking, Tint references the debate of nature versus nurture with his own experience. As a former coder, he believes that innovative thinking can be cultivated through real-life experiences, education and mentorship. The founder explains that his time at Stanford University saw him take a module on Design Thinking too—a course that allowed him to tap into empathy, and eventually impacted his way of processing the world.

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For Dharmawan, she believes that it’s a bit of both. According to her, she reckons that processes to facilitate innovation can be taught. Her role at Duke-NUS Medical School sees her nurturing the next batch of medical professionals to adopt an innovation-first mindset. “There are two types of innovation: needs-driven and technology-driven.”

The former allows you to understand the problem at its core—to identify the ins and outs of pain points from a patient and clinical perspective before tackling it head-on—while the latter sees engineers and scientists making a case for a specific technology. So, while there are ways to impart a systematic process (i.e. patenting, regulation, and political strategies), it ultimately boils down to the individual’s resilience—a common trait identified with entrepreneurs alike. Achieving that next level would be “to take that [taught] process and make it work”.

On the other hand, cultivating a great environment and culture goes in tandem with fostering innovation in the workplace. But specific sectors such as healthcare leaves little to no room for failure. “If you do something wrong, a person’s life is at stake,” shares Dharmawan, “but [creating a healthy and innovative culture] starts at the top.” When leaders create a space for people to try new ideas, that’s when effective innovation starts.

For Hong Kong-based Gen.T honouree Sidhant Gupta, “the team requires a clear north star on what they are working towards, and why.” Coupled with a tolerance for failure and a sense of community within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, innovation stands a greater chance to be furthered when companies cross-learn from each other.

As a leader of a young startup, Gupta found flexible working hours, leave dates, and remote work options great ways to provide team members with space and time off when needed. Together, they have also leveraged technology to foster greater collaboration, no matter the geography.

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Having said that, there are paradoxes within cultures of innovation as moderator Lee flagged out. For example, there’s a tolerance for failure but not incompetence; a willingness to experiment, but a need to be highly disciplined. The question posed to both panellists had them expounding on paradoxes that they see in their lines of work and ways they overcome that.

For Tint, mentorship is key to recalibrating the downside of every culture. “Having the right mentors—or even your board of directors—who are straight shooters aligned with your interests can help.”

Dharmawan then steered the question to Chacko, who graciously accepted and shared his thoughts with the audience. “At Intel, innovation is essential to our survival… and that culture is built.” Referencing the inevitability of disagreements to happen, Intel employees are taught to come to a common consensus at the end of each discussion for innovation to take place. “When you get into a heated argument, you have to remind yourself that you’re not up against the person, but the problem.”

Following the panel, the ThinkPad 30th anniversary edition laptop was presented to Lenovo’s 18 partner companies before guests continued to network. Gen.T honouree Sabrina Ooi helmed the decks and dished out tunes for everyone as they enjoyed themselves until 10pm.

Lenovo is calling for applicants for its first Thinker Award, which aims to recognise the most innovative people and stories. Find out more about the award and how to apply here.

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