After, Gen.T’s Lee Williamson took centre stage to moderate a panel discussion on building innovative workplaces featuring two Gen.T honourees, surgeon and academic Rena Dharmawan and entrepreneur Maxim Tint. 

The pair started off by sharing what innovation means to them: “There’s a big difference between invention and innovation,” said Dharmawan. “Invention is really about research, while innovation is how you make this research useful.”

“Innovation is about impacting human lives at scale, and preferably [you being able] to create a commercially sustainable business out of it that [will allow you to] continue to innovate,” added Tint.

Concurring with the panellists’ definition, tech entrepreneur and Gen.T honouree Dean Ho, who was also present at the event, also believes that “innovation means bringing together people from all kinds of disciplines in order to achieve unprecedented outcomes”.

Read more: Surgeon Rena Dharmawan on Embracing Risks, Rebellion and Routine

On how workplaces can foster innovative mindsets, Tint shared that they require “a culture that allows people to fail; that has a psychologically [safe] environment for them to push the envelope—and if they fail, to learn and try again”. 

Tech entrepreneur and Gen.T honouree Cherilyn Tan, who was also present at the event, concurred with his point: “The team needs to feel empowered to take their ideas to test in a controlled environment and be able to have an educated and logical debate about what works and what doesn’t. Then, take those learnings and bring the ideas to the next level or pivot,” she said. “Innovation can be a learned process, so even if we are not brought up to be inventors or be at the forefront of innovation, there are ways to structure working processes to bring the creative ideas out of the team.”

At one point during the panel, Chacko and Lee also spontaneously contributed their thoughts. On the point about culture, Chacko referenced one of Intel’s workplace philosophies to highlight the importance of encouraging open-mindedness among employees: “When you get into a meeting, you can get into a heated argument [with your teammates], but you have to remind yourself that you’re not up against the person but against the problem.”

Read more: “There’s Zero Optionality”: Insider’s Hande Çilingir on Building a Billion-Dollar Company

The panellists also discussed how employee wellness is key to the sustainability of an innovative team and culture. As Williamson pointed out, Lenovo’s Think Report 2022, which surveyed thousands of business leaders worldwide, reported that 58 percent of respondents find it “extremely or very difficult” to do their best thinking when feeling burned out or fatigued. 

For Tint, the longevity of an innovative culture starts with leadership. And he explained that it can be as simple as leaders being considerate of their employees’ time, such as avoiding sending emails or messages after work hours.

The final programme for the evening was a prize-giving ceremony, where Lenovo recognised the longstanding support of its distinguished business partners. Each of the 18 partner companies acknowledged that evening was presented with the ThinkPad 30th anniversary edition laptop.

The event continued on after that until 10pm, with guests staying on to network somemore and enjoy the rest of the canapes and drinks.

Lenovo is calling for applications for its first Thinkers 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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