Welcome to Women in Innovation!

Women in Innovation is a community for women with Big Ideas – ideas that transform the way we live and work.  What’s your Big Idea? What is your Big Vision? There is no shame in thinking big and boldly here. Women who gain support and success through our coaching, consulting and mentoring play big and pay it forward in the WIN community. WIN is a “Pay it Forward Platform”  – when one of us learns, everyone benefits.

Our growing global community connects online in the social media and in our events. Our signature event, Women in Innovation Summit convenes women from all around the world every other year – on  November 20th 2014 we gathered for Converge@Seattle Pacific Innovation Summit 2014 in partnership with PNWER, and sponsors like Alaska Airlines and Washington Business Alliance. Reports, photos and videos are  being added on the Converge website as they come available.

Innovation is more than an idea, though. We define it as “a great idea put into practical use, shared, scaled and sustained to transform the ways we live and work“. Do you share your creative, life enhancing ideas? Are you putting them into use and implementing them? Are you actively collaborating to scale your ideas? Are you a dreamer or an innovator?

We coordinate events and workshops, moderate conversations and provide consulting and coaching on topics related to women and innovation. With our mentoring, coaching, connections and guidance women who dare to dream big get the support they need to succeed. Inquire how we can help you: contact@womenininnovation.org.

We hope you got the sense of the spirit of WINS 2012 via this video – it’s about women in business “convening – connecting – creating”. Through convening to the summit we created amazing personal and professional connections that resulted in many exciting ideas and lasting collaborations. Don’t let your fears stop you from your bold dreams.  This is your time! Watch the video and share the spirit! Continue reading Welcome to Women in Innovation!

Leading innovation culture requires diversity leadership

SEATTLE – AUGUST 2015 by Kristiina Hiukka

women devsWe live in the era of constant innovating. The saying “standing still means moving backwards” reflects the modern times. Trying to keep up with – or speeding past – the competition and fast-paced changes in the market place, even the most established companies are required to create fluidity, flexibility, and adaptability in their organizations. Business environments are moving to more porous boundaries of functions and positions, between the employees and customers, transparency of financials, and shared ownership of knowledge than ever before. There is also a deep understanding that for the new technologies to serve the market in the most opportune ways, they should be developed by a population as diverse as its users. Yet, this is not currently the case. Only Continue reading Leading innovation culture requires diversity leadership

Are innovators misunderstood?

Are innovators misunderstoodSEATTLE –  12 November 2013. By Kristiina Hiukka.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon must feel pretty strongly that being an innovator requires “a long-term willingness to be misunderstood,” because he speaks about it on several occasions. In interviews he has said that it’s important to hear people’s criticism and search within yourself about whether they are right, and, if they are, you should change what you are doing. However, “if they’re not right, if you really have conviction that they’re not right then you need to have that long term willingness to be misunderstood.”

Innovators have to believe in their inventions and their solutions even in the face of doubt and nay-sayers. Innovators’ logic is new and unfamiliar and naturally suspect. If they didn’t have the perseverance – and

Continue reading Are innovators misunderstood?