At Avanade, we believe that innovation is critical to long-term business growth. It’s why we get involved in activities like Microsoft’s GreenTech Challenge and its #BuildFor2030 Hackathon. But, we know that building and sustaining a culture of innovation across your organization requires a deliberate, disciplined strategy – along with the willingness to take risks and embrace failure.

One organization that is renowned for its legacy of innovation is the Walt Disney Company. During this week's episode of Microsoft Envision presented with Accenture and Avanade, former Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger spoke with Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture, about how companies can cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit and use technology to drive innovation.

"Embracing technology is something that leaders must do because you really can't stand in the way of technology," Bob said. "It's also an opportunity to run your business more efficiently and an opportunity to get closer to the consumer."

The program included other business leaders who shared ideas on how to accelerate innovation. Penelope Prett, Chief Information Officer of Accenture, sat down with her predecessor, Andrew Wilson, now Chief Digital Officer at Microsoft, to discuss the crucial role of IT and how technologies like the cloud, AI and the metaverse can help organizations pivot to the future.

Siemens Global Chief Cybersecurity Officer Natalia Oropeza and Karl Lowe, Chief Information Officer for Catholic Relief Services, each spoke with Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President of Security, Compliance and Identity at Microsoft, about how their organizations have adopted a "zero trust" security model to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Fostering a culture of innovation
Innovation doesn’t just happen by magic. At Avanade, we’re big believers that it needs to be part of your culture, which is reflected in initiatives like our !nnovateFest digital experience. Nikhita Singh, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Artificial, provided a similar perspective at Envision, sharing how she's persevered as a young technology leader and worked to foster a culture of innovation.

"I think I really tried to set a culture where your identity is not linked to the ideas you have and there isn't really a bad idea to bring to the table," Nikhita said. "And I think that's been really helpful in kind of giving everyone's perspective an equal opportunity in the room."

Rounding out the program was a segment featuring Dawn Anderson, North America Customer Growth Practice Lead for Accenture, and Stephanie Ferguson, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, who showcased Microsoft's Global Demand Center and how technology can help scale your marketing operations and personalize the customer experience.

The Season 2 finale of Microsoft Envision on Tuesday, June 14, will focus on steps that business leaders can take now to make sure their organizations are ready for the future. Speakers will include Paul Daugherty, Chief Technology Officer of Accenture and co-author of a new book called Radically Human: How New Technology is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future.

I hope you can join the discussion. Visit the Microsoft Envision website to register.