Experimentation is a muscle

From the DMI stage in Amsterdam to your own organization: why a culture of innovation starts with learning by doing, and the courage to let go of perfect plans.

At the recent DMI conference in Amsterdam, we explored how organizations can move from talking about innovation to actually doing it. One of the core ideas we shared: experimentation isn’t an activity, it’s a capability. And like any capability, it grows through practice.
In an era when 42% of CEOs believe their current business model won’t survive the next ten years (PwC CEO Survey, 2025), it’s clear that future success depends on building adaptive, learning-focused cultures. We need less prediction and more purposeful prototyping, less perfection, more play.
During our talk, we named five future-critical capabilities for innovation: Thinking, Seeing, Envisioning, Engaging, and Experimenting. That last one is too often undervalued, yet it’s the one that helps teams move from ideas to insight. What stood out across the conference days was a shared conclusion: let’s stop trying to 'unlearn' creativity. Let’s practice it instead.
Building experimentation into your culture means starting small, testing early, and being willing to learn from what doesn’t work. Sometimes the bravest move is not a big leap, but a low-stakes test that teaches you something new. That’s how innovation becomes a habit, and how individuals can start shaping the future, one step at a time.

What small experiment could you launch this month to test a bold idea? How can your team make learning-by-doing a natural part of everyday work?