Research & Strategy
Client: Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Cologne
Engaged to architect WDR's first Innovation Lab, starting with executive stakeholder alignment and strategic foundation work in 2019. Through focused workshops and board-level strategy sessions, we shaped the case for structured innovation capacity. Framework development, process design, stakeholder management - each element precisely calibrated for institutional context. The result: five positions at launch in 2020, expanded to ten by 2023. What began as a three-year project earned permanent status through demonstrated impact.
Our work: designing organizational structure, developing operational frameworks, aligning stakeholders across WDR's ecosystem. Creating space where structured innovation could take hold within established broadcasting infrastructure.
Three phases: strategic foundation in 2019, project launch in 2020, transition to permanent unit in 2023. Each step carefully measured, each expansion earned. A case study in patient institutional transformation.
Our work: designing organizational structure, developing operational frameworks, aligning stakeholders across WDR's ecosystem. Creating space where structured innovation could take hold within established broadcasting infrastructure.
Three phases: strategic foundation in 2019, project launch in 2020, transition to permanent unit in 2023. Each step carefully measured, each expansion earned. A case study in patient institutional transformation.
Third Wave
Role
Proposal Lead, Client Lead & Strategic Design Lead
Year
2019 - ongoing
Services
Proposal Design
Trend Research
Stakeholder Interviews
Stakeholder Alignment
Workshop Design
Scenario generation
Strategic Roadmapping
Lab Architecture
Capability Building
Organizational Framework
Proposal Design
Trend Research
Stakeholder Interviews
Stakeholder Alignment
Workshop Design
Scenario generation
Strategic Roadmapping
Lab Architecture
Capability Building
Organizational Framework
Explore Further
Inside WDR’s Innovation Journey
At re:publica 2024, we shared insights from establishing and scaling WDR's Innovation Lab, discussing key learnings and transformation patterns with stakeholders. Watch our panel discussion exploring this institutional evolution.
Watch the full conversation on Youtube
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