In recent years, the word “innovation” has become a catch-all term.
Companies are expected to innovate, innovation teams are formed, departments are created, methodologies are repeated. And yet, many times… nothing changes.
Why?
Because innovation is not about running workshops with Post-its.
Nor about piling up ideas on a whiteboard.
Nor filling up with buzzwords without a clear compass.
Innovation is about designing a path with purpose, methodology, and a real commitment to impact.
At A Bordo, we have spent years supporting teams, institutions, and organizations that want to stop doing more of the same and start truly transforming.
And we do it from a different place: the sea, that fertile territory for thinking, creating, and gaining perspective.
Thanks to our own methodology — #BlendedLearningABordo — we combine technical knowledge, strategic dynamics, and transformative experiences in an environment where change is not only planned: it is lived.
Below, we share how to design an innovation strategy with real impact, in just five steps that can transform the course of your company.
[A Bordo] Infographic_Innovation Beyond Post-its (Generated with AI, sorry for the mistakes! 😓 It’s not perfect yet)_
Step 1: Design Research — Getting to the root of the real problem
Any innovation that does not start from a deep understanding of the context runs the risk of being just another patch.
That is why the first step is to conduct design research. This involves investigating with rigor and empathy:
Listen to real users (not just the ideal customers we imagine).
Analyze internal and external data.
Observe behaviors, detect patterns, and understand motivations.
And most importantly: reframe the challenge.
Because, often, the real problem is not the one we were told at the beginning, but a deeper, more systemic one… and more interesting to solve.
At A Bordo, this phase takes place both on land and at sea: interviews, team immersions, collective exploration, and the use of visual tools allow us to map the territory before defining the course.
Step 2: Co-creation — Activating collective intelligence
Once the real challenge has been identified, it’s time to open the process to those who have something to say: your team, your allies, your users.
Co-creation is not a trend; it is a necessity.
Today more than ever, challenges are so complex that no single person, no matter how brilliant, can solve them alone.
Facilitate dynamic sessions where ideas emerge from the meeting of diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge.
This activates collective creativity and builds solutions that connect with the organization’s purpose.
We… do it with sails? That too.
Because co-creating while sailing on a sailboat generates a different kind of energy: fewer defenses, more listening, more humanity.
The sea helps us let go of what no longer serves us and imagine what does not yet exist.
Step 3: Rapid prototyping — Test before falling in love.
In innovation, there is a principle we repeat like a mantra:
“Test before falling in love with your idea.”
An effective strategy does not wait to have a final product before going out into the world.
Build a rapid prototype with the minimum necessary to put it in front of real users and obtain useful feedback.
What are we aiming for with this?
Reduce the risk of launching something that doesn’t work.
Learn before investing major resources.
Correct the course with agility.
The prototype can be a mock-up, a simulation, or a pilot experience…
What matters is not the form, but what it allows us to learn.
At A Bordo, many prototypes are tested directly at sea: workshops, dynamics, apps, services, or interactions are experimented with in a real environment, not in a PowerPoint.
Step 4: Results analysis — Measuring the triple impact
A strategy without clear metrics is just a blind bet.
That is why, once the prototype has been tested, the results must be analyzed with a broad and in-depth perspective.
It’s not just about knowing whether it worked, but how it worked, for whom, and with what consequences.
At A Bordo, we measure specific KPIs and, above all, the triple impact:
Economic: does it generate value? Is it viable? Does it improve results?
Social: does it contribute to the well-being of the team or the community?
Environmental: is it consistent with the principles of sustainability and regeneration?
Because innovation cannot come at the expense of what surrounds us — and even less so at the expense of the planet.
This phase allows us to clearly define what the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) will be: that first result that already delivers value, is ready to be launched to the market or within the organization, and will serve as the foundation on which to scale.
Step 5: Validation in a real environment — Refine to scale.
With the MVP ready, the time comes to validate it in a real environment.
This is not a laboratory test.
Now you need to put it to work with real people, in real contexts, with their frictions, their timing, and their nuances.
Collect honest feedback, adjust what doesn’t work, and strengthen what does.
And most importantly: document everything so that the learning is integrated, shared, and becomes an embedded capability within the organization.
Once refined, we are ready to scale.
But not from haste, rather from solidity.
From what we have learned.
From what has already been validated with purpose and rigor.
And why do we do it at A Bordo by sailing on a sailboat?
Because the sea connects us with what truly matters.
It reminds us that control is an illusion, that movement is constant, and that to navigate you need a team, adaptability, and a clear course.
The sea is the ideal space to think differently, create without distractions, and connect with a more authentic version of ourselves and our teams.
At A Bordo, we don’t just teach innovation.
We create experiences that transform the way organizations think, relate, and act.
Our methodology #BlendedLearningABordo adapts to each organization, but always combines:
Technical and strategic learning.
Team dynamics.
Immersion in nature.
And, of course, sailing.
All of this creates a unique learning environment that fosters reflection, creativity, cohesion, and action.
And now what?
If you are leading an innovation challenge, want to transform your organization, or simply are looking for a different way of doing things… we can help you.
Write to us and we will invite you to a free diagnostic session to explore how we can navigate together toward your next horizon. ⛵️💙