Beyond Innovation Theater: Reimagining Innovation Environments for the Future

Sarah Bodo
Apr 27
3 min read

This was my happy place: crazy ideas, passionate people and a space to experiment!

There was a time when I was truly in my magic —leading an innovation hub, surrounded by passionate people who, like me, wanted to challenge the status quo and build a future that felt bold, human, and alive.

Creating a space where ideas could grow, running deep dives, and watching each person find their own brilliance still fills me with so much energy and pride.

It showed me what’s possible when innovation is more than a buzzword — when it’s deeply human, community-powered, and soul-driven.

Today, as I explore new questions through my MBA thesis and my own lived experiences, I find myself asking:

🌀 What makes an innovation environment truly come alive?

🌀 What conditions actually help intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, and changemakers not just start — but keep going, even when the path gets hard?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what Steve Blank called "Innovation Theater" —when organizations perform the rituals of innovation without the deep structures, courage, or support to let real change take root.

I’ve seen both sides:

When innovation gets too structured, it can suffocate passion.
When it’s too loose, beautiful ideas get lost — too disconnected from real needs, too fragile to survive.

These reflections are also shaping the foundation of my MBA thesis. I'm diving deeper into how innovation hubs — and broader innovation environments — can be designed to move beyond "innovation theater", creating real spaces where bold ideas, intrapreneurial spirit, and human-centered innovation can truly thrive.

It feels both deeply personal and academically urgent: not just building spaces that look innovative, but ecosystems that are courageous, resilient, and transformative.

A Personal Reflection

This exploration feels personal because I have lived both the spark and the heartbreak of innovation hubs. I helped build a digital innovation hub from scratch — filled with passion, creativity, and bold ideas. And I also witnessed how fragile that spark can be when the environment around the hub isn't truly ready to nurture and sustain innovation.

It taught me a deep truth:

Innovation doesn't just need passion. It needs an ecosystem strong enough to hold the weight of bold dreams.

To truly thrive — to be bold, creative, and resilient — innovators need an environment where they can:

Grow and learn openly
Try, fail, and try again without fear
Explore possibilities without every idea needing to be the next breakthrough
Channel creativity toward real impact — shaping ideas into meaningful, sustainable breakthroughs

Without that freedom, curiosity fades. Without that trust, imagination withers.

I believe many intrapreneurs and innovators feel this too — even if they don't always have the words for it.

We don't just need spaces that chase the next big thing. We need environments that nurture the messy, beautiful, human process of becoming bold enough to change the world.

Dreaming the Future

I imagine innovation environments that are not just about faster tech — but about deeper growth:

Spaces where people don't feel alone on the journey
Cultures where collaboration is real, not performative
Communities where boldness is matched with clarity, adaptability, and deep purpose

The future belongs to ecosystems — not silos. To spaces where solving hard problems feels joyful, messy, courageous, and alive.

The Work I Feel Called to Do

As I reflect, I feel called to create environments where ideas — and the people behind them — can grow freely and bravely. To hold spaces where bold dreams aren't just imagined, but nurtured into real, tangible futures. To walk alongside intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, and changemakers as they navigate both the wildness of possibility and the complexity of making it real.

I want to build bridges between bold ideas and sustainable pathways.To spark movement when things get stuck.To help courageous innovators stay clear, stay strong, and stay connected to their deepest "why" — even when the journey twists and turns.

This is the work that sets my soul on fire.