The Real ROI: Measuring What Drives Innovation with Jeanne Liedtka

* This is an in-person event
PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION

What really makes innovation succeed inside organizations? Join DT:DC for an exclusive evening with Jeanne Liedtka as we explore a bold new way to answer that question.

Jeanne will introduce the revised Return on Innovation (ROI) instrument – a research-backed tool designed to measure the organizational conditions that support (or stifle) innovation. This is your chance to go behind the scenes of the research, take the tool for a spin, and help shape how innovation gets measured across sectors.

Participants will complete the ROI assessment in advance (link here), then come together for shared reflection, candid discussion and a live Q&A with one of the field’s most influential voices. DT:DC has been a significant partner in so much of Darden’s innovation work. This is your chance to help shape what comes next.

Why it matters:
• Preview a next-generation tool for measuring innovation
• Contribute to the latest evolution of Darden’s Design Thinking and Innovation research
• Be on the forefront of what we learn and continue the special DT:DC/Darden relationship

Agenda
6:30–6:45 | Welcome
Kickoff and how your input helps shape the future of innovation.
6:45–7:00 | Assessment Reflection
Small-group discussion: What stood out as you took the assessment? What questions surprised you? What conditions queried about do you recognize or wish were in place in your own organization?
7:00–7:30 | Jeanne Liedtka: Rethinking ROI for Innovation
Jeanne shares the evolution of the ROI tool, what it’s designed to measure, and how it differs from traditional innovation metrics.
7:30–8:15 PM | Q&A with Jeanne
Bring your questions about the tool, the research, or what it takes to measure innovation in real organizations. A rare chance to go deep with one of the field’s most influential voices.
8:15–8:30 | What’s Next + How to Stay Involved
Invitation to stay connected as the research continues and share feedback that will shape the final version of the tool.

About our Presenter
Jeanne Liedtka is the UTC Emeritus Professor of Business at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. Beginning her career as a strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, she has served as Interim Dean at the Darden School, Executive Director of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation, Chief Learning Officer at United Technologies Corporation, and as Senior Associate Dean for Programs at Darden.

With interests at the intersection of strategy and design, Jeanne has written eight books and multiple articles on the subject of strategy, innovation, and design thinking, and consulted with a diverse set of organizations including IBM, Samsung, NASA, The United Nations, and the government of Singapore. Her most recent book, The Experimentation Field Book: A Step-by-Step Project Guide, co-authored with Natalie Foley, David Kester and Elziabeth Chen, was published in February 2024.