Creating Meaningful Work Through Employee-Driven Solutions
By inviting employees to bring fresh ideas and address real challenges, companies create a workplace where everyone can be part of something bigger.
Originally published by TriplePundit
By Erin Bakst
Imagine the power of harnessing every employee’s creativity and brainpower to drive your company’s success. At Indigo, we’ve found that one of the most effective ways to make work meaningful — and to stay at the cutting edge of our industry — is by giving everyone the opportunity to innovate. This means providing employees with the space and support to contribute to the company’s mission, even outside the bounds of their “official” roles.
You’ve probably heard of hackathons, which, after their humble beginnings in the tech sector in the late 1990s, have grown into a widespread phenomenon that now transcends industries. At Indigo, hackathons are an important and enduring part of our culture. They are designed to foster collaboration, creativity and professional growth. Each year, for one day (and sometimes a night), employees from all departments come together to “hack” on projects that can directly impact the business. The ideas they generate can offer valuable insights into our company’s strategic direction and inspire new investments in our future.
The beauty of a hackathon lies in the diversity of ideas and the freedom to experiment. It’s an event where an engineer might team up with a marketer and a data analyst to solve a problem, drawing on each other’s skill sets and unique experiences. Anyone at Indigo can participate, which encourages collaboration across departments. Together, people create solutions that could have a real impact on our mission and our customers — whether that’s a prototype, a productivity tool or a new way to tackle a complex problem.
Innovating for real-world impact
The true goal of these hackathons goes beyond generating ideas and solving problems. By working on projects they’re passionate about, employees develop new skills and learn to think creatively. Their projects are reviewed by a team of Indigo’s senior leaders, who vote for their favorites across categories such as “Instant Gratification” (for the quick wins) and “Customer First” (for solving a customer need), as well as more distinctive categories like “Engineer’s Best Friend” and “One Indigo.” These awards encourage both fun and focus, rewarding the projects that demonstrate the greatest promise for Indigo and our customers.
Some ideas may end up on the back burner or be tossed out altogether, but others lead to substantial change. A standout example is Project Lightning, which won several awards in 2023. This project aimed to significantly reduce the data-entry burden for farmers participating in our Carbon Program, all while preserving the scientific rigor needed to ensure data integrity. By rethinking and streamlining the data-entry process, Project Lightning achieved a remarkable outcome: an estimated 90 percent reduction in the time farmers spend submitting data — a real, measurable impact on their experience and ours.
Then there’s Credit Explorer, an interactive tool created in Indigo’s 2024 Hackathon to democratize access to carbon program metadata for internal users. Before the Hackathon voting was even complete, the tool had already been launched and put to use. Credit Explorer basically became the prototype for a reimagined Carbon Calculator — making our carbon program outcomes more explainable and predictable for our customers.
From hackathons to innovation sprints: Expanding the impact
Recognizing the positive results from our hackathons, Indigo decided to build on the concept and make it a part of our regular operations. In September 2024, we launched what we call Innovation Sprints — a year-round initiative that empowers employees to bring fresh ideas forward whenever inspiration strikes, not just during our annual Hackathon. This program encourages “bottom-up” thinking, allowing employees to propose ideas or tackle items from our roadmap backlog that they feel passionate about.
During an Innovation Sprint, team members dedicate focused time to dig into a new idea and explore its potential. The goal is to push the idea to a new level of maturity and determine if it’s worth pursuing further. Two leaders from different areas of the company champion the Innovation Sprint program, offering support and guidance while ensuring that promising ideas align with Indigo’s strategic goals. This structure allows us to prioritize impactful projects while maintaining accountability.
Balancing the day-to-day with big ideas
Of course, dedicating time to Hackathons and Innovation Sprints means that employees are pulled away from their “day jobs” for a period. However, we believe the potential return more than justifies the time invested. When people are given the opportunity to work on “what ifs,” we unlock a wealth of talent and creativity that often goes untapped in the normal course of business.
This approach not only helps generate innovative ideas, but also fosters a deeper connection to Indigo’s mission. Employees feel empowered and trusted, knowing their ideas can make a difference. By making innovation an integral part of our culture, we’re building a workforce that’s engaged, motivated and equipped to help us get in front of challenges.
In conclusion: A culture of innovation = more meaningful work
Fostering a culture of innovation not only advances business goals, but also makes work deeply meaningful for employees by connecting them directly to the company's purpose. When employees can participate in problem-solving and contribute ideas, they feel valued and empowered. This can lead to a stronger sense of ownership and pride in the company's success.
Programs like Hackathons and Innovation Sprints also break down silos and encourage collaboration across departments, unlocking potential in ways that traditional roles may not always allow. Employees gain new skills, see the tangible impact of their contributions, and experience the satisfaction of creating solutions that help the company grow. In an age where purpose and engagement are essential for employee retention, providing meaningful avenues for employees to influence the company’s future is both a business strategy and a way to foster a fulfilling work environment.
By inviting employees to bring fresh ideas and address real challenges, companies create a workplace where everyone can be part of something bigger than their day-to-day responsibilities — a place where innovation isn’t just a buzzword but a shared mission that brings out the best in people.
Discover how our employee-driven innovation fuels the sustainability solutions that can benefit you — click here to learn more.
This article series is sponsored by Indigo Ag.
