By Roberta Magarotto, Global Head of Research & Development
Last week in Swinton, I sat with our UK Technical Centre team, the Sales Managers, and the Managing Director. In a couple of days, we went through the technical needs, the solutions that admixtures can provide, and the evolving market in a context of sustainability improvement.
Moments like this are a reminder: innovation accelerates when we think together early − globally, regionally, and locally. Digital tools keep us coordinated; in person working makes us interact deeply.
1) Early Alignment: Where Effective R&D Really Starts
Our best projects don’t begin with a lab experiment; they begin with a conversation. Before a budget line or a prototype, we put global R&D in the same room as regional leaders and local experts. Early alignment gives us three advantages:
A shared definition of “success”: When goals are established in collaboration with the people closest to customers and market realities (our Sales Managers), R&D teams avoid the common trap of technical perfection that misses practical relevance. Sales didn't just listen; they brought the 'voice of the customer' into the lab.
Fewer strategic surprises: When expectations are discussed upfront, organisations minimize late-stage rework, conflicting priorities, and misalignment between global intentions and local execution.
Stronger organisational commitment: People support what they help to create. Early participation builds ownership.
Innovation isn’t a handoff; it’s a jointly defined journey.
2) Inclusivity Across Functions and Regions: Why It Works
From a psychology perspective, inclusivity does more than improve the technical accuracy of an innovation. It also activates key human drivers of organisational behavior:
The need for autonomy: People are far more motivated, and far more committed, when they feel their expertise and context matter.
The need for belonging: Cross functional collaboration creates a shared identity around a common challenge. This strengthens trust, accelerates problem solving, and reduces the friction that often stalls projects.
The need for competence: When diverse voices are included, individuals see how their expertise contributes to a larger whole. This boosts confidence and increases discretionary effort, the “extra” energy that powers successful innovation.
The result is a system where global insight meets local intelligence, making innovations both technically sound, and also deeply embedded in real market needs − a crucial factor when tackling complex challenges like sustainability.
3) Why Human Presence Still Matters in a Digital World
Virtual collaboration keeps us close across time zones; it’s excellent for coordination. But creativity, the part where new options appear, benefits from the energy of being in a room.
That session in Swinton was highly practical: tests in the concrete lab, a sketch of what we can do together turning into a plan, a plan prepared with passion and commitment.
The most innovative teams blend both: digital for speed, face to face for depth.
Conclusion: Innovation Is a Social System
The best innovations do not emerge from isolated brilliance. They arise when people with different perspectives, different incentives, and different forms of expertise come together around a shared goal.
When organisations:
align early,
include voices from global to local,
and intentionally create opportunities for real human connection,
they unlock a form of collaboration that no individual mind, however brilliant, could achieve alone.