Many organisations worry that their innovation is too ad‑hoc to be considered “mature”. In practice, for small or highly stretched teams, Zone 1 (ad-hoc innovation) can be a rational, “good enough” place to be for now.
This Insight explains what Zone 1 looks like in real life (random ideas, local heroes, no shared language), why that isn’t a failure state, and how a few low‑friction practices can stop good ideas being lost without launching a full innovation programme or chasing certification.
In this Insight you’ll discover:
- When Zone 1 is a sensible choice for your current ambition and risk appetite.
- Typical Zone 1 symptoms: random improvements, over‑reliance on heroes, and a fuzzy definition of “innovation”.
- What healthy Zone 1 looks like: simple definitions, low‑friction idea capture, and short stories instead of dashboards.
If you’d like a quick, ISO‑aligned view of which zone you’re innovating in, and what “good enough” looks like for your context, you can also try the free Celsio Innovation Pulse Check.
