Breaking Down Barriers and Building Collaborative Genius at Dell with Karina Kudinova

“Innovation isn’t just about having great ideas—it’s about creating the right environment for those ideas to thrive.”

Karina Kudinova is a leading innovation strategist at Dell Technologies, where she plays a role in shaping and driving creative solutions across international teams. With a background in managing cross-functional projects, Karina shares her expertise in turning innovative concepts into actionable strategies as she sits down with hosts Matt Greeley and Margaret Kelsey.  

In this episode, Karina shares the methods she uses at Dell to create an atmosphere that encourages diverse thinking and collaboration. She shares her approach to overcoming common barriers in innovation and offers practical advice on how to develop the collective genius of a team to drive results.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

Creating an Innovation-Driven Culture: Karina emphasizes the importance of creating a workplace culture where creativity and innovation are not just encouraged but systematically supported. She shares strategies on how leaders can create an environment where team members feel empowered to take risks and explore new ideas.

Overcoming Barriers to Collaboration: One of the major challenges in innovation is breaking down silos within organizations, especially ones that are international. Karina discusses effective methods for encouraging cross-functional collaboration, ensuring that diverse perspectives are integrated into the innovation process, leading to more robust and successful outcomes.

Practical Steps for Turning Ideas into Action: Karina shares advice on moving from ideation to execution. She outlines the critical steps that teams at Dell take to transform innovative concepts into tangible results, highlighting the importance of structure, clear communication, and iterative feedback loops in the innovation process.

Jump into the conversation: 

00:00 Introduction to The Synthesize Pod with hosts Matt and Margaret and special guest Karina Kudinova
 01:42 Transition to Dell and Initial Hackathon Experiences
 05:56 Scaling Hackathons Globally 
08:46 The Role of Innovation Programs Beyond Hackathons 
12:32 Managing and Growing the Hackathon Program 
18:02 Impact of COVID-19 on Hackathons and Innovation at Dell 
22:20 Details of the Hackathon Process and Participation 
28:46 The Importance of Patents and Post-Hackathon Outcomes 
34:41 Managing Global Participation and Local Events
 42:01 Future of Innovation at Dell and Expanding Hackathons