MBN USA

June 22, 2021

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InnovatorsBox® gets more creative amid pandemic

Thinking outside the box

By Georgeann H. Ikuma

A year filled with daunting challenges and changes put companies of all sizes to the ultimate test of not just trying to succeed but also survive. From mining the talents of leadership to simply scheduling lunch breaks, every aspect of running a business required one critical skill — creativity.

Fortunately, InnovatorsBox® LLC was primed to answer the call.

A Washington, D.C.-based education firm offering interactive services to empower organizations and individuals to operate more creatively, the women’s business enterprise helps drive culture transformation and team development in a fun and relatable way.

“Through our custom workshops, facilitation, strategy sessions and executive coaching, we help companies and leaders rethink culture, leadership and team-building to unlock creativity for all,” said Monica Kang, who founded the company in 2016. “Our research-based and interactive programs empower corporations, professionals, educators, students and entrepreneurs to unlock their creative mindset, adapt to change and thrive in today’s complex workplaces.”

She utilized her own strategies during the pandemic to reshape how InnovatorsBox could continue helping its clients navigate the new normal.

Think outside the box

“At first, we weren’t sure how we could do creativity workshops online when we were used to doing everything in person,” said Kang, who quickly incorporated Zoom technology into her strategic plan. “Now we’re running up to five workshops every week on Zoom to reach as many teams and organizations around the world as we can.”

From Fortune 500 companies like Dell Technologies, Google and IBM to nonprofits like the Asia Foundation, she and her team customize a wide range of products and services to tackle diverse projects.

Recently, InnovatorsBox facilitated a multiday innovation workshop series for Georgia Tech University and the National Science Foundation that brought together experts and researchers to reimagine accessible assistive technology for persons of disability.  

“We were hired for our specialty in creating a safe room to facilitate cross-collaborative dialogues for multiple stakeholders,” said Kang, who strives to design an experience and room for in-depth discussions for lasting impact. “We’re running the whole production from program design, facilitation, participants engagement and outreach to video-editing management.” 

While some projects may be a one-time, half-day retreat program, others require a three-month to one-year engagement for in-depth culture and leadership development. These programs are individually customized based on the clients’ needs.

One example includes a culture development project for a global tech company with 34,000 employees in Asia. Kang designed and led a year-round executive leadership workshop that included extensive coaching and strategy sessions to help meet the company’s goal of building a happy and positive workplace.

“I work with the client to understand where the current culture is and then design a program to help them shift the company culture, providing training for its leadership,” said Kang, who has tripled her team to keep pace with the burgeoning business. “I’m grateful that this time has permitted us to find further clarity in our strengths, continuing to grow the company.”

As an Asian American and Pacific Islander and women-owned business, Kang shares how she enjoys connecting and collaborating with other diverse business owners and communities. This unique time has allowed her to be in more new rooms both among allies and colleagues.

 “By being online, I can learn more about other Asian American or women networks, but also step into more rooms where I may be the only Asian or only female voice,” Kang said. “I use that as a privilege to highlight further insights on innovation and bring diversity and inclusion to the lens of belonging in the workplace.”

To learn more about InnovatorsBox®, visit innovatorsbox.com.