Key elements of successful internal hackathons
Internal hackathons offer companies a ton of great benefits like getting hands on keyboards and generating prototypes in just a few days. Beyond the winning projects, internal hackathons foster a culture of innovation and make space for new ideas to emerge. From breaking down silos between departments to injecting energy into day-to-day work, these events create lasting cultural impact in ways that few other initiatives can match.
Here's what experienced organizers have identified as crucial elements for success in internal hackathons.
Innovation is about creating iceland telegram screening an environment where talented people want to stay and contribute explains Neta Retter, Director of Innovation Programs at Okta.
"You really want to make sure that the most innovative people want to work for your company because, in my opinion, you have two choices. Either they have these opportunities to unleash that innovation here, or they're going to do it nights and weekends—probably for someone else—or maybe they'll leave."
Trey Spyropoulos, Manager of Communications and Organizational Effectiveness at Toyota North America, highlighted how hackathons create an opportunity for team members to build on their ideas.
"Previously from an innovation perspective, we focused a lot on ideation sessions, which resulted in patents, but it wasn't resulting in building actual products and services," said Trey. "So we wanted to take that a step further and begin building real prototypes of our next-gen products and services—hence the evolution to hackathons."