Nurturing Alchemy: How to Build a Culture of Creativity and Experimentation

Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it thrives in cultures where it’s safe to be different, to fail, and to try the improbable. Rory Sutherland’s 'Alchemy' is a manifesto for creating such environments. He tells stories of companies that give 'failure trophies' for the best smart mistakes, and of breakthroughs that started as jokes or naive questions.

To nurture alchemy, leaders must make experimentation the norm, not the exception. Celebrate clever failures, encourage wild ideas, and reward those who challenge orthodoxy. The best innovations come from the margins, from the places logic says not to look.

Practical steps include: building psychological safety, hiring for diversity of thought, and making failure visible and valued. When people are free to wonder, play, and experiment, magic happens.

References: Sutherland, R. (2019). Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense. 2 3 4