Could DEIA strengthen the learning culture that drives innovation?

As we begin 2026, many organizations are deep in strategic planning mode. Conversations about the year ahead often circle around innovation, AI adoption, new technologies, shifting markets, customer expectations, and the need to adapt quickly. This time of year naturally invites practitioners and leaders to reflect on where growth is needed most and on what will help organizations stay relevant, resilient and future-ready.

But amid these forward-looking questions, there is a quieter yet powerful truth emerging from decades of research: the strongest innovators tend to be organizations with a strong learning culture. Studies show that innovation is not driven by technology or strategy alone, it is driven by cultures where people learn continuously, share knowledge openly, feel safe to challenge assumptions, and are encouraged to experiment and adapt.[1]

This raises an important point of reflection as we prepare for 2026: If innovation depends so heavily on learning culture, then what conditions allow learning itself to thrive?

As we explore these dynamics, many of us begin to notice an interesting intersection.

The qualities that strengthen learning cultures are also at the core of DEIA practices, such as psychological safety, shared power, equitable participation, accessibility, cultural humility, and openness to diverse perspectives. This invites a deeper consideration, one that reframes the conversation entirely:

What if DEIA is the learning culture that innovation requires?

This is where the conversation shifts.

 

The innovation secret hiding in plain sight: Organizational learning

Organizational scholars have long studied the relationship between learning and innovation. Research describes learning organizations as environments where experimentation, reflection, and continuous improvement are expected.[2] In learning cultures, people build and share knowledge in ways that help organizations respond to change more effectively than their competitors.

A 2023 study reinforces the connection that psychological safety, collectivism, and lower power distance (meaning individuals feel comfortable to contribute and question decisions) were strong predictors of innovation.[3] Innovation emerged not primarily from expertise, but from the relational conditions that allowed people to contribute, challenge, and co-create.

What becomes clear across these findings is that innovation is not only technical, it is also cultural, relational, and deeply human.

These proven drivers of innovation naturally invite us to consider how closely they align with the principles emphasized in DEIA.

 

Why the best innovators are also the most inclusive

If DEIA is the learning culture innovation needs, it may be helpful to explore where these two conversations intersect.

Innovation research consistently points to conditions such as:

• Trust
• Psychological safety
• Equitable participation
• Shared power
• Cognitive and cultural diversity
• Accessible systems
• Openness to challenge

These are not DEIA findings; they are innovation findings. Yet, they mirror, almost precisely, the conditions DEIA seeks to cultivate. Practitioners and organizations are encouraged to consider,

• If innovation requires risk-taking, what enables people to take risks safely?
• If innovation thrives when power distance is low, how do organizations redistribute influence?
• If innovation benefits from diverse thinking, how do we ensure those perspectives are welcomed and valued?
• If innovation relies on learning, how do we make learning accessible and shared?

Here we notice a natural alignment between what innovation research demands and what DEIA practice can strengthen.

 

Who gets to learn? The question that determines innovation success

Innovation often fails not because people lack ideas, but because learning is selective and limited to those who already have voice or psychological safety. Research suggests:

• Strong learning cultures are 92% more likely to innovate, 37% more productive and 46% more likely to be first to market with new products.[4]
• Historically, organizations with diverse management teams earn 19 percentage points more revenue from innovation, with these teams generating 45% of their total revenue from innovation compared to just 26% for less diverse teams.[5]
• A 2024 study revealed that psychological safety drives employee innovation primarily through improved communication and information-sharing behaviors.[6]
• Teams with higher psychological safety show stronger learning and higher productivity, meaning they work and grow better together.[7]

These are innovation statistics that naturally raise considerations around DEIA, not as ideology, but as a relational framework that supports healthier learning conditions.

 

The six conditions that turn learning into innovation

Every organization talks about learning, but few pause to consider what actually makes learning possible in the first place. Learning is more than simply absorbing information, it’s about having the conditions that make curiosity feel safe, meaningful, and shared. It’s the environment around the learning, not only the learning itself, that shapes how innovation stays active, agile and present.

People tend to learn more openly and more consistently when they feel:

• safe to experiment
• included in the conversation
• valued for their insights
• able to challenge norms
• supported by relational trust
• not punished for failure

These needs are quite simple, but they have a very powerful effect. When these conditions are present, learning becomes something people actually want to do, not something they feel they must do.

What often gets overlooked is that learning is shaped by tone, trust, and belonging, as well as the everyday cues people receive about whether it’s safe to stretch beyond what they know.

This is where DEIA can offer something meaningful, not a prescription, but a way of paying attention to the experiences that either open learning up or quietly shut it down. DEIA practices can help organizations notice subtle dynamics (e.g., who feels heard, who hesitates, who participates fully) that ultimately influence whether learning cultures flourish or falter.

You are invited to consider what becomes possible when learning cultures are shaped with deliberate attention to equity, belonging, accessibility, and diverse voices.

 

The 2026 innovation question: are your people ready to learn differently?

As organizations and practitioners set their priorities for 2026, the conversation about innovation’s role within organizational learning culture is only going to grow louder. Keep in mind, however, that the act of simply adopting new learning tools or building new pathways is not enough to drive that innovation to succeed. Its success depends on whether people are ready to learn, adapt, and work in new ways. Technology can open the door, but a strong learning culture determines whether anyone walks through it.

This is where a deeper opportunity emerges. Innovation thrives when people feel equipped and willing to learn differently. Learning thrives when the environment supports curiosity, safety, voice, and shared understanding. And these conditions closely mirror many of the values that DEIA brings into an organization: values that enhance connection, awareness, access, and equitable participation. Looking ahead, leaders and practitioners may want to pause and consider three key areas that can shape how innovation and learning intersect in 2026.

1. Supporting people to learn differently

Are we supporting our teams, not just with new tools, but with the confidence, space, and encouragement to learn in new ways? Innovation requires people to try unfamiliar approaches, ask questions, experiment, and reevaluate old habits. Support means giving people the conditions, time, psychological safety and shared understanding, that make new learning possible.

2. Expanding who gets to participate in innovation

Are we broadening the circle so more people can meaningfully contribute ideas, insights, and perspectives? Innovation accelerates when participation widens. DEIA aligned practices can help ensure that more voices, lived experiences, and diverse forms of knowledge are included in shaping new pathways. Expanding participation strengthens creativity, problem-solving, and long-term capacity for innovation.

3. Building trust through a strong foundational learning culture

Are we cultivating the trust, safety, and shared cultural practices that help innovation take root and stay durable? Trust is what turns learning into action. Without it, new ideas stall. With it, people take risks, they collaborate, and they stretch. A strong learning culture grounded in safety, belonging, access, and mutual respect lays the long-term foundation that keeps innovation alive and sustainable.

 

Ready or not: why 2026 belongs to organizations that learn differently

As you settle into 2026, the invitation is simple: pause and consider not just how your organization will innovate, but what conditions will enable individuals to be willing and able to learn in new ways. Innovation grows where learning is shared, where people feel safe enough to stretch, and where diverse voices can shape the path forward. If this conversation has done anything, let it spark the realization that preparing people and building the strong learning culture they need may be the most future-ready move you make in 2026.