Product innovation is now non-negotiable.

Companies that want to stay relevant need to solve real problems, adapt faster than the market, and lead with clarity across silos. In this post, we’re exploring the conversation we had in one of our Productside Stories episodes this season with Joeri Devisch, a veteran of product, technology, and transformation work at global companies.

His insights are grounded in decades of hands-on leadership across engineering, business development, and product strategy—and his take on innovation is both practical and bold. Joeri’s perspective offers a reset on what it actually means to lead innovation today.

Product Innovation Is Shifting—And Product Needs to Lead It

Innovation used to sit in the R&D lab. Now it lives with the product team.

Joeri makes it clear: the future of innovation is human-centered, customer-driven, and iterative by design. Leaders who push features without understanding market context or user needs are missing the point—and likely falling behind.

Instead of placing bets based on assumptions, Joeri argues for tighter feedback loops, co-creation with customers, and building a culture where experimentation is normalized.

“You’re not doing the transformation for fun. There has to be a strategic reason, a clear sponsor, and a message that lands with everyone—not just the exec team.”

In other words: innovation starts with purpose, not process.

Customer-Centricity Is a Discipline, Not a Tagline

If innovation is the goal, proximity to the customer is the path.

Joeri emphasizes that data and intuition are not opposites—they’re collaborators. Strong product teams blend analytics, field insights, and deep user empathy to understand what’s worth solving and why.

This means:

• Designing feedback loops that don’t just collect data but act on it
• Building prototypes early to validate hypotheses
• Involving users as collaborators, not just testers

It also means building with context. What works in one market won’t translate neatly into another. Localization, cultural nuance, and embedded customer insight matter more than ever.

Great Product Innovation Requires Cross-Functional Trust

No product team ships in isolation.

Joeri talks at length about how strong collaboration—between engineering, product, sales, and leadership—is what makes or breaks innovation.

“The best products come from teams that trust each other and embrace diverse perspectives.”

This is about shared ownership, with shared docs and good comms forming part it. And it starts with leaders who align incentives, remove blockers, and model transparency.

Leadership Means Building the Right Mindset

Joeri frames transformation as a product in itself—one that needs strategy, sponsorship, and customer buy-in.

He challenges product leaders to stop thinking of change as a side project and start treating it like any other product rollout. That means planning for adoption, measuring success, and evolving the solution based on feedback.

“If your training isn’t paired with coaching and reinforcement, it won’t stick. You have to invest in the implementation of change—not just the announcement.”

The product mindset Joeri describes is continuous, business-driven, and unapologetically people-first.

Key Lessons from Joeri Devisch

Curiosity over certainty. Great product leadership is less about having the answers and more about asking better questions.

Data + context = better decisions. Intuition isn’t the enemy of analytics. The best leaders blend both.

Trust powers innovation. Collaboration works when teams are aligned—not just in tools, but in purpose.

Transformation is a product. And like any product, it needs a strategy, a customer, and a feedback loop.

Bringing Innovation to Life

Innovation isn’t a quarterly OKR. It’s a long-game discipline powered by strong product thinking, team trust, and clear leadership.

If you’re looking to put these lessons into action:

• Listen to the full conversation with Joeri Devisch on Productside Stories to hear how he approaches transformation, stakeholder alignment, and product strategy in complex orgs.
• Explore our webinars for expert insights on product innovation and how to lead these initiatives with your team.
• Enroll in our Optimal Product Management course to sharpen your strategic toolkit, lead cross-functional teams with confidence, and earn your Certified Product Manager™ credential.

What’s been your biggest challenge in leading innovation? Drop us a note or connect with us on LinkedIn—we’d love to hear your story.