Innovation Coaching Programme
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Sophia Zimmermann
Finding suitable participants and coaches
Finding the right participants and coaches determines the success of the entire programme. This step shows how to communicate the offer clearly, select motivated companies, and ensure a good match between needs and expertise.
Market the programme
Promote the programme through newsletters, social media, and direct invitations to companies that could benefit. In the Hamburg pilot, it was announced as a free innovation coaching for music companies — a 1:1 format valued at €5,000, fully funded, and running from June to early September 2025. The call included information on the target group, the definition of innovation, and the programme timeline. Keep the application phase open long enough for companies to react (in our case: four weeks).
Learning: Transparent communication about benefits, time commitment, and coaching value built trust and attracted serious applicants. Clear examples of what “innovation” can mean made the topic relatable, especially for smaller companies. Most applications arrived just before the deadline — which turned out to be normal.
Select participants
Review applications based on motivation, goals, sector diversity, and company size. Look for projects that are ambitious but achievable within the programme’s timeframe and resources.Learning: From 11 applicants, we chose smaller companies — larger ones could fund coaching themselves. Motivation letters showed who was truly committed. A balanced mix of company types (labels, publishers, communications firms, etc.) created a richer exchange and confirmed the relevance of the topic.
Find suitable coaches
Research widely, request several offers, and reach out with a clear briefing. Arrange (video) calls to discuss their approach, focus areas, references, and understanding of the music sector.
Extra step: Share the selected companies’ applications with shortlisted coaches and ask how they would approach each case and whether they could coach one or all companies.
Learning: Sharing company applications helped coaches prepare tailored concepts and test compatibility. Calls clarified expectations and ensured fair, transparent matches across all companies.
📌 Supporting Material: Application Form
📌 Supporting Material: Email Template Coaching
Designing the programme
Get the foundations right so everything else runs smoothly. In this step defines why you run the programme, for whom, and how it will run.
Define your aim and target group:
Define 1–3 outcomes (e.g. “make three SME music companies more futureready”) and who should join (e.g. managing directors, team leads, project managers). Set simple entry criteria.
In this programme, innovation was understood in a broad and practical way: questioning routines, trying new approaches, and shaping future-ready structures. For music companies, this meant improving workflows or including new technologies. Defining innovation like this lowered entry barriers and made the topic tangible for companies of all sizes.
Learning
It proved crucial to define this goal at the very beginning, and in the same step clarify who the target group should be. In innovation programmes, needs differ widely - addressing the whole music ecosystem helped reach a broad range of companies in Hamburg.
Involving not only managing directors but also employees proved highly valuable, as they often view challenges and opportunities from different angles. Ideally, 2–4 fixed participants per company (depending on size) ensure continuity and allow innovation topics to be anchored across different levels of the organisation.
Decide on duration and format
Decide on the overall length of the program and whether it will be conducted through individual sessions, group workshops, or a combination. Choose the mix (1:1 coaching, group sessions, ondemand inputs) and a realistic timeline. Budget determines intensity, so match hours to goals.
What resources (budget, mentors, materials) are required to launch and run the mentoring program?
What is the proposed timeline for the program, from recruitment to completion?
What will the structure of the mentoring program look like? (e.g. duration, one-on-one sessions, group workshops)
Learning:
There is no “perfect” calendar window. Flexibility for coaches and companies is key. We appointed one coach per company, plus a joint kickoff and a peer feedback meeting to exchange learnings.
Choose delivery methods
Select suitable formats: face-to-face meetings, online sessions, or on-demand input. Adapt to participants’ needs and coaches’ availability.
Learning
Two inperson touchpoints (Kick-Off + Feedback Meeting) built trust. How the coaching was conducted was up to each company and coach– this flexibility was appreciated.
Overall Tip:
We had support from an external person familiar with both the music scene and coaching methods this also proved highly valuable. How to find a person like this? Get help from people out of the innovation business.
If the topic is broad (e.g. “innovation”), define it as a spectrum or let participants submit their specific challenges.
Matchmaking and coaching process
The right match between coach and company is the heart of the programme. Take enough time to get it right.
Matchmaking
Plan a structured process to pair companies with suitable coaches. There are two main options:
Organiser-led match: The programme team makes the match based on knowledge of both sides (working style, expectations, personality fit).
Company-led match: Coaches present themselves, companies pitch their needs, and both sides decide together.
Learning:
We initially made the matches ourselves. While it worked, it required deep knowledge of both companies and coaches. (Consider arranging a short call with each company before matching to clarify expectations and working styles) A safer and more transparent option is letting companies decide.Companies pitch their needs, coaches explain their approach, and decisions are made jointly after one-to-one talks. This gives everyone more ownership and trust in the process.
Kick-off meeting
Use the first joint meeting for more than introductions. Present the programme structure, provide a short inspirational input (for example, on innovation in the music industry), and allow companies and coaches to discuss first ideas and agree on next steps.
Learning:
The Kick-off in person set the tone and created trust. Having external input (such as a short study or presentation) broadened the view on what “innovation” can mean.
Coaching process
Give each company and coach the freedom to structure sessions individually, while keeping light coordination from the organiser’s side. Schedule regular check-ins every four to six weeks to stay updated and support the process without interfering.
Learning:
he flexible setup worked well for companies with different needs and paces. However, defining a shared “expectation horizon” – at the start would have helped all sides stay focused and comparable.
Tip: Keep processes simple but transparent. Clear communication and shared responsibility between organisers, coaches, and companies are more important than strict structures or predefined templates.
📌 Supporting Material: Innovation Coaching - Kick-off concept
Evaluating success
Evaluation helps you understand what worked, what can be improved, and how much impact the coaching had — both for individual companies and for the programme as a whole. A structured reflection at the end ensures learnings are captured and can inform future editions.
Feedback Session:
Bring all participating companies together for a joint reflection meeting. Use guiding questions such as: What goals were achieved? Which changes have already been implemented? Where did obstacles arise? Group exercises — like identifying common challenges or the 15% Solutions method — can help transform reflection into concrete next steps.
Learning:
We organised a final feedback event with all participating companies (without coaches). Even though the companies were at different stages, the exchange was highly valuable. Open discussions gave participants new perspectives and helped them refine their next steps.
Collect systematic feedback
Combine individual reflections with short surveys for both companies and coaches. Ask about satisfaction, relevance of topics, match quality, and tangible results. This creates both qualitative and quantitative insights for reporting and programme improvement.
Learning: In our pilot, combining surveys with group reflection gave the best results. The mix of personal impressions and measurable feedback provided a realistic picture of what the coaching achieved.
Use insights for improvement
Analyse the results and decide what to keep, adapt, or expand in the next round. Sharing the findings transparently with participants and partners strengthens trust and shows that feedback leads to real change.
Learning: We realised that feedback sessions work best not only at the end but also midway through longer coaching formats — giving companies the chance to adjust approaches while still in process.
The pilot turned the vague topic of innovation into tangible progress for three Hamburg-based companies. Key decisions included offering one-to-one coaching rather than group formats, giving each company an individual focus while connecting them through shared kick-off and reflection sessions. Selecting coaches familiar with the music business (but without being from the music industry) ensured trust and measurable outcomes. The programme created partly visible change within the companies: new workflows or improved internal communication. Participants valued the combination of flexibility and structure, allowing them to work on real challenges rather than abstract exercises.
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