Accelerating the Next in Travel

This blog post is part of 80+ case studies of progressive organizations we created for the ZeroDX awards 2025. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:

• Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace

• Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution

• Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.

This mindset has guided Lufthansa Innovation Hub through years of experimentation. Researchers constantly scan for signals of change, from fast-moving developments in artificial intelligence to the quieter shifts in sustainability and traveler expectations. When a promising idea emerges, it does not stay on slides for long. Instead, it enters theinnovation funnel, where concepts are tested early and often. Teams revisit their assumptions every month instructured checkpoints, gathering evidence and refining their approach. Constanze described this rhythm as essentialto staying connected to reality. “It’s not like you start and disappear for six months. Every month there is a checkpoint.”

The organizational design of Lufthansa Innovation Hub reflects principles that resonate with RenDanHeYi. Three main teams form its backbone: Strategic Intelligence scouts and validates trends, Build develops ventures to the point where they can scale, and Transformation shares new practices throughout Lufthansa Group. In 2024, cross-functionalcircles were introduced to focus on topics such as growth ambitions, ecosystem partnerships, and objectives and key results. Participation is voluntary, so people can contribute wherever they have the most insight and motivation. This openness ensures that decisions remain grounded in collective expertise rather than hierarchy.

Customer proximity is embedded in every stage of work. No concept progresses without evidence that it addresses ameaningful customer need. This discipline has shaped everything from StartupGate, which connects Lufthansa’s business units with external startups, to new digital services that respond to emerging traveler behaviors. For Lufthansa Innovation Hub, ideas only matter when they are validated in practice.

Psychological safety and transparency are treated as non-negotiable foundations. Every few weeks, the team runs anemployee satisfaction survey that includes feedback on leadership and processes. Results are shared openly with everyone, fostering a culture where leaders are held accountable to those they support. This commitment helps maintain trust and creates space for people to challenge assumptions openly. Constanze emphasized that innovation depends on this climate: “You can only make mistakes if you don’t have to expect punishment.”

Learning is woven into the operating model rather than treated as an optional extra. Each employee has a personal development budget and freedom to deepen their skills or explore adjacent areas. When ventures mature, some team members step into founder roles, linking personal growth to thesuccess of the products they helped create. Hiring and role decisions are made collaboratively, further reinforcing the belief that capability building is everyone’s responsibility.

Larissa Armstrong, Cultural Transformation Lead at Lufthansa Group, described Lufthansa Innovation Hub as acatalyst for broader change. She explained that its work has challenged the idea that innovation must be isolated or purely experimental. Instead, Lufthansa Innovation Hub has shown how structured iteration and clear strategic focus can co-exist with an entrepreneurial mindset. “It has played a big part in proving that rigor and adaptability don’t have to be opposites,” she said.

Over time, Lufthansa Innovation Hub has expanded its reach beyond the Lufthansa Group itself. External innovation trainings have opened up its methods to partners across the industry. The Transformation team has developed toolkits and learning formats that continue to draw high participation from employees who want to build new skills. This flow of knowledge has become part of Lufthansa Innovation Hub’s contribution to Lufthansa’s long-term renewal.

Although Lufthansa Innovation Hub operates with a high degree of independence, it remains connected to the larger ambition of creating a more adaptive, human-centered airline. Success is measured not only by commercial outcomes but by how effectively it seeds new ways of thinking throughout the organization. Each experiment thatmoves through the funnel reinforces a culture where customer insight and shared learning drive progress.

The environment that has emerged is characterized by clear purpose, disciplined experimentation, and openness tochallenge. Teams are trusted to move quickly but expected to remain accountable for evidence-based decisions. Transparency makes information accessible rather than something reserved for leaders. Lufthansa Innovation Hub has proven that even within a legacy industry, it is possible to create a space where creativity feels structured, and ambition feels grounded in data.

Many of Lufthansa Innovation Hub’s practices reflect the deeper ambitions of RenDanHeYi: connecting employees directly to customer needs, decentralizing decisions, and fostering shared accountability. What makes this story distinctive is how these principles have been adapted to an innovation ecosystem that bridges corporate boundaries.By combining a clear mission with disciplined learning and an entrepreneurial spirit, Lufthansa Innovation Hub has shown that transformation is not a single initiative but a continuous practice of questioning, testing, and refining what comes next.