Exploration Days

As SICK Linköping is a R&D cluster within the SICK organization, continuous learning  is central for us in connection to innovation.

This is why we regularly organize "Exploration Days", both at a company and a team level. 

What is it? Exploration days are times focused on learning and cooperation. The purpose is to explore a topic, an area, a tool, etc. - in groups or individually. At the end of the day, we all gather and share the insights we took from our exploration. The findings can be shared in different forms: a video, a demonstration, a presentation, etc. These days allow us to explore topics we find interesting at a pace and in ways that fit us, and to collectively benefit from what everyone has discovered. 

What kind of topics? The day usually has a theme as a starting point, likely related to technologies and innovations. For instance, Generative AI was the theme of the most recent company-wide edition. It can also be different areas: within the HR team, Diversity has been a topic for instance. 

What kind of projects? Anything from the more theoretical to practical and applied ideas. Anyone can pitch ideas ahead of the day, and people voluntarily sign up for projects they are interested in. 

How to get started? Does it sound like something you want to try? Here are our tips to make it a success! 

• Picking a theme ahead of time so that everyone has a starting point to think of exploration projects
• Inviting everyone to pitch in ideas in advance, and then to sign up for the project they want to take part in.  This way, everyone knows what they will focus on when they day start and focus entirely on the exploration part 
• Making sure that teams have identified the resources they will need to conduct their exploration (software accesses, equipment, etc.) 
• Organizing activities: inviting experts from within or outside the company to give a presentation about the topic to give context and inspiration 
• And of course, celebrating the end of the day with the shared learnings and snacks!