Innovation in social housing has to improve outcomes for communities while operating under pressure, limited resources, and ongoing disruption. Many social housing organisations are doing innovative work, but not always in a way that is consistent, visible, or easy to scale.

This webinar looks at how to move from pockets of innovation to an organisation-wide way of doing innovation that is less dependent on isolated enthusiasts, by exploring innovation maturity zones and a new innovation competence framework. It will unpack why innovation competence is more than a training or skills issue, especially when maturity differs across organisations and teams, and how a shared language and framework can support better leadership, governance, learning and delivery.

We’ll also touch on how shared approaches and standards can support stronger practice across the sector without adding unnecessary bureaucracy, using real examples and discussion so members can learn from each other as well as the framework.

A practical webinar for DIN members, this session will explore how social housing organisations can assess where they are on the innovation maturity curve, strengthen organisational capability and use the emerging ISO 56011 framework as a basis for a more consistent, people-centred way of doing innovation. The session includes an interactive discussion exercise so participants can test the ideas against their own context and leave with a simple self-check and “where next?” view for their organisation.

Key takeaways

By attending this session, participants will gain:

• A straightforward way to see where your organisation sits on the innovation maturity curve, beyond one-off projects or “good ideas”

• A plain English introduction to the new ISO 56011 innovation competence framework, giving leaders a common language they can use across teams and partners

• Fresh insight into why innovation isn’t just about skills training — and how culture, leadership, governance and ways of working all need to line up

• A simple self-check and “where next?” tool you can take back to your organisation to shape a focused plan for innovation over the next 12–18 months

About the speaker

Charlie Tuxworth helps organisations align their innovation ambitions with corporate strategy and build the capacity and confidence to deliver measurable impact.

Drawing on over 30 years’ experience across enterprise software, financial services, public and voluntary sectors, he leads the international working group developing ISO 56011, the first comprehensive competency framework for innovation management, building on his close involvement in the ISO 56000 innovation standards that underpin Celsio’s work. He specialises in demystifying these standards so organisations can benefit from international best practice without adding unnecessary overheads or bureaucracy.

Alongside his client work, Charlie is a regular visiting lecturer and keynote speaker on innovation at universities across Ireland and the UK, serves on Northern Ireland’s government-appointed Matrix panel, and is founder and co-chair of Innovate Island, an all-Ireland collaborative network of over 200 innovation practitioners.

Who should attend?

This session is ideal for leaders and practitioners in social housing who are interested in building a more consistent, visible and scalable approach to innovation. It will be particularly relevant for those working in strategy, transformation, service improvement, innovation, leadership, governance and organisational development, as well as anyone looking to better understand how innovation capability can be strengthened across teams and organisations.