Collective Campus vs The Innovation Company

Choosing between an innovation consultancy and a capability building company is less about which brand is "better" and more about what problem you are actually trying to solve. This guide compares Collective Campus with The Innovation Company, an Australian innovation consulting business, so that leaders in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and beyond can shortlist with confidence.

A note on method. Everything we say about The Innovation Company comes from its own public website, and we attribute it as such. Where its site does not say something, we say "not stated on their public site" rather than guess. We are Collective Campus, so we have a point of view on our own work, and we have kept every statement about the other provider to what its own site says.

Short answer

Collective Campus is a capability building company for teams, running workshops and programmes across AI adoption, design thinking, agile, psychological safety and high-performance teams. The Innovation Company positions itself as an innovation consulting and strategy firm covering growth, process improvement, capability, monetisation and intellectual property, with a focus on general industry, health services and government. The Innovation Company describes innovation consulting, strategy and IP services. Collective Campus helps organisations build innovation and AI capability inside their teams, so ideas are tested and shipped by their own people.

At a glance comparison table

Who Collective Campus is

Collective Campus is a capability building company for teams. Its positioning is "Building high-performance culture and teams for the AI world". It was founded in Melbourne by Steve Glaveski and Sean Qian, and Steve still leads flagship workshops.

What we do

Collective Campus programmes span:

• AI training and adoption, including AI programmes for leaders, champions and whole teams
• Design thinking
• Customer experience
• Lean startup and product sprints
• Agile
• Productivity
• Psychological safety
• Critical thinking
• AI governance
• High-performance teams

Our history, stated accurately

Collective Campus has done innovation work since 2015 and AI work since 2022. We say that plainly because the two dates matter: the innovation and team capability roots are older, and the AI specialism is newer. You can read more on the about us page.

What we are not

Collective Campus is not an AI-only training shop. It is a capability building company whose AI work sits alongside design thinking, agile, culture and team performance. If you want a firm to produce a strategy document or run an IP audit for you, that is not our core offer.

How sessions feel

Our workshops are known for energy and entertainment. Founder Steve Glaveski comes from a background that includes stand-up comedy and bands, and that shows up in how sessions are run. The point is not entertainment for its own sake. People learn and retain more when they are engaged, and the sessions are built around practical tools that participants can use the next morning.

Who The Innovation Company is

The Innovation Company is an Australian business describing itself as an innovation consulting and strategy provider. According to its own website, it works across three broad segments: general industries, hospital and health services, and government.

What their site says they offer

Their public pages list a set of service areas:

• Business growth
• Process improvement
• Awareness and strategy
• Capability and training
• Monetisation and value creation
• Intellectual property (IP) asset creation, including IP audits

Their site also references mentorship, innovation training and culture improvement, workshops involving both staff and customers, and work with boards. It describes what it calls an "investment mindset", which we read as treating innovation as something an organisation invests in deliberately rather than an ad hoc activity.

How they describe their people

Their site says its consultants have operated their own businesses. For buyers, practitioner experience of that kind can matter, because it tends to shape how realistic and commercially grounded the advice is.

What is not stated

To be fair to both sides, it helps to be clear about what we could not find. Their public site does not, as far as we could see, publish a detailed curriculum or name individual facilitators. It does not state delivery formats in depth, programme lengths, cohort sizes or pricing. A third-party directory listing associates the business with Fortitude Valley in Queensland, but because that comes from outside their own site we treat it with caution.

None of this is a criticism. Many consultancies keep their detail for conversations rather than web pages. It simply means you will need to ask direct questions when you speak to them, and the checklist later in this article is designed for exactly that.

Deep comparison

1. Approach: consulting-led versus capability-led

The clearest difference is in the primary mode of work.

The Innovation Company, going by its own description, is consulting and strategy oriented. Its service list reads like an advisory menu: growth, process improvement, strategy, monetisation, IP. Training and capability appear as one service among several, and mentorship and board work suggest an advisory relationship with senior people.

Collective Campus is capability-led. The central question we ask is not "what should this organisation do?" but "what should this team be able to do by the time we leave, and how do we make sure they actually do it?" That produces a different shape of engagement: more workshops, practice, tools and facilitated team work, and fewer strategy deliverables.

Neither approach is superior. They answer different needs. If leadership already knows what it wants to do but its people lack the skills and habits to do it, capability-led work tends to fit. If leadership needs an outside view on where to play, how to monetise assets or how to structure investment in innovation, consulting-led work tends to fit.

Many organisations need both at different stages, and some use an advisory firm to set direction and a capability provider to build the muscle to execute. That is a perfectly reasonable way to combine providers.

2. Breadth: what each covers

Breadth cuts in two directions here.

The Innovation Company's list is broad in business terms. It reaches into IP asset creation and monetisation, which are specialist areas that most training providers do not touch.

Collective Campus is broad in capability terms. Across design thinking, agile, lean startup and product sprints, customer experience, productivity, critical thinking, psychological safety and AI, a single organisation can build a coherent set of team skills without stitching together half a dozen vendors.

Why does that matter? Capability rarely sits in one box. A team that has learned design thinking but works in a low-trust environment will struggle to apply it. A team that has adopted AI tools but lacks critical thinking will accept weak outputs too readily. Having related programmes under one roof lets you address the system rather than a single skill.

The honest caveat is that breadth can dilute depth if a provider is not disciplined. When you speak to any provider, including us, ask who actually delivers each programme and what their direct experience is in that area.

3. Depth of behaviour change

Workshops are easy to enjoy and hard to turn into lasting change. This is the dimension where buyers should push hardest on every provider.

What The Innovation Company says: its site lists innovation training and culture improvement, and mentorship. Mentorship can support behaviour change over time because it involves ongoing contact. Whether and how their training is structured for sustained change is not stated on their public site, so it is a question to raise directly.

What Collective Campus does: our programmes are designed so that participants leave with tools and routines they can apply the following morning, and we treat the weeks after a session as part of the work, not an afterthought. For AI in particular, programmes such as the 90 day AI adoption sprint and AI champions are built around embedding use inside real work rather than delivering a one-off lecture. The shape of any engagement is set after a scoping call, based on your goals and context.

Questions that expose real depth, whichever provider you speak to:

• What will people do differently in their normal week, and how will we see it?
• What happens in the period after the formal sessions end?
• How are managers equipped to reinforce the new behaviours?
• What do you do when adoption stalls?

A provider who answers these specifically is more likely to deliver change than one who answers in generalities.

4. Leadership involvement

Both organisations engage senior people, but in different ways.

The Innovation Company's site mentions board work and mentorship, which suggests access to the top of an organisation and a strategic conversation. For leaders who want a trusted outside adviser, that profile is attractive.

Collective Campus engages leaders as participants and sponsors. Programmes such as the leadership team AI immersion bring executives into a hands-on experience so they understand the technology well enough to make sound decisions, rather than relying on summaries. Our view, drawn from how capability programmes tend to succeed, is that visible leadership participation matters. When leaders attend, use the tools and model the behaviours, teams take the change seriously. When leadership delegates entirely, programmes tend to fade.

For related reading, see our guide on how to run an AI workshop for your leadership team and the piece on design thinking training for executives.

A practical way to think about it: do you want a strategic adviser to the board, or do you want your leadership team to build its own skills alongside the wider organisation? Some organisations want both, and that is where combining providers can make sense.

5. AI and risk

AI is now part of almost every capability conversation, so it deserves its own comparison.

What The Innovation Company says: its public site, as far as we could find, does not describe AI training, AI adoption or AI governance offerings. That does not mean they do not work with AI clients. It means it is not stated on their public site, so if AI is central to your brief, ask them directly what they offer, who delivers it and what experience sits behind it.

What Collective Campus offers: AI has been part of our work since 2022, and it is a major programme area. That includes AI training for teams, online AI training, AI design sprints, and dedicated AI governance work, with a programme page at AI programmes: governance. Risk matters particularly in regulated sectors, and we have pages for government, financial services and legal audiences.

For hospital and health services and government, which The Innovation Company names as segments, AI risk and governance questions are especially live: privacy, accountability, procurement and appropriate use all matter. If you are in those sectors and want AI capability built safely, ask any provider how they handle governance, not just tool training.

If you are comparing AI providers more broadly, our article on how to choose an AI training provider sets out criteria you can apply to anyone, including us.

6. Measurement

Every provider says their work delivers results. The useful question is how they would show it.

The Innovation Company's site speaks to business growth, monetisation and value creation, which implies an orientation toward commercial outcomes. The specific methods they use to measure results are not stated on their public site.

At Collective Campus, we are careful about promising numbers in advance, because the right measures depend on what you are trying to change. Typical categories we discuss in scoping include:

• Adoption measures: are people actually using the tools and methods in their work?
• Behaviour measures: what do managers and peers observe changing?
• Output measures: is there evidence in the quality or speed of work?
• Confidence and capability measures: do participants and their leaders report a real shift?

We would rather agree on what success looks like with you than claim a generic outcome. You can see how we describe our work in practice on the case studies page.

A good measurement conversation, with any provider, has three parts: what you will track, who will track it, and what you will do if the numbers do not move. If a provider cannot answer the third part, treat that as a flag.

7. Facilitation style

How a session feels affects whether people engage, and engagement affects whether anything sticks.

The Innovation Company's site describes workshops with staff and customers, and says its consultants have run their own businesses. It does not describe facilitation style in detail, and named facilitators are not stated on their public site. That is simply an information gap you can fill with a conversation or a request to meet the people who would deliver.

Collective Campus workshops are known for energy and entertainment. Founder Steve Glaveski's background in stand-up comedy and bands informs a style that is lively, participatory and practical. Steve still leads flagship workshops, which means buyers are not simply buying a brand while a different team delivers. Sessions are built around tools people can use the next morning, so the energy is directed at usefulness.

This style will not suit everyone. Some organisations prefer a quieter, more advisory tone, particularly for board-level strategy conversations. Others have teams who are fatigued by training and need something that actually holds attention. Knowing your own culture helps here.

For team culture specifically, our thinking on what makes a high-performing team in the AI world shows how we connect facilitation to lasting team behaviours.

8. Fit for organisations

Both providers operate in an Australian context, but the footprint and fit differ.

The Innovation Company's own site does not list delivery cities. A third-party directory lists Fortitude Valley in Queensland, which we treat cautiously because it is not from their own pages. If you are in Brisbane, it is worth asking whether they deliver locally and where their people are based. If you are elsewhere, ask how they serve your city.

Collective Campus was founded in Melbourne and serves organisations. We have city pages for high-performance teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and for design thinking in Sydney and Melbourne. We also work with Canberra-based organisations, including government.

Sector fit also matters. The Innovation Company names government and hospital and health services as areas of focus, which is useful if you operate there and want a provider that has said so publicly. Collective Campus works across sectors, including government, financial services and legal, with AI training pages tailored to each.

A final fit consideration is organisation size and type. Large organisations with a defined intrapreneurship ambition may want to read our piece on running an intrapreneurship programme in a large organisation, which sets out some of the structural questions regardless of provider.

Who each suits

Collective Campus also builds innovation capability through design thinking, lean startup and product sprints and AI design sprints, and works with senior leaders through the leadership team AI immersion and keynotes.

Choose Collective Campus if...

• You want one partner across AI training, AI programs, productivity, design thinking, customer experience, agile, psychological safety, critical thinking and high-performance teams, sequenced into a single capability plan.
• You want AI adoption that sticks, through workflow redesign on real work, the 90 Day AI Adoption Sprint, an AI Champions network and a leadership team AI immersion.
• AI governance and responsible use matter, particularly in government, financial services or legal contexts.
• You want a founder with a public profile in the room: Steve Glaveski, founder of Collective Campus and author of Time Rich, which Adam Grant endorsed, leads flagship workshops and gives keynotes.
• You want energetic, practical sessions with tools your people use the next morning, delivered in person across cities or online.
• You want a programme tailored to your context after a scoping call, backed by case studies from organisations.

Alternatives to The Innovation Company

If you are searching for The Innovation Company alternatives, the sensible approach is to shortlist three providers rather than commit to one, and compare them using the same questions. The right alternatives depend on what you actually need, and the market broadly includes several types of provider.

Innovation consultancies and strategy firms. These resemble The Innovation Company in orientation: advisory work on growth, process and innovation strategy. They suit organisations that want external expertise on direction.

Capability building and training companies. Collective Campus sits here. These providers focus on building skills and behaviours in teams through workshops and programmes. They suit organisations that know the direction and need to build the ability to execute.

Design and product studios. These build or co-build products and services. They suit organisations that want an outside team to do the work alongside them, with some knowledge transfer.

Specialist AI providers. Some firms focus narrowly on AI strategy, implementation or training. They suit organisations with a defined AI brief, though they may not address wider team capability or culture.

University and executive education programmes. These offer structured learning, often for individuals rather than whole teams. They suit organisations investing in individual leaders.

Internal capability. Some large organisations build an internal innovation or capability function. This can work well but takes time to establish.

Whatever mix you consider, we suggest shortlisting three and using the checklist in the next section. For AI specifically, see our comparison of the best AI training for teams, and our guides for further reading. We have deliberately not named or characterised other rival firms here, because we only make claims we can support.

Decision checklist

Use this list when comparing The Innovation Company, Collective Campus or any other provider.

• We have written down the problem in one or two sentences, in plain language.
• We know whether we need strategy advice, capability building, or both.
• We have decided who in the organisation will sponsor the work and attend.
• We have defined three to five outcomes we would recognise as success.
• We have asked who will actually deliver the sessions and checked their experience.
• We have asked to see a sample agenda or outline for something similar to our brief.
• We have confirmed how the provider tailors work to our context.
• We understand what happens after the formal sessions finish.
• We have asked how managers will be equipped to reinforce new behaviours.
• We have asked how the provider handles AI risk, privacy and governance, if AI is in scope.
• We have checked relevant sector experience, such as government, health or financial services.
• We have confirmed delivery options for our cities and any online needs.
• We have asked how success will be measured and who will track it.
• We have asked what the provider does when adoption stalls.
• We have checked for published resources that show how the provider thinks.
• We have asked about references or examples the provider is free to share, and understood any confidentiality limits.
• We have confirmed commercial terms and scope in writing before committing.
• We have compared at least three providers using the same questions.
• We have considered whether combining providers makes sense.
• We have a plan for how we will measure progress internally regardless of provider.

Questions to ask any provider on a scoping call

How a scoping call with Collective Campus works

Collective Campus programmes are tailored, which is why we start with a conversation rather than a price list. Here is how that conversation typically runs.

Before the call

You do not need to prepare a formal brief. It helps to have a rough sense of the problem, who is involved, and what has been tried already. If you want to read first, our guides and case studies show how we think and work.

On the call

We spend most of the time listening. We ask about your organisation, your teams, the outcomes you want, what is getting in the way, and any constraints such as sector regulation, location or existing tools. We are looking for the real problem, which is sometimes different from the one in the original request. A request for "AI training", for example, sometimes turns out to be a request to build confidence, fix a trust issue, or put governance in place first.

What you get from the call

We will listen to your goals, then outline the shape of what we would propose, drawing on relevant areas such as AI training, high-performance teams or innovation capability.

After the call

We then prepare a tailored proposal based on what we heard. Scope, format and commercial terms are set out in writing there, rather than quoted up front, because they depend on your situation. You are free to compare it with other providers, which we encourage.

FAQ

What is the main difference between Collective Campus and The Innovation Company?

The Innovation Company's site describes innovation consulting and strategy, including growth, process improvement, monetisation and IP asset creation. Collective Campus is a capability building company for teams, running workshops and programmes across AI, design thinking, agile, psychological safety and high-performance teams. In short, one leans toward advisory work and the other toward building team skills and behaviours.

Does The Innovation Company offer AI training?

Their public site, as far as we could find, does not describe AI training, AI adoption or AI governance services. That is not the same as saying they do not offer them. If AI is central to your brief, ask them directly what they provide, who delivers it and what experience sits behind it, and compare the answer with other providers.

Does Collective Campus do consulting?

Collective Campus is a capability building company, not a strategy consultancy. We run workshops and programmes designed to build skills and behaviours in teams, tailored after a scoping call. If you need a strategy document or specialist IP work, a consultancy may serve you better, and we will say so during scoping.

Does Collective Campus work with government and health organisations?

Yes. Collective Campus works with government and has a dedicated page for government AI training, with AI governance and accountability built in. The Innovation Company's site names government and hospital and health services as segments it works in.

Can an organisation use both providers together?

Yes. A consultancy can set strategy or handle IP and monetisation, while a capability building company equips teams to execute. If you combine providers, agree who owns what up front so the work does not overlap, and make sure sponsors on your side coordinate both.

Who leads Collective Campus workshops?

Steve Glaveski, a founder of Collective Campus, still leads flagship workshops. The wider team supports delivery. When you speak to us, you can ask who would deliver your specific programme and what their experience is. We encourage you to ask the same question of every provider you consider.

Does Collective Campus publish prices?

No. Collective Campus programmes are tailored to each organisation after a scoping call, so we do not publish prices, durations or group sizes. We set scope and commercial terms in writing in a proposal after we understand your goals. Neither do we quote other providers' prices, as we only rely on what they state publicly.

Where does Collective Campus deliver?

Collective Campus was founded in Melbourne and serves organisations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. We also offer online options, such as online AI training. Delivery format and location are agreed during scoping based on what suits your teams.

How does a buyer know whether they need consulting or capability building?

Ask whether you lack direction or lack ability. If leadership does not yet know what to do, consulting may help. If leadership knows what to do but people lack the skills and habits to do it, capability building usually fits. Many organisations need both at different stages. A scoping call with any provider should help you work out which applies.

How many providers should a buyer shortlist?

We suggest shortlisting three and comparing them with the same questions, using the checklist in this article. Three gives you enough contrast to see differences in approach without creating decision fatigue. Include at least one provider whose style differs from your first instinct, because the contrast often clarifies what you actually want.

Does Collective Campus work in Brisbane?

Yes. Collective Campus serves Brisbane and has a page on high-performance teams in Brisbane. A third-party directory lists The Innovation Company in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.

What should a buyer look for in an innovation training provider?

Look for specificity about the behaviours that will change, a clear account of follow-up after sessions, named facilitators with relevant experience, honest handling of risk and governance where AI is involved, and an agreed way to measure results. Be wary of generic promises. Our guide on how to choose an AI training provider applies many of these tests.

Book a call with Collective Campus

If you are building a shortlist, put Collective Campus on it. A short call covers your teams, the outcomes you want and the capabilities that would get you there, and the programme is then tailored to your context.

Book a call to start the conversation.

Sources

• The Innovation Company, home page: https://www.theinnovationcompany.com.au/
• The Innovation Company, intellectual property asset creation: https://www.theinnovationcompany.com.au/intellectual-property-asset-creation/