IN THIS ERA OF DISTRIBUTED WORKFORCES AND MASS ATTRITION (the so-called Great Resignation), our fourth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list highlights more than 100 companies that energize employees by rewarding creativity wherever it arises. The venerable toy giant Mattel operates a “virtual garage platform” that allows workers at any level to pitch new concepts, while Maverick Quantum, a Texas-based artificial intelligence platform, goes one step further, soliciting ideas not only from employees but also from their family members. “These organizations have innovative cultures that offer employees meaningful engagement, and a chance to change the world,” says Accenture CTO Paul Daugherty.
1 Alnylam
• CAMBRIDGE, MA
Serendipity, to paraphrase the Seneca quote about luck, is what happens when creativity meets interaction. Dave Erbe, a senior investigator at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, was focused on a promising new treatment for a fatal protein disorder when a colleague emailed him a new study on Stargardt disease, an inherited form of macular degeneration afflicting millions of people worldwide. Erbe had a hunch that his treatment was relevant to Stargardt. Working in a culture that encourages free exploration, Erbe and an expanding team of colleagues took that initial idea to Phase 3 clinical trials in only two months and are now awaiting FDA approval.
2 Maven Clinic
• NEW YORK
According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. ranks worst among industrialized nations in the rate of maternal deaths. In an effort to begin addressing this crisis, Maven Clinic, a telemedicine-based virtual medical service focused on women’s and family health, formed a working group with 11 clients from groups that frequently feel dismissed by American healthcare providers (LGBTQ+, Black, East Asian, Latinx, and non-English speakers). As a result, Maven created a 90-minute virtual class, led by doula and childbirth educator Qef Johnson, to help women learn how to get the answers and care they need from medical professionals.
3 Roblox
• SAN MATEO, CA
More than 15 years after Roblox launched as a platform for user-created games, it continues to harness the creativity of a community that’s grown to more than 200 million
