The MAYA Principle: Innovation People Will Actually Say Yes To

Episode notes

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Why do some ideas land effortlessly while others get rejected, even when they promise progress? In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning & Development, Julia and Valerie explore the MAYA Principle, a design concept coined by Raymond Loewy that holds surprising relevance for business development, learning strategy and organisational change. MAYA stands for Most Advanced Yet Acceptable, the idea that people are most likely to embrace new ideas when they feel innovative but still familiar. Valerie shares how this plays out in real L&D scenarios, from programme redesigns to digital transformation. Julia brings a fresh lens through thoughtful questions, exploring how language, framing and psychology all shape whether change is adopted or resisted. If you’re designing, pitching or repositioning anything in your work, this short episode will help you think more strategically about how to gain buy-in without compromising on innovation.

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