Do you know how to communicate to harvest ideas?
Apple, 3M and Google are prime examples of companies reaping the benefits of ideas generated by someone in their organisation. However, far too many companies still fail to benefit from the ideas of their staff.
The ideas floating around in your organisation are opportunities to develop and innovate. By listening to everyone your chances of innovating from within are unlocked.
So how do you get everybody to come forward with ideas they have for any area of the company? Could be ideas applicable to short term as well as long term benefits. Frequently management find it difficult to find out about all the different ideas employees have. They are unaware of anything from small ideas that would slightly improve their database to ideas that could result in new successful products – or even ideas that would completely change how the organisation operate. So how do you go about reaping the benefits from ideas your staff have?
Let staff know you value their ideas
The first thing to communicate is that you are sincerely interested in any idea someone in your organisation might have. Make sure they feel welcome presenting ideas to you even if the idea isn’t yet fully developed. Find simple ways that enable anyone from the cleaner up to take their ideas further than chatting to colleagues about them during a coffee break. Give them courage to present their ideas to colleagues and management. And make sure they are not afraid of looking ridiculous or get reprimanded for having suggestions.
If you don’t know about the abundance of ideas floating around in the organisation you are missing opportunities to develop and innovate, not to mention earning money. By listening to everyone your chances of finding new strategies and opportunities increase.
Ideas lost may be money lost
The more ideas are saved, mixed and worked on the better for an organisation. And it’s time to move on from the boxes where employees dot down a few ideas for the management to read. Frequently such communication neither give credit to ideas nor does it enable colleagues to discuss and develop a seed into something that can be used.
Develop ideas during office hours
To give an idea a fair chance the person behind it should be able to come forward with it and explain the benefits. One way would be to have monthly or weekly meetings where ideas can be presented to colleagues and management. The more ideas see the light of day the more ideas will be created and developed.
Brainstorm on a regular basis
In my experience brainstorming is a wonderful way of developing ideas, not to mention whole organisations. And it’s mainly ideas that are far out, almost regarded as crazy, that turn out to be the best. It’s hence best to have as many people as possible participating so that a seed can be creatively developed. It’s also crucial that people keep an open mind and don’t discard something that may turn out to be a bestseller before it’s developed.
Develop a culture that embrace ideas
For ideas to flourish staff must feel that they are appreciated for putting forward ideas and encouraged to think, question and be innovative. Obviously not all ideas are good ideas but you will lose out on the good ones if staff don’t let you know what they would like to improve.
When a lot of people come together and give feedback a lot of good ideas are developed. Even more so when people from different cultures join forces and look at innovations from different perspectives, which is one of the key assets of companies like Google and Apple.
Once you have developed a system where everybody in the organisation are encouraged to develop their ideas and present them you will not only get a lot of ideas but a culture where staff dare communicating what they would like to improve as well as increase the creativity of the organisation enormously. The result will be an atmosphere that is fun, people like to go to work, aren’t afraid to make mistakes and new products and services will be created that otherwise would never have seen the light of day.
Jump on the Google & Apple innovation band-waggon
Far too many companies all over the world have a culture where only the management are allowed to think and have ideas. So many that it’s often assumed that’s the case, even if management would like to develop a culture where everybody contributes. If that’s the case, it’s time for you to start communicating that you are open to all ideas and let staff know that you are interested in their thoughts and ideas. They will never know if you don’t let them know.
What are you doing to encourage a creative atmosphere that breeds ideas? Does staff come to you and explain their ideas? Do you have regular brainstorming session to find and develop ideas? Or is this an area you have neglected since it seems to complicated? If so, it’s high time you follow in the footsteps of Google and Apple and create a culture that breeds success.
(Photo: PhotoXpress – Stasys Eidiejus)
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Tags: 3M, Apple, brainstorming, communication, development, embrace ideas, Google, ideas, innovation, staff
October 18th, 2010 at 15:37
Very good article Catherina!!
October 18th, 2010 at 16:26
Thank you Christopher.
October 18th, 2010 at 19:09
Good stuff, again, Catarina.
I'm a great believer in encouraging ideas from those "at the coal face" and implemented an electronic "Suggestions Box" system at my company in South Africa where we rewarded people with significant cash bonuses for ideas that improved process/procedure, enhanced customer satisfaction, etc. The awards were made at our monthly company-wide communication sessions so everyone was fully aware of the ideas, who had proposed them and what the award was.
Over the years we had some great input – after all, those doing the job are best placed to figure out how to do it better…
October 18th, 2010 at 19:14
Good way of doing it Guy. Did some people feel shy about standing up and presenting their ideas? Did they come forward with ideas even without the bonus system or was that necessary to make the system work?
October 18th, 2010 at 19:22
We didn't ask the people to present their ideas – rather I summarised these when doing the communications session and handing out the awards. We had some ideas before the incentive system, but once it was formalised and people could see that "management" took their input and ideas seriously we got a lot more.
October 18th, 2010 at 19:38
OK. Did you do brainstormings with them as well to develop ideas?
October 19th, 2010 at 10:41
We did do some brainstorming at times, but on an informal, ad hoc basis. If there was a suggestion that was incomplete, I'd sit with the person to flesh it out somewhat so we could determine whether it made sense or not.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:37
Good article, Catarina! Nice Suggestion Guy!
Another way to bring about innovation is to give your team conflicting goals. For example, an auto company can give its engineers conflicting goals of developing a car which can attain a top speed of 225 mph & at the same provide a good mileage of over 27 miles per gallon of gasoline fuel.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:44
Interesting Ravil. Have you had good results doing so?
October 19th, 2010 at 12:46
Good idea Guy. Did you then sometimes have a big brainstorming once you concluded there was a seed that could be developed?
October 19th, 2010 at 13:24
Not really formal brainstorming, but rather I would sit with the appropriate management people, and any others we thought appropriate, and develop the idea more fully if necessary.
October 19th, 2010 at 13:28
OK
October 19th, 2010 at 13:35
IT IS REALLY INTERESTING ARTICLE THANKS
October 20th, 2010 at 14:26
Know your people and you will know what they can do and then you can ask them straight out for their ideas. I am always flattered when I can see that someone has taken the trouble to get to me and what I can do. This is a huge compliment and shows respect. This respect is returned by offering ideas.
October 20th, 2010 at 17:33
Good comment Anne-Maire.
October 20th, 2010 at 18:22
This is a very important subject. I am a small business owner. I just hired my first employee, a personal assistant. Although it isn't the same as a large corporation, your article is still applicable.
I definitely ask for his input a lot and then sift through the ideas, selecting the ones that align with my goals. In a way we are partners, each striving to expand the two companies I have. If I do well, so will he!
October 20th, 2010 at 19:42
You have written about a vital concept Catarina. All humans have a longing desire to feel important. What better way to indulge them than by putting aside a coporate egos and allowing them to brainstorm along with the "bigwigs". I wonder how this concept would impact work ethic and productivity in currently stagnant companies.
October 20th, 2010 at 19:51
Agree with you Keyuri. Actually believe it would have a really positive impact on work ethic and productivity in currently stagnanat companies. Far too many people are being managed badly and ethics obviously suffer by managers treating them like numbers. Make them feel important and the company will benefit.
October 20th, 2010 at 22:33
Power and control. People often attempt to meet their need for it through external control rather than self control. We all know the results.
October 21st, 2010 at 03:31
Recognizing people for their ideas by putting them into action and giving them credit. Goes a long way.
October 21st, 2010 at 12:38
Agree with you Patricia.
October 21st, 2010 at 13:26
Too many people forget that how they communicate with their employees (which includes more listening than talking) sets the tone for their whole organization. If your people don't feel like you are listening they are not going to bother to talk. It is a learned skill to know how to make people feel heard even if you believe you are listening.
Thanks for sharing Catarina!
October 21st, 2010 at 13:39
You are absolutely right Robyn.
October 22nd, 2010 at 02:22
I enjoyed the blog post and the comments. The last point was the most powerful. I agree that Apple and Google have excelled in this area. Well done.
October 22nd, 2010 at 13:24
Glad we agree Brian.
October 23rd, 2010 at 04:25
it's amazing the results that can be achieved when people from different departments and different levels come together to brainstorm. The key is to set an environment whereby everyone's voice is heard and no idea is unworthy of being heard. This is a great article Catarina.
October 23rd, 2010 at 12:43
Yes Sherryl, I agree with you completely.
October 23rd, 2010 at 12:45
It's amazing how many companies don't bother to listen to the ideas their people have, isn't it. And many times it's because they simply don't listen.
October 24th, 2010 at 06:08
Hi Catarina,
By encouraging participation and giving credit can make such a difference. It doesn't have to begin on a big scale, however when ideas are actioned and others see it then it motovates others to not be hesitant in putting their ideas forward.
October 24th, 2010 at 12:45
Couldn't have said it better myself Susan.
October 25th, 2010 at 09:42
Communication is the best way you can create ideas from your own or from others that's why I value the essence of having a good communication to each other.
October 29th, 2010 at 02:22
Great article Catarina. It is a good leader who recognizes the ideas and contributions of others. I have always taken the mentor road when in a management position and I have reaped the rewards of that.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
October 29th, 2010 at 13:40
Glad we agree Julie.
November 2nd, 2010 at 21:00
Brainstorming is a lost art in some companies. The structure of it allows or retards the flow of ideas. I recently wrote a couple of posts on brainstorming and got lots of feedback about. I am posting one here since it is a quick read as a list.
http://www.rob-berman.com/14-ideas-to-achieve-bra…
Rob
November 7th, 2010 at 02:22
Employees are full of ideas — they just need to be tapped. Unless they feel their ideas will be respected they won't open their mouths for fear of being ridiculed, ignored or even chastised for having the temerity to speak up.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:21
Agree with you completely Jeannette.
November 7th, 2011 at 03:43
Hi again Catarina,
I think my first comment above was meant for a different post! Who doesn't like to be noticed or praised for a good idea? I imagine many more employees would feel valued and needed if their ideas were solicited and implemented. As a result these employees would be more emotionally invested in the companies they work for. I wonder if Google or Apple have data to prove that their approach increases productivity.
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November 7th, 2011 at 09:51
Good points Catherine. Companies that encourage staff to come forward with ideas definitely gain from doing so.
November 7th, 2011 at 14:28
Hi Catarina. Thsoe are all excellent suggestions for encouraging ideas. I particularly like brainstorming as a way to just let people think without putting on all the pre-conditions. One of the groundrules I use when facilitating is that "there are no stupid ideas".
Thanks for the post
Mike
My recent post Powerful Books: The Power of Books
November 7th, 2011 at 14:57
Hi Catarina. Nice post, really nice. From the other hand there are many top-managers who prefer working stuff more than creative. When you have office in NY, accountant in London and production in Ukraine, your managers can't understand all steps of the process, because they see only their fragment of the model. So their aims may be wrong and solutions too.
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November 7th, 2011 at 16:42
Glad you like it Mike
There definitely are stupid ideas though. Many actually:-)
November 7th, 2011 at 16:46
Glad you like it Nat.
Maybe you should try having Ukraine look at New York and vice versa. You may be surprised at how people looking at routines from the outside can make a positive difference.
November 7th, 2011 at 16:57
People love to feel valued and empowered. I’ve always found that one of the most effective ways to encourage (and reward) employees is by providing them with a platform to brainstorm and freely share their ideas in a team setting. Teams should have a clear purpose. All teams need to set goals and work together to meet them. Of course, management does need to commit to taking the teams input seriously and act on their suggestions for this to work. Otherwise, employees will not feel valued and empowered.
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November 7th, 2011 at 17:50
Hi Catarina, you describe a very productive and valuable work environment. I do feel, however, that the leader of the work place has to be of the right mindset for this type of creative brainstorming to take place and be effective. There are many leaders who feel threatened by others beneath them and therefore, stifle any creative genius that could be hiding under the surface. My best memories of corporate life are from the exact situation you describe. Our weekly status meetings were wonderful. Ideas were tossed around, discussed, and the collective creativity that came out of those meeting was put to really good use with very positive results.
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November 7th, 2011 at 17:53
Glad we agree Julie. Yes unfortunately quite a few leaders feel threatened by colleagues being creative and innovative. It's a shame since the companies they run will lose out as a result.
November 8th, 2011 at 03:26
I don't have co-workers or manage anyone (other than my kids!) but these ideas work the same for dealing with people in general. And my personal favorite — positive reinforcement for a job well done!
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November 8th, 2011 at 10:43
Good we agree Dianne.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:45
Good article, nice concept. Thanks for sharing.
Actually, brainstorming and creativity are inseparable in achieving organization goals.
November 8th, 2011 at 16:09
Agree with you Sherryl. I absolutely love brainsstormings. Sometimes the weirder it gets the better the results.
November 8th, 2011 at 16:58
My pleasure Otobong. Yes, brainstorming is wonderful isn't it. And the best ideas are the weirdest ones:-)
November 8th, 2011 at 17:06
Great article, Catarina.
I do agree with Dianne. Positive reinforcement for a job well done. However, in my country, some of the concepts have been disparaged beyond value by the people who "value" them.
The ideology of not to long ago was that youngsters underperformed because they did not feel empowered. The solution, by way of metaphor, "Give Billy a Cookie, he will feel good about himself, and he will learn to read." This replaced, "Johnny learns to read, give him a cookie."
The result: People in American Business expect to be rewarded on the basis of what they will do if they feel good about themselves if they are rewarded first.
"Positive reinforcement of negative behaviour is a disincentive to improve." Slim Fairview
(Cont.)
My recent post The Path of the Trajectory
November 8th, 2011 at 17:07
Part 2.
Teacher: Who can answer this question? 10 x 10 = ? Yes, Billy?
Billy: 99.
Teacher: Very good Billy. There are a few narrow-minded old fogies who insist that the only correct answer is 100. However, even if we pretend they are right, you said 99. That makes you 99% correct. Hooray for Billy, Hooray at last, Hooray for Billy, head of the Class.
If you are laughing (or perhaps not) you don't understand how bad things have been in education and why things are so bad in business here in the States.
My recent post The Path of the Trajectory
November 8th, 2011 at 19:30
The most successful businesses in the next millennium will be those that listen to their employees AND their customers. Both of these groups have inside knowledge that can either make or break a company. Wise business leaders will open up their business development process to take advantage. And with technological tools like http://crowdworks.net/ it's easy to do and just plain short sighted to resist.
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November 9th, 2011 at 01:27
You explain a extremely productive and useful operate surroundings. I do come to feel, nevertheless, that the leader of the function location has to be of the correct mindset for this kind of creative brainstorming to get place and be successful. There are many leaders who come to feel threatened by others beneath them and consequently, stifle any inventive genius that could be hiding under the surface area. My best recollections of company lifestyle are from the exact circumstance you describe. Our weekly status conferences have been fantastic. Suggestions were tossed close to, mentioned, and the collective inventiveness that came out of these meeting was set to truly good use with very good outcomes.
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November 9th, 2011 at 03:34
Hi Catrina,
You make some good points about encouraging people to think outside the box..
When working in a group, it creates synergy and a lot of ideas can come from that
creative energy.
Thank you for your contribution,
Jeff
My recent post Steve Jobs life and what it can mean for you
November 9th, 2011 at 07:01
Hello Catarina,
Fostering an environment within an organisation where staff feel welcome to express their ideas for improvement can also lead to job satisfaction and self-worth and therefore staff retention.
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:54
Exactly Lesa.
November 9th, 2011 at 10:55
Yes Diego already Napoleon Hill knew that. And many companies who do listen to their staff have the same experience.
November 9th, 2011 at 10:56
Glad you agree with me Jeff.
November 9th, 2011 at 10:56
Good points Rachel.
November 9th, 2011 at 16:24
Great article, In this competitive world Innovation is only one thing which can give a lead. I have seen a great use of innovation portals, a small portal where everybody is encouraged to give their ideas and ranking and suggestions for other ideas. It can be a great way to increase the idea flow in the company.
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November 9th, 2011 at 18:52
As a creative this is an important practice.
November 10th, 2011 at 00:14
Thanks for sharing a great post. It's interesting as I run a business but don't employ staff (although I used to) and am always coming up with ideas! So for me it's about creating a support network where I can brainstorm and either toss them or try and turn them into reality:)
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November 10th, 2011 at 10:37
Exactly Dennis!
November 10th, 2011 at 17:56
Excellent coverage of a much neglected opportunity in many organizations to ideate and flourish.
November 10th, 2011 at 22:46
I definitely agree that ideas lost often tie directly to money lost, but I can't emphasize enough that creating an environment that rewards new ideas isn't something you do on a "one time basis". You can't simply put out a Suggestion Box and then never open it up to see what's inside. Instead, you've got to build the trust with your employees that ideas will be listened to, valued and acted upon if you really to see success in this area.
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November 10th, 2011 at 23:39
Hi Catarina,
Everyone in an organisation must be made to feel like a part of the family. This ensures that they see that their contribution is valued and therefore look out for the good of the company.
Everyone likes to feel loved and make contribution for the betterment of anything worthwhile.
Great article
November 11th, 2011 at 11:08
Thank you Sandip.
November 11th, 2011 at 11:09
Agree with you Sarah and that's exactly the whole point of the article. Having a box isn't the way for harvesting ideas. You have to make staff feel their ideas are welcome and that you respect them. If not, forget it.
November 11th, 2011 at 11:09
Exactly Tosin.
November 17th, 2011 at 10:12
Hey Catarina,
The ideas flow everywhere.. Every day we hear tons and tons of ideas but not everyone takes action on them.
Leveraging the ideas of your customers or employees helps you save time, money and as you noted, creates a solid team.
I think brainstorming it's great. Gotta practice it more often.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Best,
Radu
November 17th, 2011 at 11:05
Yes Radu, brainstorming is great.
November 25th, 2011 at 08:01
In any corporation, letting staff know you value their ideas is always the best policy. When they feel needed and respected, they will want to devote more.
November 25th, 2011 at 08:19
"Ideas lost may be money lost" this is absolutely true. In almost any organization, losing ideas (or cannot come up with the idea) will lose you many many things like: time, money, reputation and change to move up.
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November 28th, 2011 at 20:04
Thanks for this post on the importance of ideas. As the shift from a 'how to make' to 'what to make' business reality sets in, the increasing value of ideas, from employees, customers, etc. cannot be understated. There are a few social software vendors working with some of the top global companies on better managing ideas across their organization. Check out http://www.brightidea.com for insights on the future of streamlined, optimized idea management to fuel continous innovation and thank you again for this post!
December 1st, 2011 at 16:45
Great topic and insight. I left my regular job because I felt I was neglected, unappreciated, used for the task I was given and I couldn't show my true potential because nobody from the management was interested in my ideas. I decided to start my own business and implement my own ideas for my own benefit, and I decided at the very beginning that if I reach the level where I will have my own employees, I will give them opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas. So, when I finally employed the first 2 employees, we agreed on using an employee monitor program, which made their work transparent towards me, and it created a more intimate atmosphere for working. I could see what they were doing. There are more of them now (they all work from their homes) and we have monthly conferences to discuss what we have achieved and what we could do in the future in order to progress. Naturally, I make the executive decisions, but I give them a chance to speak their mind without judgement. If an idea works and bring profit, the employee who suggested it gets a bonus as a reward. It's been working well so far.