Discuss.

User-driven innovation [occurs when] users who feel passionate about certain products often fiddle around with them because they fail to provide exactly what they want.

Firms should keep a closer watch on new and dissatisfied users, who are much more likely to be the source of disruptive ideas.

One of the biggest thoughts emerging from innovation research [is that] neither idea generation nor execution is as important or as tricky as the filtering process that links the two.

Larry Page (Google)

Silicon Valley doesn’t have better ideas and isn’t smarter than the rest of the world but it has an edge in filtering and executing them.

“An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.”

Our brilliant client, MoneyCorp, knows the importance of getting the right idea in front of the right person. That’s why we have developed out routing system for them. Not only can an idea be categorised and shared within an employee idea community, the manager or department to whom it applies will be alerted, making it easier for next actions to be taken.

Simple but effective.

The findings show 43% of manufacturers are innovating more than ever before. Almost half (46%) said they ask employees for ideas on new products and services – and 15% of manufacturing bosses surveyed said support staff regularly submit ideas to improve their business.

“There is a new connected culture of bosses asking their whole organisation for ideas,” said Martin Stiven (pictured), vice president of business for Orange. “It is sweeping through British business and with fears of a double dip recession growing, new ideas are exactly what is needed to kick start the economy.

When asked why they approach employees for ideas, 32% said it was to gain a competitive advantage and 44% said it was to save costs.

On average, four employee suggestions were developed into new offerings over the past year – generating an extra £250,000 in profit over the same period for 33% of all businesses surveyed.

Just over 1,000 decision makers were surveyed, 46 of whom were from the manufacturing sector. Orange is offering a free guide which looks at the innovation secrets from some of the world’s most imaginative organisations like 3M, LinkedIn and Innocent Drinks. To download it, go to www.orange.co.uk/innovation.

Author
Laura Cork
Supporting Information
Websites
http://www.orange.co.uk/innovation

I’m hoping that you agree with Colleen Barrett of South West Airlines’ Employee philosophy of success.

And if you do, that you will embrace our employee ideas and innovation tool: Employee Voice. That would be a key step in emulating Colleen’s success.

Colleen is very clear on why South West is so successful:

Employees first, Customers second, Shareholders third.

South West’s reasoning behind this is based on the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you; treat your people right, and good things will happen – especially with customers and profits. That means listening to them and that means Employee Voice.

You can read more in Colleen’s book written with the amazing Ken Blanchard – see below.

If you do embrace Colleen’s view, then I hope we can do business together and you will use Employee Voice. our mantra is that IDEAS drive progress. Employee Voice will give you the capability to systematically encourage, hear and action employee Ideas.

I suggest that you look at this site. All the information you need is here. A free trial is on offer, and we guarantee involvement and success:

www.organisedfeedback.com

… back to Colleen. Here’s Tom Peters:

“Even the idea of Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett creating a book together staggers the imagination…. For the committed reader it will be a truly life-altering event.” —Tom Peters, New York Times bestselling author of In Search of Excellence

Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success,

COLLEEN BARRETT is President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines. As President, she oversaw management, leadership, and budgeting for Marketing, Communications, People, Customer Relations, Employee Relations, Reservations, Security, and the Executive Office

http://www.kenblanchard.com/Store/Books_Audios/Leadership_Starters/Lead_with_LUV_book/

Finally, please accept our offer of a free trial of Employee Voice. If you make people part of the process, then you give them a stake in the outcome. That is what is really on offer with Employee Voice.

Best wishes

Jim Sproat CEO, OrganisedFeedback.com (the Salesforce.com of Employee Ideas!)

Following fantastic feedback, we’ve added great “functionality”. Users even more delighted! So are we.

PLUS …

welcome to two new clients:

Aberdeen City Council and MoneyCorp.

Great to have you on Board!

The Gallup Survey showed 24% of employees are engaged, 51% are neutral and 25% are disengaged.

Confirming the need for urgent action, the CBI reported last year that employee engagement is now the biggest challenge facing employers. Firms overwhelmingly told the CBI that their priority going forward was engagement, with 67% citing this as their focus. Seven out of 10 said employee engagement would play a vital role in their business’ recovery.

Idea Management to the rescue.

Actively listening to employees ideas and leveraging their experience and knowledge within a transparent idea management software system builds employee trust with immediate line managers (by far the major influence on an employee’s engagement is the relationship with their immediate manager, thus any system which helps build that relationship must be welcomed).

This positive relationship is crucial in making the workplace atmosphere one which welcomes the use of structured idea management as a way to orchestrate change and increase engagement. Being able to publish and share ideas and improvements through a friendly, non-threatening and focussed online suggestion box and idea management system can make a major contribution to innovation, continuous improvement and engagement.

A leader in the field – David Macleod, author of the Macleod Report to Government on Employee Engagement (May 2009) – recommends employers to review their current engagement strategies against the new approach.

“The Rules of Engagement white paper offers some thought-provoking insights to employers, well worth considering in the light of their current engagement strategies.”

The greatest compliment …

Employee engagement and idea management software go hand in hand, helping make people part of the process; commitment follows because they now have a stake in the outcome!

In contrast to such dynamic workplace democracy and a sense of commitment and responsibility, disengaged employees inhibit change. Moving forward with disengaged people is like driving a car with the brakes on – you can make progress, but it’s slow, uncomfortable and wearing!

To sum up: there is no greater compliment than asking someone what they think about an issue or ways to improve or to change – and really mean it! Listening – now as always – is key to increasing trust, understanding, motivation and engagement.

In other words to talk, not about the tools, but about the people and the pitfalls and say a few words on motivation and leadership in relation to that.

We use the phrase “workplace democracy” and we talk about that in relation to idea management. But businesses or organisations are not democracies. Management is not elected. People don’t serve fixed terms and don’t get voted out of office based on their ideas or policies. Issues and problems are not subject to resolution by popular (and maybe self- serving) vote.

On the other hand, any proposed solutions obviously emanate from the people within an organisation and it certainly makes sense to have those affected by change on your side and to listen to people with experience and/or intelligence before a decision is taken, thus idea management is certainly about inclusion and about one “man” one vote.

The task of the leaders in an Organisation

A key goal of the leaders in an organisation is to create an environment where everyone feels responsible enough for what they do, such that they try to improve it, when it might be less hassle to leave matters be. Such initiative takes effort and being able to create a climate that mobilises that effort, listens to it, encourages it and rewards it must be the key to business success and employee satisfaction.

But that is not easy to do, because “leadership” here it is not really about “management” but more about character and personality and attitude – at all levels, not just in the boardroom.

It is also group psychology that is at work on the individual. People are reluctant to suggest ideas in case colleagues think they are wrong or inappropriate or don’t understand them, and they then look foolish – or are alienated as upsetters of apple carts (UoAC’s). Others may be slow to embrace them since there can be a vested interest in the status quo and an idea may need time to be proven. So, passivity may often seem the best strategy, at least in the short term.

Is a suggestion a complaint?

In conventional ways of suggesting ideas i.e. where a suggestion (often interpreted as a complaint) is made to a line manager, the idea can be seen as a threat. And it therefore goes no further. In electronic systems where open-ness is a value and sharing a characteristic, then the impersonal nature of the idea management process is a clear advantage.

Idea management is about valuing workplace wisdom and having respect for working smarter (and being smarter) and recognising that ideas evolve and that those who implement them are as important in practice as those who create them.
Of course new ideas aren’t normally about upsetting things but rather about sensible suggestions which, once exposed or explained, can quickly gain support.

Of course the apple has a great place in the History of Ideas as Sir Isaac Newton, The Beatles and Steve Jobs have conclusively shown.

Writing about idea management is thirsty work. Anyone for a glass of cider?