FEATURE
Encourage everyone to capture ideas . Give everyone an ‘ ideas capturing ’ notebook
Ideas come at the strangest moments , most often when we ' re relaxed and our brains are in a ‘ diffused ’ state of mind , i . e ., when we ' re daydreaming or in the shower ! But great ideas can come and go , so naturally , we can easily forget the best ones .
Getting everyone used to capturing ideas throughout the day as part of their daily routines helps makes it safe and fun . 3M , the famous company behind the Post-It Note , had a
EVERYTHING STARTS WITH A CLEAR INNOVATION STRATEGY , DEFINING WHERE THE BUSINESS BELIEVES NEW GROWTH WILL COME FROM AND DEFINING THE KEY CHALLENGES / OPPORTUNITIES THEY ARE WANTING TO ADDRESS .
Fifteen Percent Time policy that allowed and encouraged employees to spend 15 % of their time daydreaming . It didn ' t even have to be thinking about 3M . What they wanted was for people to find that diffused state where ideas can flourish .
This policy has produced many of 3M ’ s bestselling products , a similar idea time policy is found at companies like Google and Hewlett-Packard . Make it safe to capture and explore ideas ; when everyone around you uses their ideas books , it becomes business as usual .
Don ' t make it challenging to participate
Ideas workshops and competitions linked into your overarching strategy and training are a great way to help recognise and discover ideas . Reducing the red tape or layers of approval , and making these upskilling moments open to everyone will empower the whole organisation .
This means that even if the ideas aren ’ t successful this time , they are building the capability for the future .
If your company is actively and openly working collaboratively to help everyone with an idea succeed in getting it in the process , the more likely you ' ll have people actively participating . Nothing beats seeing action .
Great ideas can be about internal innovation
Driving efficiency and productivity internally can have a significant impact on the bottom line , as new technologies and ways of working bring new opportunities to reimagine internal processes or improve the customer experience .
Give people the responsibility to do their jobs differently and have the power to improve existing processes or tools that no one has had the flexibility to question . The same skills , approach and tools for externally focused innovation can help make existing products and business lines more sustainable . What ' s more , it helps your business ultimately be ready for more significant innovation .
Stop the negativity
No one wants to suggest an idea if they feel a risk from someone immediately shutting it down or becoming a joke . You want your employees to feel that they are part of a supported process where people welcome and value their input on all levels . You cannot punish people for bad ideas . Try running a brainstorming session on the worst product the company could come up with .
Bad ideas can spark great ideas as it forces you to challenge assumptions . Microsoft ' s ActiMates Interactive Barney , which won numerous awards for its educational value , actually initially was the result of the worst product session where the ‘ team decided that a computer-controlled talking Barney doll for teaching numbers would be the product with the least possible educational value ’. That ‘ bad ’ idea sparked something in another team that led to success .
Don ' t just capture ideas ; act on them
Remember , great ideas don ' t come fully formed . Our brains are wonderful things , but we do have limitations on how we can evaluate if an idea will be great or not . We can often judge something as a failure when in reality , we need more incubation and execution before we can determine value .
Creating a structured training programme at your company will allow your talent to efficiently go through the critical process of discovery , customer validation and launch to test and ultimately approve the ideas you want your team to take forward .
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