Part 2: Low Marks for Managing Innovation

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  amichaels@...11/06/07 Report as spam
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  Idea Submission Should Be Normal Part of Strategic Planning

  Corporate ideas are frequently lost in cyberspace because few companies have identified the proper workflow for processing ideas. The right solution for most companies is to have a well-designed corporate planning structure that includes one corporate plan, a business unit plan for each strategic business unit, a cost center plan for each shared department, and, optionally, a group plan for each organizational group. The plans should be viewed as ongoing documents with appropriate management controls for who can see what portions of each plan.
  
  Ideas, then, should be sent to the appropriate owner of each plan and incorporated into a section called ?Ideas to Be Considered.? A copy of each idea should also be sent to the corporate planning department to maintain a master list which users should be able to sort and search, assuming they have the proper authorization. At a minimum, however, employees should have access to the status of the ideas they have submitted.
  
  For even greater benefits, companies should link their competitive intelligence capabilities with their idea generation process. It?s amazing how the exact same idea can be dismissed and ignored when presented as an internal proposal, and yet a few hours later it can be viewed as a brilliant move and competitive threat when it?s presented in a scenario planning exercise as a new initiative by a major competitor.
  
  Linking idea generation with competitive intelligence activities improves and reinforces both activities. It also moves the discussion beyond isolated internal suggestions into their proper context by analyzing each idea within the context of a proper industry analysis.
  
  Alan S. Michaels
  Co-founder, eCompetitors.com

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  TeriR11/27/07 Report as spam
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  RE: Part 2: Low Marks for Managing Innovation

  I agree this is one of the blind spots which CEO's and other senior leaders - particularly of large organizations - tend to have. A real-life example of this is my own experience at a Fortune 300 corporation where the dichotomy existed between the President of the division I worked in - who accepted ideas directly from all employees in his organization - and his trusted senior leaders who were coaching employees, in the strategic planning process, to only suggest to move forward the innovative development ideas they were interested in taking up with the President (in order to lead strategic planning successfully and move ahead in the company.)
  
  The message was clear that if it wasn't one of the senior leader's pet projects to pursue, it wasn't worthy, and in fact would be a negative reflection on the individual who thought it was worth bringing up. And the President had no clue this was going on in the senior ranks or how it dis-incented an innovative culture within his organization.

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  bestpraxclub01/17/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Part 2: Low Marks for Managing Innovation

  I am not at all surprised
  The self-assessment tool , called 'Barometer', in BestPrax Club's Business Excellence Model, reveals very much the same perception, at ground levels of management.
  Fortunately, processes tried and tested are available, to put CEO's back on rail, and project 'true leadership.....tony

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  jorgerodriguez3@...01/18/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Part 2: Low Marks for Managing Innovation

  We have been using an online product called EmployeeSuggestionBox.com for employees to submit ideas and it is already paying off.

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  Innovation Speaker01/27/08 Report as spam
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  Beyond the Suggestion Box

  Glad to see your organization is taking active steps to involve your work force. People want to help their organization succeed, they only need to be given the opportunity. More important and difficult than gathering ideas is being committed financially and emotionally to taking the risks necessary to attempt to implement some of them.
  
  Related article at:
  
  http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/2007/11/shes-brickhouse-of-innovation.html

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  grumpywun01/18/08 Report as spam
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  Suggestion System

  Toyota uses Kaizen to improve all aspects of the company. It is a simple program, low cost to implement with huge paybacks. Promoting employee input and acceptance of their ideas will greatly enhance the performance of any company and buy in by the employees. Remember the KISS method and apply it often.

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  Mike T K01/21/08 Report as spam
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  Turning BIG Ideas into BIG Results

  The way to genearte innovation is to create a daily working environment that encourages people to participate in improving the business. Too often innovation is treated as something to be done in offsites or managed through some paperwork process...neither of which are successful. There is a good article on how to create an environment of innovation at the following link.
  
  http://bigideastobigresults.com/archives/18#more-18