S P OT LI G H T
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH:
Finding the HIDDEN GEMS in Your Stockpile of Ideas
THE FOUR C’S OF A
BRILLIANT IDEA SYSTEM
Collaboration
Push the process outward, not upward,
by allowing employees from all levels
to not only generate ideas but also to
take part in the vetting and selection
process. Diversity throughout the
innovation process will ensure your
ideas have a chance to shine.
Creativity
There are myriad resources for imple-
menting clever sourcing programs
that will tap into your employee’s best
ideas.. Foster a creative culture that
will allow the most innovative ideas
to evolve naturally.
Consistency
Give program parameters without
stifling creativity or fostering undue
performance anxiety among partici-
pants. Choose a scale and frequency
for your program that you can
maintain and that makes sense
for your company.
Character
If you ask employees to contribute
to the growth of the company, you
must then treat the ideas with respect.
Process suggestions quickly and honor
the input your employees offer by
taking them seriously.
“ YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE.
A CRITICAL RESOURCE
FOR KEEPING YOUR
LINES OF INNOVATION
FLOWING EFFICIENTLY
WILL BE AN INTERNAL
TEAM DESIGNATED TO
ASSESS EACH IDEA FOR
ITS VIABILITY.”
12
When it comes to innovation in business, companies often
amass a surplus of ideas from employees but don’t know how
to recognize and foster the most viable ones. Avoid downstream
roadblocks in your innovation pipeline with these guidelines
for selecting your best ideas.
Innovation is a main driver of growth in your company, but without an efficient
process, your idea program can become hopelessly clogged. Follow these
simple steps to ensure your most promising ideas have a chance to shine.
ASSEMBLE THE RIGHT TEAM
You can’t do it alone. A critical resource for keeping your lines of innovation
flowing efficiently will be an internal team designated to assess each idea
for its viability. The team should include a mix of stakeholders, including
employees from a cross-section of departments and seniority. Consider alter-
nating or rotating participation to keep things fresh, and be sure to determine
what the team will need in terms of resources, time, and guidance.
ASK THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
At the core of your innovation program is a key set of questions that the idea
team will use to determine the viability of each idea. Evaluation criteria should
be unique to your company, but include some variation of these questions
when building your own standards:
� Does the idea solve a problem for the customer, company, or community?
� Will it contribute to our growth, even if indirectly through improved safety
or efficiency?
� Which business outcomes will be affected? How?
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