Top 10 things that squash ideas

1. Top 10 !
Ways to kill employee
ideas !!
Ideascount.com!

2. Tip # 1!
Call it a Suggestion Program!
“Suggestions” implies that
!quot;
someone else needs to act.!
An effective idea program
!quot;
enables the Supervisor and
employee to work together to
implement improvements.!
The “Cycle of Respect” is
!quot;
established as Supervisors and
employees solve problems
together.!

3. Tip # 2!
Form a Blue Ribbon committee!
Using a committee to evaluate
!quot;
and approve every idea is a sure
way to slow your idea program
to a standstill.!
Those closest to the work are
!quot;
usually best suited to evaluate,
approve and implement an idea.!
Well designed guidelines can
!quot;
prevent inappropriate ideas from
being implemented.!

4. Tip # 3 !
Focus only on big “home run” ideas!
A well designed idea program is
!quot;
focused on training every employee
to see improvements both big and
small in every aspect of their work!
Home run ideas often require major
!quot;
changes that consume your
organizations time and effort to
analyze, approve and implement.!
The thousands of “base hit” ideas
!quot;
that exist in every job are usually
easy to understand and quickly
implement - adding up to big overall
improvements.!

5. Tip # 4!
Motivate by Cash Only!
Studies have shown that
!quot;
employees are eager to offer
ideas - they don’t need to be
bribed. !
Employees are motivated by both
!quot;
extrinsic (cash) and intrinsic
motivation (recognition, self-
actualization, feeling fulfilled)!

6. Tip # 5!
Link Rewards to Savings!
Linking financial rewards to an
!quot;
idea’s savings almost always
leads to disputes and
discouragement.!
Linking an idea’s savings to the
!quot;
reward involves the added
overhead of detailed tracking,
auditing, verifying and approvals.!
Recognition and small rewards for
!quot;
participation and effort are
enough to keep your program
going.!

7. Tip # 6!
Allow anonymous ideas!
An idea program’s greatest
!quot;
value is in creating an
environment where employees
and supervisors work together
to achieve success. !
Anonymous ideas defeat the
!quot;
the purpose of using an idea
system to coach and develop
people.!

8. Tip # 7!
Allow ideas to backlog!
Ironically, asking for a larger
!quot;
number of small ideas (base
hits) over fewer big ideas
usually allows for easier and
quicker implementation. A
“just do it” ethic begins to
take hold.!
Having a system that reminds
!quot;
supervisors and managers that
there are open ideas is a
great way to keep ideas
moving.!

9. Tip # 8!
Fail to promote and support your
idea program!
An idea system should be a
!quot;
key component of your
continuous improvement and
employee engagement
initiatives.!
Supervisors and managers
!quot;
need support and training in
how to become “idea
coaches”.!
Having key measurements of
!quot;
participation and impact help
to fine tune your program.!

10. Tip # 9!
Jump in without clear guidelines!
An idea program needs to
!quot;
focus on correcting process
problems and implementing
improvement ideas!
Guidelines are needed to
!quot;
encourage employees to focus
on the work they know best -
their own.!
Proper guidelines help to
!quot;
eliminate inappropriate ideas
or comments!

11. Tip # 10!
Make submitting and evaluating ideas
tedious!
Complex or “tax return” type
!quot;
idea forms discourage employees
from participation!
Supervisors and managers need
!quot;
a consistent and
straightforward way to evaluate
ideas and coach employees!
The proper documentation and
!quot;
control of ideas, attachments,
evaluations and rewards
shouldn’t become an added
burden.!