innovation without waste

Imagine that your employees present you with an idea that is not compatible with your strategic approach and goals, and is not scientifically valid. The common reaction of managers is to reject this idea completely. This seems like a reasonable decision.

But what if we could extract some value from this idea? I learned from studying innovation leadership, coaching and gamification methods that we can benefit from these ideas as well. Before we explore the methods and techniques that help us to transform completely ineffective ideas into useful ones, we need to establish a culture of innovation in our organization. We need to show our team members that we value their creative input. If you oppose your employees’ ideas with many arguments, they and others will stop sharing their ideas with you. But if you encourage them to research and even reward them for trying, even if they fail, they will continue to offer you their ideas.

One of the techniques that helps you to use ineffective ideas and create a culture of innovation in your organization is this: Create two dolls. Take one doll as the manager and give the other doll to the employee who gave you the idea. Evaluate the positive aspects of the idea yourself. Use your doll to express the negative aspects of the idea. The employees have to examine the negative aspects of the idea and use their doll to repeat the positive aspects. After examining the different dimensions of the idea, ask the employees to do some research on the topics related to their idea and explain to them the business goals and strategies. Tell them that they will be partners in the profit if they can generate some value for you.

Maybe this technique is not effective for you. You can read more about innovation leadership to learn about other techniques or work with an innovation leader for your organization.