As Leonardo da Vinci observed, problem-sensitivity is a key driver of ideas. Ideas come from problems and opportunities, so to have more ideas you have to train yourself to see more problems. One way to do this in an organizational setting is to come up with fresh perspectives on the work that you and your team do. A number of years ago, we were at the headquarters of Dana Corporation in Toledo, Ohio. At the time » Read More
Imagine an automobile manufacturer producing over a thousand cars a day, employing 3500 people, and putting less waste in landfills every year than an average family does every day. And imagine its green initiative is adding millions to the company’s bottom line each year. The Subaru manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana (Subaru Indiana Automotive, or SIA) is such a company. Its last waste shipment was sent to » Read More
Why do so few organizations and leaders put much value on the ideas of their front-line people? Why do most leaders end up building institutions that generally do much better at suppressing these ideas than promoting them? There are many reasons. Here’s a major one. Consider the constant reminders of their superiority that managers are bombarded with in the course of their daily work. They wear the suits, they » Read More
Every day, front-line employees see many problems and opportunities that their managers do not. They have plenty of ideas to improve productivity and customer service, to offer new or better products or services, or to enhance their organizations in other ways. But their organizations usually do better at suppressing these ideas than promoting them. Managers often wonder how big an impact a high-performing idea » Read More
Welcome to the Idea-Driven Organization blog. We believe there are few things with more potential for improving an organization’s performance than ideas from its front-line employees. Every day, front-line employees see many problems and opportunities that their managers don’t. They have plenty of ideas to improve productivity and customer service, to offer new or better products and services, or to enhance » Read More