• Asking
• Brainstorming
• Testing

Before investing in a new idea, an organization can significantly increase its chance of success with little or no added cost.

Since good and profitable ideas can come from anywhere establishing a process to get them is the first step. Ask everyone and reward those who help. As a jet engine technician in the Air Force I won significant cash awards by presenting ideas for process improvement because I was asked.

Even our government understands that no individual or group has a monopoly on good ideas.

Your suppliers and customers may have insights not able to be seen inside your organization. Ask everyone who might have worth while suggestions.

Tackle one area at a time and develop a clear statement of the objective. For example, “What spe­cific actions could we take to reduce customer waiting time?” Make sure that new ideas have no nega­tive side-effects. If you’re aiming to reduce customer waiting time, don’t do so at the expense of profit margins.

Since you’re looking for new ideas in one specific area, for example “reduce customer waiting time,” limit acceptable ideas to only those capable of…

• Immediate implementation.
• Requiring no signifi­cant investment.
• That will add more profits.

By being very clear as to what you’re asking for, you’re very likely to get it.

In addition to asking everyone a very clear and focused question about an area of improvement, consider bringing together groups for brainstorming. After framing the question either allow a few minutes for silent writing or as IDEO, a consulting firm specializing in innovation does, use verbal “green light” brainstorming with someone recording every idea. Each participant should write or say as many ideas as they can.

During brainstorming don’t allow any discus­sion, questions, or comments. Shoot for 100 ideas and post them exactly as people state them. Next discuss each idea combining or eliminating them. This process will bring you down to a precious few “new idea gems.”

Paul Talbot of Talbot Corporate Services, Inc. shares a brain storming technique he calls CREATE.

• C-ontribute ideas.
• R-ecord them all.
• E-liminate the obvious.
• A-ssess the rest.
• T-ake the best.
• E-xecute flawlessly.

Beware of the law of unintended consequences and before full implementation be sure to test new ideas and understand that the judge and jury are your customers. Ideas that will reduce customer waiting time at a retail store check out line may unintentionally cause the customer to feel rushed and treated in an impersonal way.

Likewise an inbound caller to a service business who now reaches a human being rather than a complex and frustrating automated answering system might also be unhappy because of the inability of that “live receptionist” to connect them with the right person to care for their needs. Every new idea must be carefully and thoroughly put on trial for its life…before being implemented.

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