The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas Hardcover – March 31, 2014

Conversations I have with business leaders rapidly move to one common problem: The current business environment is brutal, and shareholders are not satisfied with anything less than growth.The knee-jerk answer is to grow the bottom line by cutting costs, which usually means cutting jobs and squeezing suppliers further. However, as Tom Peters famously pointed out in 1997, “You can’t shrink your way to greatness.” You could not then, and you cannot now.Clearly, if your strategy is flawed, nothing will help until that is problem is resolved. However, your strategy is essentially sound, the ideas driven organization could well be the full answer to your problems, or at least a substantial part of it. Let me repeat that: The central idea of this book could well be the full answer to your problems, or at least a substantial part of it.The authors, Robinson and Schroeder are consultants, and lecturers. Between them, they have advised hundreds of organizations in more than twenty -five countries on how to improve their innovativeness and performance.Their solution involves the very people that bear much of the burden of the problem – frontline employees. These people see many problems and opportunities that their managers do not, but organizations have very successfully suppressed their ideas rather than promoting them.If managers were able to implement twenty, fifty, or even a hundred ideas per person per year, everything would change. If this sounds fantastical, it is not. Organization that have implemented processes to garner frontline employee’s ideas and then implement the best ones have shown spectacular growth, even in difficult trading conditions.Dave Brailsford, director of British Cycling and manager of cycling’s Team Sky, was asked how the team managed to win seven out of a possible ten gold medals at the 2012 Olympics. He explained that it was not one critical thing that did it, rather it was “the aggregation of marginal gains,” – doing many things, just a little bit better.This is true for business as well.Traditionally, organizations have been directed and driven from the top. To achieve today, in this difficult environment, they need to be directed from the top, but are driven by ideas from the bottom.You probably have a “Suggestion Box” somewhere, and most probably, it has yielded little. Perhaps you have held an organization wide contest for brilliant ideas with a fabulous prize or two that, similarly, yielded little.As the authors point out, these idea-gathering processes are deeply flawed and rarely yield more than an implementable idea or two. There are many reasons for this. Gathering “suggestions” is simply that, suggestions which “the adults” will review decide on. It is based on the presumption that someone in head office is better able to decide on what is best for customers he has never met that is the deliveryman.Additionally, the deliveryman is most unlikely to offer a suggestion to his superiors, many of whom would not take advice gracefully from a corporate inferior. Of course, many of the ideas that come from the front-line in idea forums are simply a waste of time and effort.To garner many quality ideas requires the implementation of a well thought through process that addresses this multifaceted challenge.In organizations where management lacks the humility to realise that their superior education and elevated positions do not make them experts on everything, failure is guaranteed. This is why there is a training element necessary if the organization is to be driven by ideas from the vast majority of staff who are not in head offices.Irrelevant ideas that cannot be implemented are a very quick way of burying this initiative. There needs to be unequivocal clarity regarding what is being sought: Customer retention; increased margin; and increased turnover. This will have to be translated into relevant goals for each participating department.For our deliveryman, this translates into finding ways to make the customers you deliver to happier. It means finding ways to save costs in delivery such as not wasting fuel and organizing your routes better. It entails looking for products the companies you deliver to could be buying from us.When ideas come in, they need to be dealt with rapidly. There are few ways to demotivate a staff member faster than not having suggestions acted on.The value of this book lies in two areas. The first is the description of idea-systems from organizations ranging from hospitality to hospitals, from services to manufacturing, and even from government. The second is the prescription for implementing this process in your organization. This is not a “paint-by-numbers” prescription, rather the steps in the process you will need to customise to your company.If you have any doubts about the efficacy of this approach consider the results in one of many examples in the book. The Clarion-Stockholm is a four-star hotel in the centre of Stockholm. Staff routinely averages more than fifty ideas per year each. They have been trained to look for problems, and for opportunities to improve. While Sweden was feeling the impact of the global recession, the authors reported that they could not get rooms at the Clarion. The hotel was fully booked for most of the next nine months.Based on their extensive experience, Robinson and Schroeder estimate that “some 80 percent of an organization’s potential for improvement lies in front-line ideas.” Even if they are only half right, this book deserves your immediate attention.Readability Light -+--- SeriousInsights High -+--- LowPractical High +---- LowIan Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works

It is not often that an idea grabs my attention the way this book did. In short, if you want your company to have engaged, innovative problem solvers, stop looking for the leaders to have all the good ideas. Instead, look to your frontline employees. How do you do this? That's the magic of this book Robinson and Schroeder give you the step-by-step process for implementing an employee idea system. They back it with relevant stories and compelling research. If you run a company with more than 10 employees, you can't afford to miss out on this idea.

In un tempo in cui va di gran moda l'innovazione dirompente un libro che parla di innovazione dal basso, fatta da un lavoro costante e sostanzialmente incrementale da chi sta principalmente sull'ultimo miglio e meglio di altri può vedere i problemi (che di per sè costituiscono una fonte importantissima) e individuare soluzioni intelligenti.Qui sta il bello di questo libro: una nutrita serie di casi che fanno riflettere e ispirano anche qualche idea da applicare.Gli autori non mancano di criticare alcuni approcci strutturati e costosi (in primis six sigma) ampiamente superati a loro dire dal coinvolgimento dal basso capace di idee geniali che six sigma non è in grado di far emergere (celebre il caso Coca Cola).Nel complesso un buon contributo a quella parte di innovazione, che spesso non si considera tale.Restano tuttavia una serie di domande. Una soprattutto. Se, come il libro sostiene, l'organizzazione guidata dalle idee di miglioramento funziona così bene, come mai così poche aziende al mondo la adottano?

The book takes you from no system in place, creates the case for change backed by many examples, and provides a high level roadmap. Each chapter also includes a summary of key take-a-ways which help the reader reflect on the chapter.The book also uncovers some areas that may be blind spots, for example, the importance of having the right people in place, and organizational alignment of other key systems.I recommend this book for all senior leaders looking to transform their organization into an idea-driven organization.

This book introduces an employee idea system that is at a whole new level to any suggestion programs I have ever experienced. The successes of some of the companies implementing similar idea-driven programs are a real eye opener. I was amazed at companies getting more than 50 ideas per employee per year, some even more, and even more impressive is the implementation rates as high as 90% with 75-80% not uncommon. Everything is here including processes, and best practices for implementation.This is a well-written easy read with a lot of facts and success stories that spark your imagination and desire to be part of an idea-driven organization.

Well written, provocative and easy to read. Inspires those who believe everyone has something to contribute the success of a business. I have given this book as a gift many times to colleagues and friends.

As a practitioner in the field of organisational innovation through front-line employees, I found this book an indispensable resource. The authors' are the undisputed experts in this field and their insights and guidance comes from practical experience. Making innovation happen in any organisation is a challenging endeavor, this book will show you how. A must have for any organisational manager who wants to engage employees and tap into their creative potential.

This book is a must for every company who is looking for succeed in the long term. The Frontline is the 80% of your company's secret power, here you will find a great tool to understand and implement a new way of work, for many managers a dangerous new way, but for the good of the shareholders the best way to get a greater company.

Conteúdo do livro

This book holds true to the first thing I learnt when I came out of university and went to a Strategy Consulting department of a major international accountants."Don't worry about knowing nothing about their business, son. Just go and talk to the guys on the shop floor. They'll know exactly what's wrong and exactly what to do to fix it. The board just get us in because they haven't worked out they should ask them themselves."That, great spelling on presentations and the ability to swap an acetate on an overhead projector without your hand shaking was the key to a healthy life in consultancy.Learn what this book teaches you and implement it in your own business and your customers will be happier, your employees will be happier and your costs will be lower.It's not hard...just trust that people are naturally driven to improve the things they see around them, and that most big businesses are structured to limit and frustrate their staff rather than inspire and empower them.Change the mindset and change the world :-)

A little dry in places but a real eye opener on what can be achieved - if you have the balls to put it in place. Centres a good deal on production based roles so it would be good to see more examples on how this can be applied to a modern tech based company.

Simple and concise step by step guide, that includes others pitfalls. If you want to create or improve on vertical and horizontal alignment within an organisation, then don't start without reading this book first.

Very inspiring to read. I like that the book has a lot of case examples