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Innovations do not come about by chance. They need a structured approach and the right support. Many organisations have an enormous potential of creative minds that often remains untapped. This is precisely where ideas management comes in. Systematic and structured idea management taps into the collective intelligence of your employees and transforms spontaneous ideas into realisable improvements. [1] With transruptions support, you will discover how your departments can realise their full innovation potential.
What is idea management and why it counts for your departments
Idea management encompasses the systematic handling of ideas for innovations and suggestions for improvement. [1] The process begins with the spontaneous identification of a reason for change. This is followed by the generation of options, their evaluation and finally the selection of an appropriate approach. The final step is implementation through organised measures. [1]
Why is this so valuable for your departments? Companies that practice systematic idea management utilise the idea potential of their entire workforce. [5] This leads to greater competitiveness, cost savings and more motivated employees. [5] Clients often report greater commitment following the introduction of structured ideas processes.
transruptions support helps you not to view idea management as a compulsory task. Instead, it becomes an opportunity to activate the creative power of every department and achieve measurable success.
Idea management in practice: five key steps
An effective ideas management process follows a clear structure. [3] This ensures transparency, fairness and efficiency in your departments. The five key steps are
Step 1: Idea submission and collection
Employees submit their suggestions via various channels. [9] These can be suggestion boxes, digital platforms or brainstorming sessions. [9] The collection takes place in a centralised system that ensures no valuable ideas are lost. [9]
Example from production: A machine operator notices that a process step is running inefficiently. He submits his suggestion for improvement via the digital idea management system. The idea is documented and awaits evaluation.
Example from sales: A salesperson collects customer feedback and recognises a gap in the product portfolio. He shares his suggestion with the marketing team via an innovation platform.
Example from administration: Administrative staff realise that approval processes take too long. They jointly submit an idea for digitalisation and thus enrich the idea management of their department.
Step 2: Maturing and enriching ideas
Selected ideas are refined and further developed. [3] This can include cross-functional collaboration, prototyping and testing. [9] In this phase, rough concepts are transformed into concrete proposals for action.
Transruption support provides impetus for this maturing phase. You support your teams in changing perspectives and discovering new points of view.
Step 3: Evaluation according to criteria
Each idea is evaluated against predefined criteria. [3] Questions such as feasibility, profitability and strategy alignment help with the categorisation. Modern systems also use generative AI to automatically evaluate ideas. [3]
Step 4: Selecting the most promising ideas
The idea funnel ensures that the most promising proposals are selected. [3] A sensible allocation of resources follows this selection. This ensures that great ideas do not get lost in the crowd. [3]
Step 5: Implementation and establishment
The selected ideas are realised and established as new standards. [1] Clear responsibilities and regular feedback ensure success. The department receives a stable result that improves the status quo.
Creativity techniques for successful idea management
Without targeted creativity techniques, idea management remains superficial. Structured methods increase the quality and quantity of ideas submitted. [3] Here are proven techniques that work in many departments:
Brainstorming as a classic in idea management
Brainstorming is probably the best known and most frequently used idea management tool. [7] Several employees work together to collect ideas on a specific topic. All ideas should be welcome, even the unusual ones. [7] Only then are the ideas evaluated and pursued further. [7]
Practical tip: Schedule 45 minutes for a brainstorming session. The first half is for wild, uncritical brainstorming. The second half is for evaluating and clustering the ideas.
SCAMPER method for systematic further development
The SCAMPER method is a creativity technique for idea management to generate innovative ideas. [7] It is based on seven questions: Which elements can be replaced, combined, adapted, changed, used differently, omitted or reversed? [8]
Example from logistics: A company asks: What can we combine? Answer: We combine warehouse management with real-time tracking. This leads to a completely new quality of service in the idea management of supply chain processes.
Example from customer service: What can we leave out? Answer: Complicated ticketing systems. This leads to faster response times and more satisfied customers.
Example from product development: What can we reverse? Answer: Instead of adapting products to customers, we let customers develop them together. This promotes new idea management in product innovation.
Design thinking for user-centred idea management
Design thinking is a user-centred approach to innovation management. [8] Teams understand complex problems, develop empathy for users and develop innovative solutions through iterative prototyping. [8] The process follows five steps: empathising, defining, developing ideas, prototyping and testing. [10]
The design thinking process is iterative. [10] The entire process or individual steps can be repeated as required. [10] This flexibility makes it ideal for cross-departmental idea management.
Six Thinking Hats for structured changes of perspective
This method works with six different thinking modes. [3] Each hat represents a perspective: facts, risks, opportunities, emotion, creativity and critical thinking. [3] A structured change of perspective uncovers blind spots and enriches idea management in the long term.
Idea management in various industries: Concrete examples
Successful departments use idea management in a sector-specific way. There are very different challenges and opportunities here:
Idea management in industry and manufacturing
In production companies, ideas are generated at the machine. Employees recognise potential for improvement every day. Systematic idea management gives them an outlet for their observations.
Example 1: A company integrates Lean Six Sigma into its idea management. [1] Employees analyse sources of error and present suggestions for optimisation. The error rate falls by 23 per cent within six months.
Example 2: Value stream mapping becomes part of the idea management system. [1] Teams identify waste and propose targeted measures. Lead times are significantly reduced.
Example 3: A mechanical engineering company uses open innovation in idea management. [8] Customers provide feedback that flows directly into product development. New features are created faster and meet the market more precisely.
Idea management in services and IT
In the service sector, great potential for innovation arises from customer contact. Idea management makes this knowledge accessible to the entire organisation.
Example 1: An IT company introduces internal crowdsourcing. [12] Programmers and designers refine ideas together before they become a project. [12] The development teams work faster and with fewer errors.
Example 2: A consulting company organises regular hackathons. These are a modern idea management tool for rapid prototype development. Functioning concepts are created within a day.
Example 3: A bank uses design thinking in idea management. They understand the unfulfilled needs of their customers. This results in banking services that solve real problems instead of just selling them.
Idea management in the public sector
Public authorities and administrations benefit from structured idea management. Employees who work with citizens on a daily basis know exactly where there is potential for improvement.
Example 1: A city administration introduces digital idea management for all departments. Clerks suggest process optimisations. Authorisation procedures become more transparent and faster.
Example 2: A health authority uses brainstorming in ideas management to address current challenges. The exchange of ideas across departmental boundaries leads to innovative solutions.
Example 3: A school administration organises idea pitch sessions. Teachers, parents and pupils contribute their suggestions for better school development. Participatory idea management improves the school climate and learning outcomes.
Unleash your idea management with transruption coaching
transruptions support provides you with targeted assistance in implementing effective idea management. Clients report that they:
- Finding the right balance between open creativity and structured evaluation
- Align their departments with a new culture of innovation
- Realise measurable improvements on a regular basis
- noticeably increase employee motivation
- Bringing interdisciplinary teams together better
BEST PRACTICE with one customer (name hidden due to NDA contract)An industrial company with four production sites had formally established idea management, but the participation rate was below 10 per cent. The system was redesigned through transruptions support. Teams received training in design thinking and SCAMPER. A digital idea management portal was designed to be more user-friendly. The result: participation increased to 67 per cent within three months. The ideas submitted led to savings of over 2.3 million euros in the first year. Employee satisfaction increased by 31 per cent.
Frequent challenges in idea management and their solutions
Many
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