The most successful companies today use Continuous Innovation to systematically uncover what employees know should be improved and what customers really need
Questions are posed, Problems detected, stories shared, Ideas developed, Solutions found, lessons learned.
Topics categorised, routed to the right decision makers, no contribution or idea ignored or neglected.
Feedback is fast. Reports generated - for authors, managers and CEO. Progress is measured and rewarded.
Below are examples of the subjects you need feedback on. The question you ought to ask is in Organised Feedback: The description is there. The format is ready. You can add video or documents to illustrate your question. We make it simple to have great, productive conversations, which inevitably create a Culture of Improvement!
The starting point is not to think about improving things by 100%. Let's think about small change; changes to the process - one per cent change! That's your Challenge. The things you do ... the information you give to colleagues ... how can you make it a little better or clearer or quicker. You are the expert; you know best how to be better! So the challenge question is:
How do we improve 100 things by 1 per cent? What small changes would you like to make?
Becoming environment-friendly lowers our costs and makes us more competitive because we can reduce the inputs we use. In addition, the thinking process an generate better products or enable us o create new businesses. if we think of Sustainability as innovation’s "new frontier" that would be a smart move - for us and the planet!
So, here's the Question:
How can we reduce the amount of paper, power and water we use?
By clearly defining Value from the customer's perspective, all the non-value activities - which are really waste - can be targeted for removal. In this Challenge, we want you to share your customer stories, your experiences, your insights. We're not necessarily looking for ideas; we're looking to describe what customers value most or what might irritate them because of the process or because something is missing. We can all work on solutions and improvement ideas in the next Challenge.
What do customers really, really value? Are we clear?
Diversity and Inclusion are characteristics of the best companies. Diversity of people enables diversity of thought and new ideas. Inclusion literally means everyone can be involved in being able to influence how they work by suggesting improvement ideas. Diversity of experience leads to a better understanding of customer needs and priorities. That creates a stronger company and more security for all. So, the question is:
How ought we to promote diversity and learn from others? Listen to Claire's video first and the share your thoughts.
You may not have heard about it, but you will! The "Circular Economy" is about reinventing how products are created, used and maintained. Because the world's resources are limited, there's a very strong argument for ditching the "take, make, dispose" mindset and adopt "make, use, return" as our collective mantra. It’s about reinventing business standards to make the world a better place and companies like ourselves must evaluate factors such as product design, material selection, manufacturing processes and the end product's re-usability.
So ... have a look at this video and let's begin our conversations with your thoughts on being circular, not linear!
The safety of the workforce is our first concern because safety and health are personal to everyone and can have a profound impact on motivation and morale. Our goals is to make sure people aren’t worried about getting hurt and they’re free to think creatively about other parts of their jobs.
How can we improve machine performance and quality? Can we eliminate minor machine stops and breakdowns and improve safety?
This is why Steve Jobs was successful. He asked why? Why do we do it this way? And he hired smart people and he listened to them. So, here's this month's Challenge: listen to this video and then ...
Describe what you do, and why you do it that way? If you stopped doing something, would it make any difference?
We all want to be comfortable, healthy and happy at work and in life. So maybe we need to tackle elements such as emotional and mental health, social connectivity, financial education, developing a sense of fulfillment, flexible working arrangement and so on. So here's the question:
How ought we to develop or improve our wellbeing programmes?
Of course, you have flexibility to create your own challenges. And encourage departments to do so too. Or invite anyone to suggest a Challenge. that's uppermost in your mind? Get feedback! Exploit the wisdom of the Crowd! Any issue that needs diverse views, or perhaps specialist (but latent) knowledge - just post a Challenge!
Organisations - big or small - make progress because of motivated individuals in focused teams.
The key to success is how you meld systems and technology into your organisational structure. And do it in such a way that it becomes natural to discuss problems and make sensible ideas flow.
