Innovation Streams? Businesses call them Research and Development or Idea Management Systems? What are those streams named in your organization and how do they flow?
When there aren't inclusive innovation streams, dams occur, and those dams stifle innovation, new ideas and change.
When there are known innovation streams in an organization, whispers in the hall and side conversations turn into shared ideas with potential for growth and better work.
What do your innovation streams look like? How do they work? If you don't have innovation streams, how would you develop them, and what would they replace, if anything? Does your organization value innovation and change, and are ideas welcome from all parts of the organization? Research has demonstrated that many of the best ideas come from the front line, the people who are actually doing your organization's work each day.
Recently I heard about a a new idea management software, 15Five, that could help organizations with idea management and innovation streams. It seemed like one simple way to take ideas from many aspects of an organization and feed those ideas to management in streamlined, efficient ways. Although, I'm wondering if that program gives credit and voice to the people who first share the ideas, because if idea sharers never receive credit or response, the ideas might stop. I'm sure there are many other systems and strategies out there for growing organizations and letting innovation streams flow. If you have one you like, I hope you'll share as I believe the addition of inclusive idea streams in every organization will enhance the mission, vision and work performed.
