A great ideas management system (IDMS) captures and helps ideas germinate, and supports the team to develop them into possible solutions.
Many organisations use an innovation working group to assess and resource the ideas that are generated. This is the funnel approach. While it is great at capturing ideas, it can often lead to some chaotic and undesirable outcomes.
Very often, the system generates an initial enthusiastic influx of ideas from staff but it very quickly becomes clear that it does not have the capacity to manage the number of ideas; ideas lie dormant and everyone loses their enthusiasm.
This shows that the IDMS has been poorly structured and resourced.
For an ideas management system to flourish, you need to consider these key issues:
- Does the organisation have an innovation strategy and has this strategy been cascaded down to the program or business level to interpret what the innovation strategy means to these parts of the business?
- Do the organisation’s values and culture support an ideas management system? If not, these will need to be addressed before an IDMS is implemented.
- Does the organisation commit to resourcing the IDMS?
- Is the IDMS to be a funnel system or a targeted (i.e. specific areas or issues targeted according to the organisations innovation strategy)
- How does the IDMS system fit with initiatives such as continuous improvement, breakthrough innovation, management directions, etc.?
Good preparation and positioning the organisation’s culture and strategy will allow for an easy transition to the implementation of an IDMS.
These are just a few of the many issues that the Applied innovation Centre can guide organisations through in the pathway to implementing an IDMS. We adopt a holistic and structured approach to innovation and ideas creation.
If you need assistance in creating or iplementing a sound IDMS, and wish to enhance innovation, feel free to contact us.
AIC is partnering with Nectir to provide our clients with the best Ideas Management system to use in their journey towards a sustainable culture of innovation.
The Nectir ideas management system is an exciting and collaborative way to help you align your innovative ideas with your strategic direction.