You’ve probably never heard of innovation evaporation, but it is a silent killer of business potential and it infects almost all organizations. Innovation evaporation happens when an employee has a great idea to solve a problem, improve a product, save money, or improve customer support and for one reason or another, nothing happens. Like a flame going out, the potential is lost. Sometimes ideas for improvement and innovation evaporate simply because they are never expressed. Other times, everyone agrees the idea is a good one, but no one acts. Occasionally, an attempt to implement the innovation is made, but is poorly managed and the results are disappointing. Innovation evaporation is an epidemic, but there is a cure - idea software.

What is Idea Software?

Idea software is designed to help you capture ideas from your employees before they get away and ensure that they are executed to achieve excellent, measurable results. It has four main components:

Identify – Every employee is asked to identify and document ideas that will result in an improvement in service, products, safety, sales, or profitability. The idea software serves as a repository for these proposed innovations.

Act – Idea software also has a workflow engine that helps manage the process as teams come together to discuss, plan and execute the proposed innovation. Alerts and notifications are built in so that mangers and staff know what progress is being made.

Resolve – Success means that problems are solved, gains are made, and improvements are achieved. Idea software provides a mechanism for measuring the impact of each innovation and determining the final ROI. Successful ideas can then be applied to similar problems and the results become contagious.

Recognize – The best way to get more great ideas from employees is to recognize them when they contribute. Idea software makes it easy for managers and executive teams to recognize and reward their most innovative employees.

How Does it Stop Innovation Evaporation?

Using idea software is like putting a lid on a jar of water. Once ideas are captured in the system, they cannot be lost due to lack of expression. Automated workflow ensures that all ideas are at least considered, so lack of action is less of a problem. Because the solution supports idea implementation, the risk of poor results is reduced and successful innovations become a reality. As a bonus, when people see ideas turn to action and then results, they are more likely to think about, suggest, and implement opportunities for improvement. 

So if your business is suffering from innovation evaporation, and it probably is, consider an idea software solution before any more great potential gets away.