INDIVIDUAL’S BEHAVIORS

  • Defer judgment
  • Agree on issues, methods, and ideas
  • When listening to an idea, build on the idea, suggesting ways to improve, expand
  • Put up the problem on a common wall and have everyone around put up suggestions on the paper, post-its, etc. Keep issue up for 3-4 days
  • Send folks to functional/non-functional outside seminars and conferences
  • Encourage people to build on other’s ideas
  • Ask leaders for what is needed from them to develop an idea

LEADER’S BEHAVIORS

  • Recognize that employees are people
  • Encourage to pursue an idea
  • Listen to all ideas, don’t eliminate any
  • Offer encouragement for ideas and plans
  • Appreciate suggestions and consider them carefully
  • Say “Thank you” often
  • Look at the idea right away, do no just shove it aside
  • Offer new projects with new tools
  • Ask people to write up their idea in a report
  • Comment on a “good job”
  • Establish concurrence
  • Listen
  • Set up routine meetings to share ideas and share personal things — format for getting help and support for ideas of all members of the group
  • Review project with the supervisor, he/she “asks”: “What other approaches might work?” “Have you considered? ” “How else can this be done?” “What kind of support do you need?”
  • Listen to an idea, build on the idea, suggesting ways to improve, expand
  • Provide the freedom to develop a plan to resolve a problem
  • Say “That was a great idea” or that I “…did a really good job.”
  • Recognize hard work and effort
  • Share ideas in a team setting which allows discussion without judgment
  • Create a non-evaluative E-mail conference for idea generation
  • Have an idea room for idea generation
  • Encourage a synergy that often is not realized because management does not take/have time to coach, critique or add to ideas. Ideas often die on the vine because they do not receive the necessary initial nurturing
  • Ask “How can I help you achieve your goals?”
  • Ask for people’s opinion, make them feel valued
  • Knockdown barriers that employees can’t conquer
  • Maintain a genuine openness for new ideas, but insist they be well thought out. Listen attentively and thoroughly, and give them full consideration until they are accepted, or circumstances divulge their faults
  • Set up an award system for those ideas that benefit the organization the most. Recognition should be public. If an idea isn’t used, explain why and encourage more

ORGANIZATION’S BEHAVIORS

  • Provide sufficient resources
    • Provide an environment conducive to creativity such as “idea labs”
    • Organize E-mail conference for brainstorming
  • Permit off-sites, outside seminars, and conferences