Every human is gifted with creativity of varying degrees and this is why there is so much potential all around us of generating new ideas. It is the creative instinct within us that drives towards new discoveries. It also encourages people to think differently and to look at things differently. Nobody understands this better than business owners and managers, who are dying to harness creative ideas and make its best use through innovations. It depends on a person’s creative abilities to generate new ideas and innovation managers have to simply capture it in the way butterflies end up in the net. With this task in hand and a wide horizon to cover in chasing ideas, innovation program managers are more and more inclined to use idea management software.
The early stages of innovation program
Ideas are crude and need to be refined after evaluating its potential that often lay hidden. However, no ideas should be sent to the trash bin unless it has been properly evaluated. But before anything happens, innovation managers have to set the ball rolling by giving a clarion call to launch the innovation program. It is his responsibility to ensure that all employees of the organization are effectively reached. In the next stage, the manager has to ensure that there is maximum response from employees.
What happens next to the ideas that are collected has been explained in the opening sentence of this paragraph. The beginning has just been made and there is a long way to travel or the manager. This is when he thanks the management for allowing him to make use of the idea management software, without which he would have been a dud.
Taking it to the next level
The task is cut out for the innovation manager who relies heavily on the software to take him through the end game. And the end game is what everyone wants to see with bated breath. What have been the fate of the ideas that are collected is what both employees and the management are eager to know.
Employees have contributed ideas in the belief that if it is found to be good it will be put to proper use for which they expect rewards and recognition. They have trusted the management that also is keen to see what value addition is possible from the ideas. Innovation managers are thus answerable to both sections of stake holders of the innovation program. He well understands the challenge that awaits him to take the program ahead towards the culmination stage.
Transparency builds trust
Sifting through enormous databases to hunt for usable ideas is well achieved with the help of idea management software. The ideas that progress through the process are enriched by collaboration with bigger groups. The entire flow of ideas can be witnessed by all stakeholders, courtesy the software.
This helps to build trust among employees who are interested to know the final outcome of the campaign. And not stopping at it, they get ready for contributing to the next one.