A lot of companies use an ever-more-sophisticated array of online social tools in an attempt to connect their people, get a flow of ideas going, and spur innovation. But after an initial flurry of activity, the initiatives often fizzle and the new tools get tucked away somewhere. What goes wrong? Why is the goal of a more collaborative and innovative organization so elusive?
Consider a real example: Not long after a company created an online suggestion box on its new intranet, with all the bells and whistles of the latest social-media technologies, an executive lamented: "All we get are a bunch of complaints and impossibly wild ideas that we couldn't follow up on in a million years."
And there lies the problem. The span of ideas and suggestions on internal social platforms is often so extensive that follow-up is impossible. When ideas are ignored, or at least appear to be, people quickly get discouraged and stop contributing.
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The solution is as simple as the problem: Put the resourcefulness and creativity of your people to meaningful and specific use. This particular company reversed the function of the suggestion box. Rather than treating it as a receptacle for whatever anyone wanted to talk or complain about, the company turned it into a "solution" box — a place to get help solving specific problems or capturing new business opportunities. Employees are individually invited to participate. Some are chosen randomly; others are picked on the basis of their experience and past practical insights about the topic.
Learn more about the results in this HBR.org article by Johan Aurik, managing partner/chairman of A.T. Kearney and coauthor of The Future of Strategy.
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