Many entrepreneurs and chief executive officers are unaware that there are many factors that put ordinary workers at a great advantage over R&D and management when it comes to generating useful improvement ideas and even new products ideas for a corporation.

The people in research are usually hindered by the fact that it is difficult for them to stay in touch with the day to day running of the business and the problems that arise. Usually they will be following and developing a particular idea. In today’s fast-paced world it is not uncommon for ideas to become obsolete even as they are still on the drawing table or in the development stage in the R&D department.

Management has plenty of other things on their plate to really be in the proper frame of mind to develop useful ideas for a business.

This in sharp contrast to the ordinary worker who has plenty going for them. It has been proven time and again that the most useful ideas for cutting costs, developing new products and ideas that increase profits usually come from ordinary workers in a corporation.

Admittedly this does not happen automatically and a deliberate effort has to be made by management to encourage the regular generation of ideas for improvement from staff. In fact in most cases an expert will have to be called in to help create the sort of environment that will encourage and inspire ideas from workers.

Still the benefit from any small investment that is made is enormous. In fact the success of companies like Toyota and the Lean manufacturing revolution depend a lot on a free flow of information and ideas from staff and ordinary workers.

So if you are one of the many folks who believe that the best ideas come from management or research and development, it is time to re-think the whole thing and to closely look at the statistics in leading corporations and well-known brand producers all over the world. They all point in a different direction

Copyright © 2005 Chuck Yorke - All Rights Reserved

Chuck Yorke is an organizational development and performance improvement specialist, trainer, consultant and speaker. His specialty is helping companies improve by tapping into the creative ideas of their workers. He is also co-author, along with Norman Bodek, of All You Gotta Do Is Ask, a book that explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from employees. Chuck may be reached at ChuckYorke@yahoo.com

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