- Image via Wikipedia
I have had the opportunity to view the inner working of hundreds of organizations. I am always amazed that in each company regardless of size, industry or location, there are employees who make improvements that are never captured by the company at large. You see, most people come to work wanting to do a good job and in the course of doing their job they find a better, faster, more efficient way to get the job done. More often than not, they don’t seek credit or even give it much thought and the innovation or improvement remains undocumented and unheralded.
These days, viral is all the rage. Having your content go viral is the holy grail for many marketers. However, opportunities are missed to culture an internal environment where big ideas go viral. Sometimes the next big thing is right under your own roof. Social media is not exclusive to your external communities. Creating an internal environment that promotes sharing, where ideas can go viral may be the smartest move a company can make.
When’s the last time an idea went viral in your company?
Hi Henry, it’s so true we often ignore or devalue our internal resources while we go outside to “experts” for answers. Thanks for your comment!
Hear hear, Karen. We often get so caught up with what the majority is following and thinks hip that we forget to look right under our noses for inspiration and innovation.
It is very true what you said up there. It is common that the employee is the one who makes the big improvement, and they do it because they are the ones that see what is really happening inside the company, and they do not seek rewards because all what they want is to do their job the best possible.
Hi Terry, AMEN! The other part of that scripture aptly applies as well, that propphet “can do no miracles there.” When you do not allow room for the gifts you miss the miracles too.
This reminds me of: “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” It’s easy to respect those we don’t know intimately and disrespect those we do, just because we do.
Just had to pop back by and give a big, old-fashioned “Amen!” to Andrew’s statements! 🙂
Karen, Good point. Whatever our position within an organisation, I think that each of us has a basic human need to feel that we are productive, to feel that we are creating and achieving something of value (whether big or small), to feel as though we are making a difference and putting our best foot forward. That is why I think many of us spot small improvements and change the way we work accordingly.
By encouraging an environment of open communication and sharing, companies can harness this power and spread the benefits of these incremental improvements across the organisation.
Excellent points, Karen! So often we miss the things that should be the most obvious. Wonder what that says about our mindset!