The Idea-Driven Organization

Your Most Valuable Resource

Most organizations neglect their most valuable resource: the insight of their “front-line employees.” However, “idea-driven” companies listen to their workforce, a source of their most innovative solutions. Becoming idea driven is challenging, and the transformation takes time, perhaps six months for a small firm and up to two years for a large corporation.

With steady effort since the mid-1990s, the CEO of Brasilata has transformed this Brazilian company into an idea-driven organization. Brasilata is in an industry most analysts consider mature and not very glamorous: It makes steel cans. Yet, annually, its “nearly 1,000 ‘inventors’ (front-line employees) come up with some 150,000 ideas, 90% of which are implemented.” If approved by a manager, and the idea costs less than 100 Brazilian reals to implement, employees can put improvement ideas into practice. A manager’s director can approve suggestions that cost less than 5,000 reals. Ideas that cost more go to the CEO for approval. Workers directly enact “about 70% of ideas,” while “implementation teams” apply about 20%. The staff members at the firm’s four facilities support the idea system...