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Nine Tips to help you get Approval from your Boss for your Innovative Idea

Paul Sloane — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:21:21 +0000

A common complaint that I hear when I run innovation workshops is this, ‘I have plenty of really creative ideas but my boss just isn’t interested in trying anything new. What can I do?’ Let’s leave aside the possibility that this view is itself distorted and take it at face value. It is a tricky situation that most of us will experience at some time. What can be done? Here are some approaches that can prove helpful:

Understand his objectives and motivations.

Selling an idea is like selling any other product. You have to understand the needs, motives and priorities of the customer. What are your boss’s ‘hot buttons’? What are the issues that really worry him? Is he motivated by pride, ego, money, career advancement, power, recognition or does he want an easy life? If you can discover his goals and his motivations then you can try to present your idea in a way that plays to them. Stress the outcomes of the idea that will help him in one or more of these fields. (Of course your boss can be male or female but for simplicity the boss is referred to as ‘he’ rather than ‘he or she’).

Understand his decision making style.

How does your boss make decisions? Does he prefer numbers, reference from trusted sources, evidence of proof elsewhere, avoidance of risk, logic or emotion? Does he make quick decisions or does he like to chew things over for a while? A recent article in Harvard Business Review by Williams and Miller identified five different styles of decision maker. If you know which style fits your boss then you can tailor your message to give it the best chance of success.

Align your idea with corporate objectives.

It will help if you can show that your idea fits with current corporate objectives. Show clearly that the suggestion will benefit the larger organization.

Choose the right time.

Don’t barge into your boss’s office at the end of a hectic day and buttonhole him with your great idea. Chances are he will simply say no. Instead ask him for some time to discuss an important issue and mention the benefit. ‘Can you spare 20 minutes first thing tomorrow morning to review an idea to significantly improve departmental productivity?’ Don’t give the idea away now – you need his full attention to cover it properly.

If he is risk averse sell risk avoidance.

Sell the benefits of the idea and try to match them to his needs and priorities. Show that you have thought about the risks, costs and downsides. If your boss if risk averse then stress the risks of not implementing the idea. ‘If we don’t seize this opportunity now, other departments could step in ahead of us and gain an advantage.’

Don’t ask for approval, ask for suggestions.

With some bosses it is better not to present a fully formed plan but simply to introduce the concept and ask for his input and advice. Do this if he prefers to discuss things and shape them rather than review and approve. This way you can let him form his version of the idea and claim the credit. You will have the quiet satisfaction of knowing that it came from you.

Build a coalition of supporters.

With some ideas it is better to gain some initial support before asking for approval. Who do you need on your side to help push the idea through? Have a chat with them first. ‘I checked with Betty in IT and with Bob in HR and they agreed that we can resource this if it is approved.’

Try the company suggestions scheme.

If your boss shows no interest (and probably never will) then you can always try the official suggestions scheme. The evaluator may see the merit of the idea. In any event it is registered and that means it can be discussed in the open.

Build it anyway.

This is the ultimate act of confidence and bravado. Do it in your own time as a ‘skunk works’ project and then you can demonstrate the prototype to garner support. Present it as a fait accompli and boldly shrug off any notions that it needed prior approval.

There is considerable evidence that middle managers block innovations. So if you want your idea to succeed you will need a clever way of gaining approval. Don’t give up; your organization needs innovators!

Paul Sloane

Let Suggestions bypass the Line Manager

Paul Sloane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:22:19 +0000

Whatever suggestion scheme or idea initiation events you implement, it is important to ensure that there is a facility for individuals to bypass their line manager if necessary.

Line managers can be resistant to ideas from their own people for a variety of reasons. They might fear that the person making the suggestion might be taken away from them to implement it. They might think that the idea does not reflect well on their department. They might see some implicit criticism of themselves in the suggestion. They might have political agendas or prejudices that lead them to block ideas coming from their team. If all ideas require initial sign-off by the first line manager then the flow of ideas will be inhibited in some areas.

When Lou Gerstner first took over the reins as CEO of IBM one of his first actions was to allow anyone, anywhere in the company to email him with ideas and suggestions. He received a flood of input – much of which gave him useful information on what the real problems were at the grass roots.

Sir Richard Branson has long had a policy that employees can bypass formal idea submission procedures and come straight to him with a business proposal if they are convinced it is the best route.

Allowing people to bypass the normal chain of command provides an essential safety valve that enables radical ideas to be viewed dispassionately at some distance from their source.

Suggestion Schemes are the engine for your Innovation

Paul Sloane — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:35:38 +0000

Does your organisation have an effective employee suggestions scheme? An increasing number of organisations in the both private and public sectors are finding that they can drive innovation and reduce cost by moving their suggestion box from the office wall to the intranet.

Siemens Automation and Drives is a good example. They employ 400 people in Congleton, Cheshire making electric motor drives. Their scheme is called Ideas Unlimited and it generates over 4000 suggestions per year of which some 3000 are implemented. The total savings are around $1.5m per year. Howard Ball administers the scheme part-time. The key is simplicity he explained when he addressed the national conference of ideasUK, a non-commercial association dedicated to employee suggestion schemes and recognition processes.

There are no forms and no paperwork. The intranet application has just four screens – entering the idea, evaluating, accepting or rejecting and implementing. Every manager acts as an evaluator. Payments are made in the form of vouchers to a value of around $80 on acceptance of the idea. They have found that small rewards and recognition on acceptance are a better incentive than larger rewards delayed until implementation.

Another interesting aspect of the Siemens scheme is that they publish league tables of ideas implemented by department with awards for the most successful departments. Managers are incentivised to accept and implement ideas.

Emma Akerman at Siemens suggested that a component be made out of galvanised steel instead of stainless steel. The idea was accepted and will save around £60,000 a year. She says, ‘The fact that you can put in suggestions on-line makes it easier, and knowing you can contribute ideas means you take more interest in your work.’

The main problem that had to be overcome was getting factory workers to use computers. They were not regular PC users so a training and help programme was put in place. Another thing to watch out for is evaluator overload – you have to give time and recognition to those who assess the suggestions. Ideas Unlimited has been a big success with thousands of employee ideas implemented each year. It is a powerhouse of innovation.

Paul Sloane