One of the biggest challenges to large corporations becoming more entrepreneurial is their very structure. Chains of command and divisions of labor designed for efficiency can actually block good ideas and discourage creativity.
Learning from Small Businesses
In this seven-part series, we examine ways that big business can learn from entrepreneurs, small businesses and start-ups. One of the advantages these smaller companies have over their big brothers is direct contact between staff and owners. This allows good ideas, innovation and creative solutions instant exposure to the top decision makers.
Good Ideas & Lower Level Managers
In large companies, too often these breakthroughs get dumbed down or misstated. Or they get downright suppressed on their way to the top decision makers. The nature of the chain of command can prevent upward communication to the ownership and top execs. Why? Because supervisors and managers can perceive good ideas as unworkable. Or if they are workable, these lower-level managers may see these ideas as a threat to their job security.
These gatekeepers have tremendous power to suppress good ideas. And the folks they oversee know it. Some may think, “Why bother? My idea won’t ever see the light of day.” They wonder if their good idea will make their supervisor look “bad.” Or if their supervisor would give credit to a lower staff member for something they think they should have thought of.
How lower-level managers perceive their job security and chances for advancement may be more important in their eyes than the ultimate success of the company itself. What can big companies learn from small companies to get around this corporate gridlock?
Providing a mechanism that allows for direct communication between ownership/top management and other staff members is essential to creativity. When big companies allow good ideas to “leap-frog” to the top, they send a message to all staff that the company appreciates their ideas. They also send the message that each person can communicate their own ideas in their original form. A large company can specifically use this method to encourage and deliver ideas, and not to undermine the authority of managers. Here are four suggestions:
VISITS
To encourage creativity, ingenuity and imaginative solutions, schedule the owners or top execs to visit the various departments on a regular basis. Have them spend the day there specifically to hear new ideas and suggestions.
EMBEDDING.
Place equity holders in key places throughout your organization to be repositories for creative ideas. Because staff knows that improving the company is more important than job preservation to equity holders, they are more likely to share their ideas with them.
FORUM
Once a quarter, have an idea forum that encourages employees to share their ideas with top management. The organization can conduct this either in person or online, webinar-style. Provide a reward for ideas that the organization utilizes. By setting the parameters, purpose and frequency of the forum, you are sending a powerful message that says, “We know you have great ideas and we want to hear them.”
COMPETITION
Have a contest for the best idea from each department and the best overall idea for the company. Make it quarterly, semiannually or annually so staff knows this is important and is encouraged to keep trying. Share the winners and their ideas with the entire company to reinforce this behavior.
By allowing your staff to share their good ideas directly with top management, you’ll be encouraging entrepreneurial thinking in your company.
In Part 5, we will examine how big companies can encourage creative thinking by changing the paradigm of the legal department.
