PRODUCTIVITY INVOLVING EMPLOYEES IN INNOVATION
ENGAGE SHORT TERM EMPLOYEES FOR IDEAS
- What positive things are you hearing from customers?
- What negative things are you hearing from customers?
- How do we compare to other companies like ours where you have worked?
- What problems are you (or other employees) experiencing with our processes?
- What short cuts or workarounds have you figured out to make things go more smoothly here?
- Are there things you think we should change or experiment with in our operation?
- Where can we find more individuals like you to recruit as potential employees?
ENGAGE NEW EMPLOYEES
- What questions did you have during the hiring process that went unasked / unanswered?
- Were any things not fully explained when you started working here?
- Are there resources to do your job well you had in other jobs that would make you more productive here?
- What has been your biggest surprise – positive or negative – compared to being at similar companies?
- Do you see opportunities to improve what we do that we are overlooking?
ENGAGE ANY EMPLOYEE
- Where do you see us doing the best job for customers?
- Where aren’t we doing a good enough job for customers?
- What ideas do you have to improve our performance?
- What ideas do you have to improve our products or services?
- Whenever you are asking for new ideas, include follow-up questions to better prepare you to vet and potentially explore the possibilities. These could include:
- What can you share about the idea to help us decide how to consider it?
- Are you aware of other attempts to work on this idea?
- How successful were they?
- What things should we watch out for if we pursue this idea?
- Would you be willing to share your name so we can talk with you to understand your idea better?
ENGAGE YOUNG EMPLOYEES
- How are our services perceived by your generation?
- How do you think our products/services will be changed by technology?
- How do you think we could improve our current products/services to a younger population?
- How do you think technology can reduce costs, improve accessibility, save money, speed delivery, produce better results, enhance customer service, determine customer preferences and to enhance profits?