On average, about 42% of ideas come from employees, and when empowered through an innovation program, as many as 94% or more of employees are willing to participate. (Ezassi)

Recommendations

Try to appreciate the ideas and suggestions of your employees. You don’t have to accept every idea that comes to you but listen to it, discuss with the employee how it can fit into the job, and be honest. Ignoring or automatically rejecting a proposal or idea results in demotivation and the absence of new ones in the future.

Quick win ideas for an action plan:

Focus on productive discussions. Initiate a gathering at a specific time (e.g. Brainstorming Mondays) and discuss various ideas to improve your business or solve the problems you have identified.

Strategic initiative ideas:

Half the battle to create an innovative climate and solve problems is overcoming the “I can’t” mental barrier. It is necessary to work on the targeted creation of a culture that supports undertaking and risk detection; create an environment that encourages the testing of ideas that may seem ridiculous, dangerous, or completely wrong at first.