Today at DEMO, Derrick Mains talked about the ‘virtual suggestion box.’ As many organizations wrestle with applying social media tools in their business arena, one area jumps right out: How about bringing “idea management” methodology to the traditional suggestion box?
Specifically, how about taking the old wooden suggestion box to the next level –to both enable and create employee engagement?
The origin of suggestion boxes and suggestion systems is lost in the mists of history. Originally, they were simple ways of soliciting ideas from the bottom of an organization (now known by such terms as ‘frontline intelligence’) and from the entire organization (now known as ‘collective intelligence’ and ‘crowdsourcing’). They were methods of transmitting those ideas to the top, while still allowing the top to retain its authority.
In 1721, for example, the eighth shogun in Japan, Yoshimune Tokumagawa, had a small box called the meyasubako placed at the entrance to his castle. On the box was written: “Make your ideas known. Rewards given for ideas that are accepted.” Of course, this was the only way for citizens to make suggestions because policy suggestions made directly to the shogun were punishable by decapitation.
In the West, suggestion box mythology holds that the first recorded suggestion program was implemented by the British Navy in 1770. Like in Japan, the mere mention of an idea that directly contradicted a captain or admiral was likely to be punished by death (although the British preferred hanging over decapitation). Nevertheless, the British Navy saw the great benefit of soliciting frontline intelligence from its sailors.
Denny Dumbarton, a Scottish shipbuilder, realized that to be effective, ideas on slips of paper needed to be part of an overall system. In 1871, he began what he claimed was the first industrial suggestion system in Great Britain. He gave cash awards for each successful suggestion. In addition, ten pounds, a very significant sum back then, was awarded for every fifth successful suggestion. All suggestions were evaluated by a two person committee consisting of a member of the engineering department and a person outside the company.
There are so many ideas any CEO could borrow from this. We no longer need slips of paper to be engaged, but we could still use the great incentive. As for that call to action, “Make your ideas known. Rewards given…” it is still very appropriate for a socially-connected workplace.
This is a three-part series on the evolution of the suggestion box.
[...] Read Part I and Part 2 of the Suggestion Box Series by Sally. [...]