Knowledge, Innovation and Development

Without this nothing can happen.

1 Preliminary activities

First we must analyze how innovative is the company. How often changes take place. Who proposes them. How do workers feel about sharing the ideas. Do their ideas get attention? This will show the present situation and allow us to estimate the how much time and resources KID creation will take.

Next step is to introduce to everyone in the company the new department, to explain its purpose and functions, to show how the company and every single employee will benefit from it.

Then allocate the people and resources and create the department itself.

For the beginning KID can be formed with existing managers and experts. But when many companies are going to be using similar systems they will need specially trained workers. Faculties should be designed in universities and colleges teaching students to deal with new ideas and to use existing theories and experience of preceding generations in order to solve problems and develop their company.

2 Designing information flows

As a part of organization’s information system we must work out a mechanism of idea and problem flow from the employees and customers to the

KID. Among the numerous motivation theories there are theory X and theoryY. X suggests that the worker is passive and needs to be closely controlled and forced in order to get results. Y - the worker is creative and eager to work. He just needs proper conditions to show himself. I went further. I believe that there are two types of workers in the company - X and Y, active and passive. That's why the KID needs two approaches. For example: open entry - every worker can come to the gathering department directly or put his ideas in written form into special bins that would be available at his working place. This way the employees will be able to express their thoughts at any desired time; obligatory interviewing - from time to time KID will give out to workers questioners which they must fill. These could consist of the following questions:

"Have you noticed any problems concerning the work of your department? Have you any suggestions on how to solve them?"

"Is there anything you'd like to improve in your department and in the whole company? How (your suggestions)?"

"How do you feel about our company’s products (services)? How can they be developed or improved?" Etc.

The interviewing should be carried out at all departments, but not at the same time. This will allow to avoid conjunction at the gathering and filtering department.

3 Motivation

Motivation of the workers. We must estimate the level of actual needs of employees and develop a mechanism of motivation universal for every worker.

There can be many motivating factors. They depend on the economic conditions in the country, standards of living and financial situation in the company. Money, job promotion, board of honor, competition of ideas with prizes, etc. Motivation through corporate culture is also required. We can put posters in often visited places. Posters may say:

"By participating the KID's activities you will help your company, improve your work and life!"

"Be company patriotic!"

"Be a perfectionist. Spot a problem - tell the KID about it!"

"Give us ideas because nobody knows your work better then you!" etc.

4 Cooperation with experts

We need to organize cooperation with specialists. It isn't useful to have our own staff of experts because: they will not always be logged with work and this will produce extra costs they will soon become useless because they will be drawn away from current work of their departments.