Engage

Engagement is about going from just a goal to making it real. How are you going to get people involved in the innovation process?

It's about planning and ensuring that your mission receives the attention and engagement it needs to reach your KPIs.

Get Sign-Off

You are potentially going to involve a lot of people. Before you do, getting a final sign-off from stakeholders is best practice. Y

You don't want to step on anyone's toes, and you want to ensure that what you are doing is within the company's goals. Remember, if you don't, then this can erode your position and the perception of innovation in the company over time. It would be best if you made the sign-off happen but can involve the Initiator when needed.

Depending on how many contributors you plan to involve, how flat your organization is, and how defined your processes are, this can turn out to be anything from a fast and simple green light to a drawn-out negotiation between departments.

But don't worry. Getting innovation greenlit should not be a problem. Innovation is a top-three management priority for almost two-thirds of companies.

Define Rewards

Now that you've got your greenlight and you're ready to engage people take a moment to consider what kind of rewards you want to offer Contributors to maximize or focus engagement.

Research shows that intrinsic (purpose-driven) rewards are more effective for innovation purposes than extrinsic (monetary) rewards in the long run.

Extrinsic rewards might lead to higher engagement numbers the first time, but they create pressure that hinders creativity and permanently damage engagement over time as expectations rise.

Instead, focus mainly on no rewards or celebrations that tie back to the bigger purpose.

Don't cast too narrow a ne,t either. If only the winning idea gets something, this might discourage people from submitting their ideas if they underestimatethems. Encouraging friendly competition between teams, departments, or geographic regions can boost engagement, too—even without rewards.

Do you still want tooffero an extrinsic reward?For inspiration, takee a look at these https://ideas.lego.com/guidelinen. They are a classic model that has proven effective.

Plan Outreach

You know you're allowed to collect ideas from your Contributors and what type of reward you are offering. Now, walk through how you will reach out and engage your Contributors.

You have a good starting point with much ground covered, but you still need to ensure that idea submission is as easy, clearly communicated, and accessible as possible.

Meet people where they are. If you want to collect ideas from people, don't ask them to install an app or follow instructions - be in their faces. Send them a link, put up a poster, or add a widget to the website or intranet they are already visiting.

Tell a story. If you want to make a splash, having strong visuals and a strong story helps. Add a Description, a Cover image, and maybe even record a short personal video with the Initiator.Be transparent.

If possible, add a small FAQ or about page somewhere for people who want to know more about the purpose, the team behind it, the rewards, or the newest stats.