title: The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas
author: Alan G. Robinson
description: &ldquo;<i>The Idea-Driven Organization&#160;</i>is so reasonable that the magnitude of its change message is easy to miss. The richness of the examples from all over the world make it fun to read, and the authors convincingly demonstrate the power of incorporating frontline thinking into your organization.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Marshall Goldsmith, author of the <i>New York </i>Times bestsellers <i>Mojo</i> and <i>What Got You Here Won&rsquo;t Get You There<br> </i></b><i><br> &ldquo;</i>As leaders, we need to create an environment that effectively draws employee ideas out and empowers implementation.<i> The Idea-Driven Organization </i>provides a practical map on how to get there.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Jeff Nagel, CEO, NBTY Inc.<br> </b><i><br> </i>&ldquo;Robinson and Schroeder have written a manifesto that might very well spark a revolution. They show us how the ideas generated by the knowledge and creativity of frontline employees can help any organization, large or small, public or private, become more efficient, more productive, more innovative. I say let the revolution begin!&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Stan Rosenberg, Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader<br> </b><br> &ldquo;All outcomes measures are influenced by one critical factor: the number of employee ideas implemented by the frontline employees themselves. Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder present research findings in many companies and industries that clearly confirm this but also explain how great leaders make it happen.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;John Toussaint, former CEO, ThedaCare, and author of <i>On the Mend </i>and <i>Potent Medicine</i><br> </b><br> &ldquo;The idea-driven organization is one that steadfastly listens to its people to ensure the organization remains safe, responsible, productive, and continuously improving. Robinson and Schroeder provide an insightful guide for leaders who are vested in engaging the minds of their frontline employees.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Kevin S. Crutchfield, Chairman and CEO, Alpha Natural Resources<br> </b><br> &ldquo;No one has captured the rationale and how-tos for achieving business results through frontline involvement as elegantly and convincingly as Schroeder and Robinson have. Learning how to unleash the significant power of ideas is quite possibly the most important leadership skill needed today.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Karen Martin, author of <i>The Outstanding Organization </i><br> </b><br> &ldquo;<i>The Idea-Driven Organization</i> does not focus on some consultant-created magic formula but offers practical concepts for promoting employee ideas that you can read and implement on your own. This book is indispensable for any leader who wants to truly engage his or her employees.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Corey Rosen, PhD, founder and former Executive Director, National Center for Employee Ownership<br> </b><br> &ldquo;<i>The Idea-Driven Organization</i> is an exciting book that makes a compelling case for a simple but very powerful concept&mdash;business leaders who learn how to leverage the know-how and ideas of their frontline people will have a major winning edge because most of their competitors either don&rsquo;t get it or don&rsquo;t know how to do it. The detailed and provocative case examples are a major strength of the book&mdash;they show how business leaders can put ideas into action by tapping the expertise in their own organization.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Lee Bolman, coauthor of <i>Reframing Organizations<br> </i></b><br> &ldquo;We&rsquo;re at the end of the age of being able to do more with less based on tired old management models and thinking. To thrive in the new era, organizations will need to be idea driven. Fortunately, Robinson and Schroeder have written a must-read guide for leaders looking to make this transformation.&rdquo; <br> <b>&mdash;Chip R. Bell, coauthor of <i>Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service</i> and <i>Managers as Mentors</i><br> </b><br> &#160;&quot;<i>The Idea-Driven Organization</i>&#160;is a challenge to the dominant paradigm of &apos;Manager Knows Best&apos;, replacing it with a more balanced program of top-directed but bottom-driven initiative to keep creativity and productivity flowing. &#160;It is no less than a call for a complete house cleaning &ndash; from physical and spatial relationships, to organization and information flows, and to changing the mindsets of employees and management alike!&#160;Required reading in an increasingly globalized and competitive world.&quot; <br> <b>&mdash;Dean Cycon, Founder and CEO, Dean&rsquo;s Beans Organic Coffee Company and winner of a 2013 Oslo Business for Peace award and the United Nations Women&rsquo;s Empowerment Principles Leadership Award for Community Engagement<br> </b><br> &ldquo;Robinson and Schroeder have learned from experience the power of people at the front line of the organization actively identifying and solving problems. Building on their previous book, <i>Ideas Are Free</i>, they tell us how to create an environment to encourage the free flow of ideas to become a high performing organization.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;Jeffrey K. Liker, PhD, Professor, University of Michigan, and author of <i>The Toyota Way<br> </i></b><br> &ldquo;To succeed in business today, it is absolutely essential that you tap into the ideas, creativity, and innovation of every member of your team. Working with companies around the world, I have seen that one of the greatest roadblocks to their success is a failure to truly get the most possible value from their talent. I am extremely impressed with this book and have recommended it to many of my clients. The authors lay out a superb blueprint, with lots of tools and examples, for creating an idea-driven organization. This is one of those rare must-read books.&rdquo;<br> <b>&mdash;John Spence, author of <i>Awesomely Simple</i></b>
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  Transforming an Idea Into a
  
  
  Business with Design Thinking
  
  
  The Structured Approach from Silicon
  
  
  Valley for Entrepreneurs and Leaders
  
  
  ![](index-3_1.jpg)
  
  
  Transforming an Idea Into a
  
  
  Business with Design Thinking
  
  
  The Structured Approach from Silicon
  
  
  Valley for Entrepreneurs and Leaders
  
  
  By
  
  
  Mashhood Alam
  
  
  A P R O D U C T I V I T Y P R E S S B O O K
  
  
  First edition published in 2019
  
  
  by Routledge/Productivity Press
  
  
  711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
  
  
  2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN, UK
  
  
  © 2019 by Mashhood Alam
  
  
  Routledge/Productivity Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an
  Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works
  
  
  Printed on acid-free paper
  
  
  International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-138-57760-2 (Hardback)
  International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-138-57759-6 (Paperback)
  International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-351-26656-7 (eBook)
  
  
  This book contains information obtained from au