The use of idea management software is a growing trend in medium to
large businesses as managers come to appreciate the importance of
employee ideas in the innovation process. Software products like
jpb.com’s Jenni Innovation Process Management (IPM) allow managers to
capture employee ideas using collaborative web 2.0 tools. Jpb.com
claim, however, “to have taken the collaborative process to the next
level” with their new IdeaWiki module in Jenni.
Nearly every idea management produ
Nearly every idea management product on the market today provides
basic collaboration in which employees can not only submit ideas, but
can also read each others’ ideas and collaborate on them by providing
comments beneath those ideas. In an IdeaWiki, on the other hand,
employees can submit ideas, of course, but they can also collaborate on
ideas by clicking on an existing idea and opening it up in a simplified
Wiki editing space. Here, the employee can edit the original idea by
adding new information, clarifying points and even correcting spelling
mistakes. According to jpb.com founder and managing director, Jeffrey
Baumgartner: “As a result, ideas submitted to an IdeaWikis campaign in
Jenni are not linear developments of an idea and comments, rather
IdeaWikis become dynamic, collaborative documents authored by
spontaneous, ad hoc teams that come together because they are all able
to participate in the development of a particular idea.”
IdeaWikis in Jenni include a list of all authors who have contributed
to an idea as well as a backtracking function that allows anyone to go
back in time and review each contribution to the IdeaWiki. In the event
that a collaborator inadvertently deletes important information, the
manager in can undo any edit to the IdeaWiki. IdeaWikis can be
evaluated and developed into implementable concepts using Jenni’s
suite of evaluation tools.
Background
Idea management software varies in functionality from simple suggestion
schemes, that are essentially web based suggestion boxes with the added
benefit of web 2.0 functionality, to more sophisticated tools that are
based on a structured process. Jpb.com’s product, Jenni, falls in the
latter category.
Jenni provides a full innovation process using the “ideas campaign”
approach to idea management. An ideas campaign starts with an
innovation challenge launched by a manager and which is typically based
on a strategic problem or goal. Employees submit and collaborate on
ideas for a limited time, usually two to four weeks. This is followed
by a review process, facilitated by Jenni’s suite of idea evaluation
and development tools that enable managers to identify which ideas have
the greatest potential to add value to the firm. According to
Baumgartner, “the ideas campaign approach enables businesses to align
their idea generation process with their strategy, ensuring managers
don’t just get lots of ideas. Rather they get evaluated ideas that
solve timely business problems and issues.”
jpb.com is based near Brussels, Belgium and has representative offices
in New Jersey (USA), London (UK), Cologne (Germany), Melbourne
(Australia), Harstad (Norway), Swellendam (South Aftica) and Windhoek
(Namibia). Jenni is used by companies around the world to develop new
product, new packaging and new process efficiency ideas that have
ranged from new snack food poducts in the USA to more efficient water
management in Australia.
