What is an Employee-driven idea system?

Employee-driven idea system definition

Employee-driven idea systems, often called employee-driven innovation systems because of their capacity for disruptive innovation, are organisational systems that encourage and incentivise staff to submit ideas for improvements directly to their line managers.

EDIS are seen as an alternative to traditional suggestion schemes in Total Quality (TQ) environments as a way to both improve the quality of suggestions and outcomes and also improve engagement as employees have a more of a voice in making improvements.

Proponents of employee-driven idea systems suggest that in the course of their working days employees capture a huge amount of information and insight into how the organisation runs and its potential for improvement. Proponents also suggest that EDIS provide higher self-esteem to employees through empowerment.

Whereas traditional suggestion schemes typically only focus on big improvements that yield big savings, employee-driven idea systems are specifically designed to allow small changes to be approved and implemented quickly.

Alignment between employee-driven ideas and business priorities is important to ensure a good chance of the ideas being implemented, improving morale and showing employees that they are being listened to.