2nd in a 5-part of series
Stage 2: Advocacy and Screening
This stage is the time for weighing an idea’s pros and cons. Advocacy and Screening should take place simultaneously to jettison ideas that lack sufficient potential without allowing stakeholders to discard ideas impetuously solely based on their novelty. Researchers have found that when the evaluation process was transparent and standardized, companies experienced a greater success rate because employees felt more comfortable contributing when they could anticipate how their ideas would be judged.
Not all ideas are worth the cost & effort needed for implementation. The use of advocacy and screening helps evaluate an idea and measure its potential benefits and pitfalls. After the review, a decision can be made about an idea’s future.
One of the most significant benefits of using the collaborative processes of advocacy and screening is idea refinement. If the idea truly has potential, arguments and discussions help enhance it. The recent study “Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice” references how this stage prepares an idea for presentation to senior management, calling for a different approach. Because innovators often lack the skills necessary to successfully advocate for their ideas, managers working with the innovator can encourage, facilitate and support the person. Organizations seeking to construct a robust culture can institute a few best practices for this step. First, ensure that employees have numerous avenues to secure advocacy and feedback. Second, companies must comprehend the difficulties involved with evaluating genuinely innovative ideas. Third, organizations need to build processes to ensure transparent evaluation and screening protocols.
Coming Soon: Stage 3: : Experimentation