Who Can Change Your Firm?
I ran across this idea from an interview with a "Disney Expert" Bill Capodagli in this 37 Signals post on supportive conflict. It seems Disney gave everyone in the organization an opportunity to "pitch" a movie to the heads of the company:
Take the regular meeting they hold called The Gong Show, which is based on the old TV amateur-hour show. It's a concept where, two or three times a year, any Disney employee can present an idea for a full-length feature animation before Michael Eisner, CEO and chairman of the board, and Roy Disney, vice chairman of the board, and other executives. Hercules, the animated film, for example, came about from an animator's idea that was presented at a Gong Show. The company benefits because they get thousands of good ideas from their employees, some of which are developed into feature films. And the employees benefit because they know they have the freedom to submit ideas that will be listened to. Even if their idea is "gonged," they celebrate it and learn from it.
Does your firm give every employee -- from junior partner to part-time file clerk -- the chance to share their ideas for ways to make the firm better? It should!