How useful is a suggestion box?
ON his first day at work, Peter was given formal guidelines to follow when communicating. But he does not remember seeing a suggestion box listed among them. Do organisations require traditional suggestion boxes, mounted on walls next to the reception are
By Arthur Baguma
ON his first day at work, Peter was given formal guidelines to follow when communicating. But he does not remember seeing a suggestion box listed among them. Do organisations require traditional suggestion boxes, mounted on walls next to the reception area?
With email, internet and telecommunication coupled with an open space working environment, interaction between management and staff is more participatory than was in the past. Then why would a suggestion box still have a place in a modern work environment? Which boss is going to sack an employee because they sent him an e-mail complaining about having a slow computer? If it is about harassment at work, there are hotlines you can call directly.
Do you have to write an anonymous chit and drop it in a wooded box, which might never be opened? Modern management and work environment calls for open debate and constructive criticism. If an employee wants to say anything, they can do that through their supervisors or through an open and transparent fora.
During the colonial times, in an attempt to solicit ideas and generate enthusiasm from employees, companies often instituted the suggestion box system. Employees would write suggestions on a form and drop them in a special box. Managers then read the suggestions and implemented the ones they thought would work.
Peter, an office assistant at a government ministry, says although there are two suggestion boxes at his workplace, for so many years, they have never been opened.
“Suggestion boxes can cause more harm than good because you will never get feedback,†Peter notes.
John, a human resource officer with a leading telecommunications company, says the few times they have opened their suggestion box, they have usually found embarrassing messages. He says some people just drop in abusive notes while others drop in wrappings of sweets and paper. He argues that a suggestion box has no place in the modern work environment.
Alex, who works with a media house, argues that for the 13 years he has been working, he has never seen anyone opening the suggestion box at his workplace.
“Even the small padlock hanging on it looks like it has not been unlocked for ages,†he says.
However, much as the traditional suggestion box might be perceived irrelevant today, in the 1870s it did not only save people’s jobs but also saved their lives. The suggestion box has a history dating back over one hundred years. The first recorded suggestion programme was implemented in 1770 by the British Navy I.
They realised the need for a process of listening to every individual in the organisation without fear of reprisal. At that time, the mere mention of an idea that contradicted a captain’s or admiral’s opinion was likely to be punished by hanging. The first physical box to collect ideas appeared at William Denny & Brothers shipyard in Scotland in 1880.
Suggestion boxes became popular in the manufacturing sector in World War II and the post-war years. They became part of the total quality movement and an integral part of cost, safety and quality improvement initiatives over the following 50 years. They are still the mainstay of corporate suggestion programmes, whether they are physical boxes or virtual boxes on company intranet web sites.
Recent technology developments, combined with an understanding of knowledge management issues, have enabled the creation of idea management as the third generation of suggestion systems.
Idea management and the suggestion box
Companies looking to replace an aging suggestion box should carefully consider moving straight to idea management, avoiding the inevitable problems of the suggestion box and increasing the likelihood of successful projects.
The concepts of idea management are partly founded on the original approach of the suggestion box. Idea management builds on the 100-year old principles of the simple idea box, and adds collaboration, business focus and a structured review and workflow process to ensure that the idea generation and development process is closely aligned with current and future business needs.
ON his first day at work, Peter was given formal guidelines to follow when communicating. But he does not remember seeing a suggestion box listed among them. Do organisations require traditional suggestion boxes, mounted on walls next to the reception area?
With email, internet and telecommunication coupled with an open space working environment, interaction between management and staff is more participatory than was in the past. Then why would a suggestion box still have a place in a modern work environment? Which boss is going to sack an employee because they sent him an e-mail complaining about having a slow computer? If it is about harassment at work, there are hotlines you can call directly.
Do you have to write an anonymous chit and drop it in a wooded box, which might never be opened? Modern management and work environment calls for open debate and constructive criticism. If an employee wants to say anything, they can do that through their supervisors or through an open and transparent fora.
During the colonial times, in an attempt to solicit ideas and generate enthusiasm from employees, companies often instituted the suggestion box system. Employees would write suggestions on a form and drop them in a special box. Managers then read the suggestions and implemented the ones they thought would work.
Peter, an office assistant at a government ministry, says although there are two suggestion boxes at his workplace, for so many years, they have never been opened.
“Suggestion boxes can cause more harm than good because you will never get feedback,†Peter notes.
John, a human resource officer with a leading telecommunications company, says the few times they have opened their suggestion box, they have usually found embarrassing messages. He says some people just drop in abusive notes while others drop in wrappings of sweets and paper. He argues that a suggestion box has no place in the modern work environment.
Alex, who works with a media house, argues that for the 13 years he has been working, he has never seen anyone opening the suggestion box at his workplace.
“Even the small padlock hanging on it looks like it has not been unlocked for ages,†he says.
However, much as the traditional suggestion box might be perceived irrelevant today, in the 1870s it did not only save people’s jobs but also saved their lives. The suggestion box has a history dating back over one hundred years. The first recorded suggestion programme was implemented in 1770 by the British Navy I.
They realised the need for a process of listening to every individual in the organisation without fear of reprisal. At that time, the mere mention of an idea that contradicted a captain’s or admiral’s opinion was likely to be punished by hanging. The first physical box to collect ideas appeared at William Denny & Brothers shipyard in Scotland in 1880.
Suggestion boxes became popular in the manufacturing sector in World War II and the post-war years. They became part of the total quality movement and an integral part of cost, safety and quality improvement initiatives over the following 50 years. They are still the mainstay of corporate suggestion programmes, whether they are physical boxes or virtual boxes on company intranet web sites.
Recent technology developments, combined with an understanding of knowledge management issues, have enabled the creation of idea management as the third generation of suggestion systems.
Idea management and the suggestion box
Companies looking to replace an aging suggestion box should carefully consider moving straight to idea management, avoiding the inevitable problems of the suggestion box and increasing the likelihood of successful projects.
The concepts of idea management are partly founded on the original approach of the suggestion box. Idea management builds on the 100-year old principles of the simple idea box, and adds collaboration, business focus and a structured review and workflow process to ensure that the idea generation and development process is closely aligned with current and future business needs.