Tactical Innovation
Forget about all that strategy talk. How about some on-the-ground ideas from every member of staff?
So you're in an expensive five-star hotel and the hotel has those coat hangers without the hook. You know the ones: they are designed so that if you were ever to steal one, you would be unable to hang them on anything.
These coat hangers are an industry standard -- and reluctantly accepted by hotel guests. Imagine, though, if the hotel was to apply a bit of innovation to the hanger issue. Get rid of these hookless hangers and replace them with real hangers and a sign that says: "Coat hangers, $5 each. Help yourself."
[The hangers would be added to your bill like the drinks from the bar fridge]
PS. I read about this story in the Harvard Business Review magazine a while ago. I think it's a good example of how we can apply the innovation process to every part of a business.
So you're in an expensive five-star hotel and the hotel has those coat hangers without the hook. You know the ones: they are designed so that if you were ever to steal one, you would be unable to hang them on anything.
These coat hangers are an industry standard -- and reluctantly accepted by hotel guests. Imagine, though, if the hotel was to apply a bit of innovation to the hanger issue. Get rid of these hookless hangers and replace them with real hangers and a sign that says: "Coat hangers, $5 each. Help yourself."
[The hangers would be added to your bill like the drinks from the bar fridge]
PS. I read about this story in the Harvard Business Review magazine a while ago. I think it's a good example of how we can apply the innovation process to every part of a business.
posted by Gordon Graham at 8:10 PM
2 Comments:
Similarly there's that (reasonably) famous brainstorming conundrum over how many ways you can think of for a gym to stop its customers from walking out with its expensive shampoo?
However, rather than adopt this closed thinking I recently stayed at a Malmaison hotel in which you were actively encouraged to take the room toiletries away with you which made for a refreshing change!
Best answer for the gym conundrum: Remove the caps.
Thanks, Steve! I'm starting to realize that it's the frequency and quality of innovation at the bottom of the corporate heirarchy that matters more than faux "leadership" at the top.
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