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The Bright Idea Box: A Proven System to Drive Employee Engagement and Innovation
What do Toyota and Google have in common? An all-inclusive “culture of innovation,” in which every employee is responsible for coming up with ideas to make the company more successful.
Do you want your employees to be responsible for innovation as well? Do you believe that is possible? It absolutely is possible, and in The Bright Idea Box, technology executive and corporate consultant, Jag Randhawa, will show you how.
The Bright Idea Box introduces a six-step formula for creating a bottom-up innovation program. By reading this book, you will discover how introducing the Bright Idea Box program to your employees will:
• encourage employees to generate ideas that add value to the company and customers
• tap into employees’ inner desires to do meaningful work, be part of something bigger, and be appreciated for their efforts
• increase employee engagement, productivity, efficiencies, and customer satisfaction
• create a stunning and lasting impact on your business performance
Begin to make it happen by reading The Bright Idea Box.
This book embodies Jag’s passion for humanity and improving lives of billions of disengaged employees who don’t get the opportunity to demonstrate their talents. Employee disengagement is a modern plague that is suffocating our society. The Bright Idea Box presents a simple solution to re-engage employees and improve business results at the same time.
Do you want your employees to be responsible for innovation as well? Do you believe that is possible? It absolutely is possible, and in The Bright Idea Box, technology executive and corporate consultant, Jag Randhawa, will show you how.
The Bright Idea Box introduces a six-step formula for creating a bottom-up innovation program. By reading this book, you will discover how introducing the Bright Idea Box program to your employees will:
• encourage employees to generate ideas that add value to the company and customers
• tap into employees’ inner desires to do meaningful work, be part of something bigger, and be appreciated for their efforts
• increase employee engagement, productivity, efficiencies, and customer satisfaction
• create a stunning and lasting impact on your business performance
Begin to make it happen by reading The Bright Idea Box.
This book embodies Jag’s passion for humanity and improving lives of billions of disengaged employees who don’t get the opportunity to demonstrate their talents. Employee disengagement is a modern plague that is suffocating our society. The Bright Idea Box presents a simple solution to re-engage employees and improve business results at the same time.
- GenresBusinessLeadership
276 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2013
12 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Jag Randhawa
2 books2 followersJag Randhawa is a Technology Executive, Professional Speaker, and Executive Coach. Jag has more than twenty years of technology industry experience with a strong track record of building high performance teams and award-winning products. Jag is a frequent speaker on the topics of Innovation, Employee Engagement, and Leadership.
Jag is the mastermind behind the MASTER innovation program and the founder of Idea Employee Labs, a management consulting company. Jag shares a deep passion for humanity and a desire to make a difference in the world.
Born and raised on a farm in rural India, Jag developed a sense of appreciation for doing the best with what you have, which translated well into the corporate world. Jag started programming in his early teen years and got a full-time job as an engineer at age seventeen after completing his diploma in Electronics and Communications Engineering. Subsequently, Jag obtained a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, but his thirst for continuous learning extends from neuroscience to Zen philosophies.
Jag lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, a neuroscientist, and two daughters, whose smiles can melt anyone’s heart.
Jag is the mastermind behind the MASTER innovation program and the founder of Idea Employee Labs, a management consulting company. Jag shares a deep passion for humanity and a desire to make a difference in the world.
Born and raised on a farm in rural India, Jag developed a sense of appreciation for doing the best with what you have, which translated well into the corporate world. Jag started programming in his early teen years and got a full-time job as an engineer at age seventeen after completing his diploma in Electronics and Communications Engineering. Subsequently, Jag obtained a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, but his thirst for continuous learning extends from neuroscience to Zen philosophies.
Jag lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, a neuroscientist, and two daughters, whose smiles can melt anyone’s heart.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 20, 2014
I won this book as part of a First Reads giveaway.
For anyone working in a business this is a must read book. Jag Randhawa describes a practical system to engage employees and create an environment within the company where not only are the needs of the company met but also the needs of the employees.
His ideas are presented clearly using examples of companies that have implemented programs of their own and had success. He also outlines a step by step plan to implement his own ideas.
While some of the concepts can be a little complex, Jag Randhawa explains them in such a straight forward and eloquent manner that you never feel lost.
I highly recommend this book to employers and employees alike.
For anyone working in a business this is a must read book. Jag Randhawa describes a practical system to engage employees and create an environment within the company where not only are the needs of the company met but also the needs of the employees.
His ideas are presented clearly using examples of companies that have implemented programs of their own and had success. He also outlines a step by step plan to implement his own ideas.
While some of the concepts can be a little complex, Jag Randhawa explains them in such a straight forward and eloquent manner that you never feel lost.
I highly recommend this book to employers and employees alike.
January 14, 2014
A simple and practical way to stimulate employee’s innovative drive
I really enjoyed reading the book. It is not just a theory but rather a practical book that shows you how to increase the company's market impact, reduce employee turnover and benefits by way of stimulating and rewarding the employee’s innovative drive. Lots of examples and stories of innovative companies and how they engage their employee to grow the company. The book walks you through step-by-step on the process of creating a bottom-up innovation program, which makes it very easy to implement the suggested program.
I really enjoyed reading the book. It is not just a theory but rather a practical book that shows you how to increase the company's market impact, reduce employee turnover and benefits by way of stimulating and rewarding the employee’s innovative drive. Lots of examples and stories of innovative companies and how they engage their employee to grow the company. The book walks you through step-by-step on the process of creating a bottom-up innovation program, which makes it very easy to implement the suggested program.
November 21, 2014
This book does a thorough job of extolling the virtues of incorporating an employee/customer feedback program. It covers the background and discusses current successful organizations that have implemented such programs. The writing is clear and organized and easy to follow. The book is especially written for someone needing to start such a program. I appreciated the recommended reading section. In the interests of full-disclosure I received a free-copy of the book through first-reads.
December 4, 2013
excellent book.
as i read the book i kept thinking: "this is the new "Blue Ocean Strategy" book", so I wasn't surprised to see "Blue Ocean Strategy" listed in the suggested reading list.
Even though I'm not at a high level of my organization, I found lots of helpful info and some good idea that I can implement at my level.
I wish some of the managers at my company would read this book!!!!
as i read the book i kept thinking: "this is the new "Blue Ocean Strategy" book", so I wasn't surprised to see "Blue Ocean Strategy" listed in the suggested reading list.
Even though I'm not at a high level of my organization, I found lots of helpful info and some good idea that I can implement at my level.
I wish some of the managers at my company would read this book!!!!
September 5, 2014
Coordinating innovation and employee engagement to improve both. Practical and easy to read. Don't miss the appendices featuring company profiles and recommended reading.
July 29, 2018
Great book. I dont live and die by books like this. Rather I use them as a framework to plan next steps. That said, I have no idea why this book is not talked about more in business circles. Jag Randhawa wrote this book at a basic level while still incorporating psychological studies, business cases, and his real-life experience with the six-step MASTER Innovation Program. Great read.
January 16, 2014
Love count - six.
I read an ebook ARC of The Bright Idea Box by Jag Randhawa. As such, I made more annotations in the text than I do with a print copy. Some were detailed, some were to cross-reference items, others were simply the word, love. The Bright Idea Box got six "loves".
Oops, I'm jumping ahead. It's a first book by a business author, and was only released this week. Chances are this is the first you're hearing about it. I should explain its topic.
The Bright Idea Box is a step-by-step guide to simultaneously innovate your business and increase employee engagement. Randhawa mixes his experiences with examples from other companies who do aspects of the MASTER program well. He then formatted it in a linear adoption plan, with workbook exercises, to take you through all that's needed for implementation. Yes, it's that practical and Randhawa makes it too easy and compelling not to implement. I love (there's that word again) the chapter on each stakeholder and how get them on-board. He ran this to improve his team, but it can be done - small or big.
What I like about this book
- It's modest. Randhawa doesn't claim to be world-changing. It's very much "this worked for me".
- Sentences like, "Do employees understand the relationship between the company's success and their success", and "You will learn why employees either quit and leave, or quit and stay!".
- It's perfectly practical. I actually noted this twice, but it's true. Some tips are as basic as training your employees to listen to customers. I've worked with a company that charged a large Asian bank more than $1 million with this same advice.
- Advising accountability in Reports and Dashboards. My comment on this section actually was (I'm blushing already), " Will the author marry me?". Jag? - update: I just saw the Amazon author profile. I concede I'm too late.
- Advice on why this method works better than just a Suggestion Box in the corner. Employees submitting ideas need to show the business case, and there are details on how to support this ensuring implemented ideas support the company's goals.
What could be better
- Randhawa has so many great ideas that some could be books or shorts on their own. I love the what's your passion exercise, I even blogged about it. But, it doesn't really fit here.
- The combination of marketing and employee engagement is great, but the link between them isn't always clear.
- A couple of times I found myself flicking back to see how we got onto topics. I didn't read it in one hit, so maybe that was a factor, but the innovation versus invention discussion confused me. The MASTER program's name could have been reinforced more through the steps.
We all know that with business books you need to pick and choose what you take from it. Do that with this one, but I'm sure you'll be choosing the vast majority of it. There's just so much "love" on the pages of the Bright Idea Box.
Originally published on TapDancingSpiders
I read an ebook ARC of The Bright Idea Box by Jag Randhawa. As such, I made more annotations in the text than I do with a print copy. Some were detailed, some were to cross-reference items, others were simply the word, love. The Bright Idea Box got six "loves".
Oops, I'm jumping ahead. It's a first book by a business author, and was only released this week. Chances are this is the first you're hearing about it. I should explain its topic.
The Bright Idea Box is a step-by-step guide to simultaneously innovate your business and increase employee engagement. Randhawa mixes his experiences with examples from other companies who do aspects of the MASTER program well. He then formatted it in a linear adoption plan, with workbook exercises, to take you through all that's needed for implementation. Yes, it's that practical and Randhawa makes it too easy and compelling not to implement. I love (there's that word again) the chapter on each stakeholder and how get them on-board. He ran this to improve his team, but it can be done - small or big.
What I like about this book
- It's modest. Randhawa doesn't claim to be world-changing. It's very much "this worked for me".
- Sentences like, "Do employees understand the relationship between the company's success and their success", and "You will learn why employees either quit and leave, or quit and stay!".
- It's perfectly practical. I actually noted this twice, but it's true. Some tips are as basic as training your employees to listen to customers. I've worked with a company that charged a large Asian bank more than $1 million with this same advice.
- Advising accountability in Reports and Dashboards. My comment on this section actually was (I'm blushing already), " Will the author marry me?". Jag? - update: I just saw the Amazon author profile. I concede I'm too late.
- Advice on why this method works better than just a Suggestion Box in the corner. Employees submitting ideas need to show the business case, and there are details on how to support this ensuring implemented ideas support the company's goals.
What could be better
- Randhawa has so many great ideas that some could be books or shorts on their own. I love the what's your passion exercise, I even blogged about it. But, it doesn't really fit here.
- The combination of marketing and employee engagement is great, but the link between them isn't always clear.
- A couple of times I found myself flicking back to see how we got onto topics. I didn't read it in one hit, so maybe that was a factor, but the innovation versus invention discussion confused me. The MASTER program's name could have been reinforced more through the steps.
We all know that with business books you need to pick and choose what you take from it. Do that with this one, but I'm sure you'll be choosing the vast majority of it. There's just so much "love" on the pages of the Bright Idea Box.
Originally published on TapDancingSpiders
February 16, 2014
I am writing this review at the request of the author who is giving me a chance to win a prize in exchange for purchasing, reading, and reviewing his book.
As someone who reads quite a bit about management and maximizing the potential of oneself and others, I found this book interesting and thought-provoking. However, if you have read Drucker, Gladwell, Rath etc. you will find much of this book's assertions to be familiar.
Essentially, the book outlines a feedback system for lower level employees to help make them feel like they are equal partners in a company/organization. Randhawa reviews research that explains what motivates people to contribute and excel and how a feedback system such as his could help increase employee engagement.
I gave the book 4 Stars because I think that it could fall on a spectrum ranging from 3 to 5 depending on the reader.
3 Stars - For someone who has done a lot of reading in the genre and is not at the top level of management, the book is mostly review. If the reader has a good relationship with his/her company manager/president, then this is something they could suggest to that person. Since the book is reasonably priced, it is a worthwhile addition to one's management library.
4 Stars - For someone who hasn't read very much in the genre,is interested in becoming a manager, and wants to help their business thrive in the future.
5 Stars - For someone who finds themselves in a key leadership position in a mid-sized or large organization but, (for whatever reason) has limited exposure to management literature/training. This book would be an excellent to get a quick overview on how to move away from a hierarchical mindset to a team mindset.
As someone who reads quite a bit about management and maximizing the potential of oneself and others, I found this book interesting and thought-provoking. However, if you have read Drucker, Gladwell, Rath etc. you will find much of this book's assertions to be familiar.
Essentially, the book outlines a feedback system for lower level employees to help make them feel like they are equal partners in a company/organization. Randhawa reviews research that explains what motivates people to contribute and excel and how a feedback system such as his could help increase employee engagement.
I gave the book 4 Stars because I think that it could fall on a spectrum ranging from 3 to 5 depending on the reader.
3 Stars - For someone who has done a lot of reading in the genre and is not at the top level of management, the book is mostly review. If the reader has a good relationship with his/her company manager/president, then this is something they could suggest to that person. Since the book is reasonably priced, it is a worthwhile addition to one's management library.
4 Stars - For someone who hasn't read very much in the genre,is interested in becoming a manager, and wants to help their business thrive in the future.
5 Stars - For someone who finds themselves in a key leadership position in a mid-sized or large organization but, (for whatever reason) has limited exposure to management literature/training. This book would be an excellent to get a quick overview on how to move away from a hierarchical mindset to a team mindset.
February 15, 2014
This is a book of quite practical value for upper managers. Using the distinction between creativity (ideas) and innovation (action), as well as acknowledging that innovation need not be based on inventing something from scratch but may rather be a product refinement or process improvement, The Bright Idea Box outlines the importance of programs that encourage employees to help their company innovate.
Just as innovation is action-oriented, the company's program to foster innovation must also actually work and not be itself merely a creative idea.
"Do not wait for that genius product idea; start enhancing the products or services you have now," Randhawa suggests.
"Looking for process improvements should be an everyday habit and part of everyone's job."
Just as innovation is action-oriented, the company's program to foster innovation must also actually work and not be itself merely a creative idea.
"Once an idea has been approved and financed, it must be implemented in a timely manner….The queue of 'accepted' ideas will keep getting longer, and the employees who submitted the ideas will start getting frustrated with management and losing faith in the program….There is no faster way to kill the innovation program than by not implementing good ideas."
"Do not wait for that genius product idea; start enhancing the products or services you have now," Randhawa suggests.
"Looking for process improvements should be an everyday habit and part of everyone's job."
February 13, 2015
I have read many books that speak about motivating employees, empowering them, connecting with them etc... But they all seem to be lacking "something". That extra edge. I am sure I will re-read this when I have even more time but for now the author touches on some excellent ideas such as really valuing your employees. In this book he not only provides examples and suggestions but also asks you questions to help reflect and personalize some of the information. I work in education and we need innovation and employee engagement just as much as any other business - in fact probably even more with how much we are expected to do to meet the needs of children. It isn't just about education anymore - it is about making sure they have food, clothes, medical care, making sure they are safe and then and only then can we educate them. Excellent book and many ideas to ponder...
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2015
Really great. Hoping to get some of these ideas adopted where I work.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews