“Ideas Are Free” is more than the title of a book by Alan G. Robinson and Dean Schroeder; it is also a timeless truth. When people are trusted, supported, and engaged in improving their own work, they can see possibilities invisible to others. Robinson and Schroeder’s book provides a roadmap for integrating the management of ideas into an organization’s operating system.
The idea system is not new. In fact, Toyota began experimenting with one as early as 1951, embedding it into their production process to empower employees to solve problems every day. Over time, it became one of the company’s strongest differentiators—a living expression of their principle of respect for people.
That same principle sits at the heart of every successful improvement culture I’ve witnessed. Whether in manufacturing or healthcare, the power of an idea system lies in creating the conditions for everyone, every day, to identify problems, propose solutions, and test ideas that make their work easier, safer, and more meaningful.
As Steve Jobs once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” An idea system is simple in concept—but sophisticated in practice.
The Ingredients for an Effective Idea System
Over the years, I’ve learned that while many organizations appreciate the concept of engaging everyone in improvement, relatively few succeed in building a system that sustains it. The difference lies in the details—the ingredients that make it work day after day.
Below are some of the essential conditions I’ve seen make the difference between a system that fades and one that flourishes.
1. Psychological Safety
People will not share their ideas—or their concerns—if they fear negative consequences. Creating a climate of psychological safety is the first and most critical ingredient. It means leaders genuinely listen to ideas, respond respectfully, and treat every suggestion as a learning opportunity rather than a judgment of performance.
In psychologically safe environments, people feel a sense of ownership. They don’t hesitate to point out a problem or to suggest a better way because they trust that their leaders value their input. Without that trust, even the most technically sound idea system will fail.
2. Clear Connection Between Targets and Performance Indicators
An idea system is most powerful when improvement efforts connect directly to the organization’s performance indicators. Too often, ideas are collected in isolation—small, disconnected fixes that never link to the larger goals.
When people understand the “why” behind improvement—how their work contributes to safety, quality, flow, or cost—they begin to see problems through a different lens. They start to ask: How does this idea help us move closer to our target condition?
That connection creates alignment and purpose. Every idea becomes part of a shared journey toward better performance.
3. Daily Visual Management and Communication
A strong idea system lives in the rhythm of daily work. Visual management—boards, huddles, or digital displays—makes ideas visible and keeps progress transparent.
Each day, teams gather for a few minutes to review yesterday’s actions, share new ideas, and check results. These simple routines transform improvement from an occasional project into an everyday behavior.
The daily conversation reinforces that improvement is part of everyone’s job, not an extra task. It also builds communication and trust across roles—nurses, technicians, operators, or managers all share ownership of progress.
4. Change as Experimentation
When we treat every change as an experiment, we shift from a mindset of “implementing solutions” to one of learning.
Rather than aiming for perfection, teams test small ideas, observe results, and adjust. This approach lowers the risk of failure and accelerates learning. Importantly, it reinforces scientific thinking—the practice of forming hypotheses, running experiments, and reflecting on what was learned.
In healthcare, for example, a team might test a new way to label medication trays on one shift, observe the effect on accuracy and time, and then decide whether to expand or refine the change. The key is that the people who do the work lead the experiment.
5. Leaders as Coaches
In a thriving idea system, leaders act as coaches, not gatekeepers. Their role is to create conditions for learning, ask thoughtful questions, and remove barriers that prevent experimentation.
Instead of evaluating every idea, effective leaders help team members think through it:
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What problem are we solving?
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What do we expect to happen?
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How will we know if it works?
This approach builds capability and confidence. Over time, leaders learn to see their teams not just as executors of work but as partners in improvement. The act of coaching becomes one of the most powerful development tools in the organization.
6. Small Ideas for Quick Learning
One of the counterintuitive lessons from Toyota and other high-performing organizations is that the best idea systems focus on small ideas.
When ideas are small, they can be tested quickly. Quick learning creates momentum, and momentum sustains engagement. Many organizations mistakenly wait for the “big breakthrough” ideas, but those often require more resources, more approvals, and more time.
Small ideas, by contrast, happen every day. They may seem minor in isolation—adjusting the placement of tools, changing the sequence of steps—but collectively they transform performance. They also reinforce the habit of seeing and solving problems continuously.
What Happens When the System Works
When all these ingredients come together, something remarkable occurs.
Results improve—often faster than expected. Frontline team members develop stronger problem-solving skills. Leaders deepen their ability to coach and support learning. And the organization begins to improve its improvement capability—its capacity to adapt, learn, and perform at higher levels over time.
I’ve witnessed this transformation firsthand.
In one healthcare organization I supported, the number of ideas implemented grew rapidly in a relatively short period of time—and continued to increase steadily. The graph illustrating this journey shows a clear upward trajectory: as people gained confidence and experienced success, they shared and tested even more ideas.
What struck me most was not only the number of ideas but the quality of engagement behind them. Each implemented idea represented a conversation, an experiment, and a moment of learning. Over time, this rhythm became part of the organization’s identity.
When employees begin leading process improvements at the rate of two or more ideas per month—each tied to defined process metrics—you can sense the cultural shift. Improvement is no longer an initiative; it’s a habit. People see problems and opportunities naturally. They act on them because they care about their work, their colleagues, and their patients.
At that point, it becomes almost impossible to reverse the momentum. The organization has achieved what I call a self-sustaining culture of improvement.
Connecting to Lean Principles
The success of an idea system is deeply connected to the foundational principles of Lean management—particularly respect for people and continuous improvement (kaizen).
Respect for people means more than being kind; it means trusting individuals’ ability to improve their work. It’s the belief that those closest to the process have insights that leaders can’t see from a distance. Giving them a structured way to act on those insights demonstrates genuine respect.
Continuous improvement, meanwhile, is the practice of applying scientific thinking to everyday work—observing, experimenting, learning, and adjusting. The idea system is one of the most direct ways to practice kaizen daily. It bridges the gap between strategy and action, between vision and the realities of the front line.
Together, these two principles form a virtuous cycle. When leaders show respect by listening and supporting experimentation, people contribute more ideas. When people see their ideas valued and implemented, they feel more respected and engaged.
That cycle builds trust—and trust builds capability.
Why Idea Systems Matter More Than Ever
Today, many organizations face high turnover, burnout, and uncertainty. In these conditions, employee engagement has become a common topic of concern. Leaders often rely on annual engagement surveys to gauge morale, yet those surveys provide only a snapshot in time—a lagging indicator.
A functioning idea system, on the other hand, is a real-time indicator of engagement. When people regularly propose and implement improvements, it tells us they feel connected to their work and to the organization’s purpose.
If the flow of ideas slows down, it’s an early warning signal that something in the environment has changed—perhaps people feel unheard, unsafe, or overburdened. Monitoring the vitality of the idea system gives leaders direct feedback on the health of the culture.
I often tell leaders: there is no better indicator of engagement than people wanting to improve the processes they own.
Beyond engagement, an idea system also strengthens organizational resilience. In dynamic environments—like healthcare—conditions change constantly. No centralized improvement team can keep up with every new challenge. Empowering everyone to contribute small, local improvements creates the agility needed to adapt quickly without waiting for top-down directives.
The Leadership Challenge
Building and sustaining such a system is not easy. It requires leaders to balance structure with freedom, and accountability with trust.
Some leaders initially struggle with the idea that improvement can emerge from anywhere. They worry that too many small ideas will create chaos or distract from strategic priorities. But a well-designed system channels that energy productively—it provides clear boundaries, connects ideas to metrics, and ensures follow-up through daily routines.
The leader’s role is not to manage every idea but to manage the system—to ensure the conditions for learning are in place. That means:
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Reinforcing psychological safety through consistent behavior.
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Making performance visible and meaningful.
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Recognizing and celebrating learning, not just results.
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Developing the next generation of coaches.
When leaders embrace this mindset, improvement becomes a shared responsibility. People no longer wait for permission to solve problems; they feel trusted to act within a clear framework. Over time, this builds a deep sense of ownership and pride.
A Living Indicator of Organizational Health
Every organization measures performance—through dashboards, KPIs, and reports. Yet few measure their capacity to improve.
An active idea system offers a window into that capacity. It reveals how well the organization learns, adapts, and mobilizes the creativity of its people. It shows whether leadership behaviors align with stated values. And it provides tangible evidence of respect for people in action.
The growing curve of implemented ideas I mentioned earlier wasn’t just a data point. It was a story of people rediscovering their voice, their curiosity, and their collective power to make things better.
That’s the real beauty of an idea system. It turns improvement from a management activity into a human one. It reconnects people with the joy of problem solving and the satisfaction of making a difference.
When those conditions exist, the culture becomes self-renewing. Even as people come and go, the mindset of seeing and solving problems remains—because it’s built into how the organization works and learns.
Closing Reflection
“Ideas Are Free” may sound simple, but it represents one of the most profound truths in organizational life: every person holds the potential to improve the system they work in.
Creating an environment where that potential can flourish is both a moral and strategic responsibility. It demands humility from leaders, curiosity from teams, and persistence from everyone.
When those elements align, ideas stop being “free” in the economic sense—they become priceless in their impact.
So, before looking to the next engagement survey or performance review, take a look at your idea system. Ask yourself:
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Are people sharing ideas regularly?
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Are they learning from small experiments?
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Do leaders act as coaches and learners themselves?
If the answer is yes, you are likely witnessing something special—a culture where improvement, respect, and learning reinforce each other every day.
That is the essence of continuous improvement. That is the sophistication of simplicity.
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