Try Kindling! A New Way to Foster Engagement for Real Results

What if you could tap the group mind to further ideas that have merit? We try to do this when we help our clients design conversations. Kindling is an idea management application that can be a huge help you and your clients.

The application is similar to a check vote, but the way they have organized it’s appearance, combined it with the ability to move ideas forward, makes all the difference. The Kindling Team calls it the ROI (return on ideas).

So team members or employees get the means to submit ideas, and a number of votes. They put forth ideas, suggestions, cautionary tales etc. These ideas are then voted upon by everyone, and the best ideas move forward. Imagine evolution applied to memes, by teams! As good ideas move forward, a moderator (could be a “theme team”), decides when to take action on a particular idea. When ideas become “active” informal leaders can volunteer to take the idea into project mode, or a leader can be assigned.

The application has two other important organizing important features. The first is that specific Rooms. can be created, where all the ideas on say, Talent Development can be collected and evaluated. Rooms allow for the creation of multiple streams of thought. Very useful. The experienced facilitator will learn how to monitor the number of rooms to keep interest and productivity high.

The second feature is Campaigns. A campaign is a highly focused idea generator, led by a high level sponsor, for a limited amount of time. This assures focus, and celebration. Facilitators, remember one of our main rules: ENERGY FOLLOWS ATTENTION! In Kindling, Campaigns assure this.

And now for something extra, that I believe may make this a killer app. Kindling can actually record who submits what. So after a year let’s say, I might have submitted 65 ideas, 7 of which were highly valuable and 2 are in use now, saving the organization time, resources, and money. Shouldn’t this play into my performance review? Now, good ideas can be measured, real engagement encouraged, and real results, rewarded! Cool.

It’s a great app now with lots of potential. However, I think it needs what we bring to the table. The how to use it, when to use it, how best to use it. In the hands of someone skilled in Action Research, this is one of the tools we have been waiting for. Enjoy.

One final thought – they offer a free trial. Jump on it. Tell them you heard about it here! Have some fun with this one.