Not everything gets swept aside
Cincinnati–Swiffer kitties? Just attach little dusting pads to your feline’s paws, so they can help keep your floors clean while making their rounds. A bit far-fetched? Executives at consumer-products king Procter & Gamble Co. thought so, too, and sent the idea to the discard pile.
P&G also rejected pitches from outside inventors for a belly-button lint brush, a Knees and Toes body wash to complement Head and Shoulders shampoo, and a "man handle" to keep marital harmony in the bathroom by making it easier to raise and lower the toilet seat.
But there are success stories, too. The original Swiffer duster was developed by a Japanese company that P&G teamed up with to take it global. That’s why P&G keeps the door open to proposals.
The once-insular company is now considered a leader among the companies in many industries that are listening to outsiders they once might have shunned, including other businesses. "We don’t care where good ideas come from, as long as they come to us," said Jeff Weedman, a vice-president who helps lead P&G’s effort to solicit ideas online or from scouting by P&G employees around the globe.
"We’re not going to use everything that shows up, but we want to be the preferred partner."
Others noted for "open innovation" include IBM Corp., which runs online "innovation jams," and Eli Lilly & Co., which in 2001 created an InnoCentive branch to draw scientific help from around the globe.
Jeff DeGraff, a professor who focuses on managing innovation and creativity at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, said P&G has helped popularize the approach.
"P&G was the poster child for this movement, showing large companies with growth challenges that this is not just for Silicon Valley or Ann Arbor (Mich business