Assess and Review – 3 Actions to Take

It may feel impossible to determine if your IP recognition is working for you. Thankfully, there are a few key identifiers you can keep your eye on. Here are some questions to ask and methods of getting answers to those questions.

1. Do you receive positive feedback from your employees? Do they ask about their next award or the next step in the IP process?

If you hear feedback often, that is a great first start. Now, ask who you’re not hearing from using something simple like an email questionnaire or survey. There will never be a one size fits all approach, however; your goal is to encourage innovation and to recognize the participation for the majority. If the majority finds it valuable, that says something.

2. Review your goals. Do you have measures in place that indicate success?

Most IP Recognition programs have no KPI’s (key performance indicator) assigned because intangibles like engagement and job satisfaction are difficult to measure.

If you find yourself in a place with no KPI, go back to step one and establish a foundation from your feedback and survey results. Then, most importantly, use that feedback to fine-tune your program so that it meets your culture and your unique needs. Remember to focus on the majority when making changes.

3. Survey your managers. Do they understand the goals, and support the innovation/IP efforts?

Managers are the most influential recognizers. They represent the company image and greatly affect the dynamics of a team. Most importantly they can influence engagement up to 70%.

Managers will need to be reminded every chance you get that they need to support IP Recognition. If your management team doesn’t see the value in IP Recognition and how it can support innovation, then employees will miss out on the benefits from it and their participation with the program will suffer.

IP recognition has everything to do with seeing your employees as inventors who donated their spare time to file a patent application for your company. It’s about the company seeing them and valuing them for their contributions. If you feel that your IP recognition might not be working, give us a call. We are happy to share our 30 years of experience with you and help you out however we can. Contact us to schedule a short 15 minute call to discuss.