Driving Innovation From Within: Pipelife Ideas & More Turns 15

Did you know that every Pipelifer, no matter their position, department or business unit, can share their own vision of how the company can further grow and improve? This has been made possible thanks to Ideas & More — an online ideas database and community created 15 years ago by Pipelife’s R&D team. More than 3600 ideas later, we talked with the man who started it all — the Head of Pipelife’s R&D department Zoran Davidovski.

_{Sharing is Caring}

The principle behind Ideas & More is simple: employees that have improvements in mind concerning any company-relevant area can enter them in an online database and share with the entire group in minutes.

From working environment to production and from product innovation to customer service, the platform now houses more than 3600 ideas. Around 700 of these have already been implemented, and many are being tested and developed further.

Zoran Davidovski, the founder of the platform, admits that he got inspired by point-based loyalty programs implemented by many businesses: 

“The way Ideas & More works has essentially stayed the same throughout the years — users receive points for entering their ideas as well as for rating and commenting on the ideas already submitted.”

Currently, every Ideas & More point equals 0.50 EUR, and, as Zoran sums it up, the earned points can be either donated or spent on “anything that’s moral and legal.” Some of the most active users have materialized their points into inspiring projects and initiatives.

_{Building Upon the Previous Successes}

Ideas & More was officially launched on the 1st of January, 2009. Over the past 15 years, the platform has become a valuable source and discussion space where not only new ideas are coined but also the previously submitted ones can be examined, developed further and taken to the next level.

“This platform is not only about sharing big, complex ideas,” emphasizes Zoran. “We also appreciate submissions that are quite simple to implement, for example, an update to a tool we already have. Such ideas also make a difference.”

Encouraging employees to present their ideas and improvements is critical for the success and growth of any company. It fosters a collaborative work culture, spurs innovation and productivity, and leads to higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.