The Playbook for Successful Idea Programs in 2025

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Launching an employee ideas program can feel daunting: will you get enough ideas? Will it take forever to manage? And will those ideas even make a difference?

Plus, let’s be real—keeping your people excited and engaged can sometimes feel like an uphill battle.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this playbook, we’ll show you how to make it easy, fun, and wildly effective to gather and implement ideas that can drive real change.

And the best part? You don’t need to drown your people in emails or endless surveys to get there. With our proven approach, you can:

So... ready to get started?

Suggested stakeholders

The right stakeholders can make or break your employee ideas campaign. 

You need to gather the dream team that will steer the ship, champion the cause, and keep the wheels of your campaign turning.

We've pulled together seven key personas you’ll want on your radar.

And, before you panic—no, you don’t need to wrangle seven different people! But making sure each of these roles is covered in some way is your best bet for a campaign that runs like clockwork—and actually works.

Theme: what's your goal?

Before you dive in, let’s talk about why you’re running this campaign in the first place. 

What’s the end goal? At Sideways 6, we’ve seen 3 big reasons behind most employee ideas campaigns:

Pick your theme wisely—it’ll shape everything from the ideas you gather to the impact you make!

We’ll walk you through how you can get started with each theme, and the sorts of questions you can ask to get maximum engagement and high quality ideas.

Theme: Business Improvement and Innovation

Business improvement campaigns are all about snagging ideas that can streamline processes, cut costs, boost revenue, or even launch brand-new products or services.

Take a look below for inspiration on how to get the ball rolling.

Theme: Employee Engagement

Employees just don’t stick around like they used to, and replacing them? That’s a pricey game.

But here’s the thing: when employees feel heard, they’re happier—and they’re more likely to stay put.

By asking for their ideas and actually listening, you’re showing them that their opinions count. And, honestly, that’s what really counts for them.

Employee engagement campaigns usually aim to:

• Boost the employee experience
• Streamline efficiency
• Level up your customer experience

Check out the infographic below for some ideas on how to make this happen and get your team more engaged than ever.

Theme: Transformation

Change doesn’t have to be a top-down drag. When you bring employees into the mix and let their ideas help shape the transformation, it’s amazing what can happen.

Not only does it make the change feel more like a team effort, but it also gives everyone a sense of ownership—which makes them more likely to embrace the shift.

Transformation campaigns usually aim to:

1. Build a culture of innovation
2. Sharpen up processes
3. Drive impactful changes across the business

Take a look below to see the kinds of transformation campaigns you can run to shake things up and lead the charge for change!

Audience: who’s in? Defining your campaign audience

Before you hit go on your employee ideas campaign, you need to think about who you want to engage. Are you rallying the whole company, or focusing on a specific group?

Let’s break it down!

All employees

Running an all-employee campaign means opening the floor to everyone—every department, every perspective. Here’s why that’s awesome:

👍 Benefits 

1. Diverse perspectives: You’ll get a flood of ideas from across the business, tapping into insights you might not expect.
2. Inclusivity: It’s a win for company culture—everyone feels heard and part of the process.
3. Better problem-solving: More brains = better solutions. A wider range of ideas means you’re more likely to crack those tricky problems.
4. Boosted engagement: When employees feel valued and heard, they’re more likely to be invested in their work.

Segmented employees

Running a campaign with a specific group of employees lets you zero in on a select crowd with shared interests or expertise. It’s like crowdsourcing with a laser focus.

👍 Benefits 

1. Expertise: You’ll get top-notch, relevant ideas from employees who know their stuff in the area you’re tackling.
2. Efficiency: Smaller groups mean less noise and more focus, so you can move faster and with clearer direction.
3. Less resource strain: Fewer ideas to sift through means less time and manpower spent managing the process.
4. Tailored campaign: You can customise the campaign to the needs of the project, bringing in just the right people with the skills to match.

Results: how to know you're nailing it

Running a killer ideas campaign is great, but how do you know if it’s actually working? That’s where setting the right metrics comes in.

Whether you're focusing on business improvement, employee engagement, or transformation, tracking the right data is key to monitoring success—and figuring out where you can tweak things for next time.

Check out the table below for ideas on what metrics to track, based on your campaign theme and goals. Remember, it’s all about keeping things measurable, so you know when to celebrate (or make adjustments).

Structure: from idea to impact—how to structure your campaign

Kicking off an employee ideas campaign is exciting stuff! But to turn great ideas into real results, a bit of structure goes a long way. Think of it like a roadmap: without one, those brilliant ideas can get lost or stall out.

By setting up a clear path—from submission to delivery—you’ll keep things moving and make it easier to spot the game-changing ideas that can really make a difference.

Don’t worry—we’ve got a simple model lined up for you, laying out the ideal status at each stage. It’s the perfect way to help everyone stay in the loop on where each idea is in the funnel.

Structure: what's the Big Question? Broad vs. Specific

When it comes to asking for ideas, the type of question you ask matters. Do you want to keep things broad and open-ended to spark a wide range of ideas? Or go more specific, targeting a particular problem or area?

There’s benefits to each approach, and the choice depends on your campaign goals. Check out the infographic below to help you decide which question style fits your needs best!

Structure: ask a little more—get a lot in return

When employees submit an idea, it pays to ask a few extra questions up front.

Why? Because the more you know about their thinking, the better you can evaluate their suggestions.

These questions help you get the full picture and boost the chances of landing some seriously high-quality ideas. Ready to dig deeper? Let’s explore what to ask!

Boost engagement, cut costs, and manage change the easy way...

Imagine having a system that:

• Seamlessly collects ideas from every corner of your company
• Automatically sorts and categorises submissions (no more spreadsheet nightmares!)
• Helps you easily spot those game-changing ideas
• And enables you to track progress like a boss

Sound too good to be true?

Discover the easy way to gather your employee ideas and transform them into game-changing innovations.

Learn more about our product or book a free demo today to find out how you can leverage AI-powered technology to take our idea management initiative to the next level.