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The theory of voicing ideas upward and downward challenges existing practices in business communication by shifting the focus from middle management to the top and bottom levels of the hierarchy. Traditionally, ideas are often pitched to middle managers who have strong incentives to choose the tried-and-true default option over the untested new idea. However, this theory suggests that the top levels, who are expected to be different, and the bottom levels, who tend to feel they have nothing to lose, may be more open to originality and innovation. This approach could potentially lead to more innovative ideas being implemented and a shift in the overall business communication strategy.
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The top levels of any hierarchy are expected to be different; the bottom levels tend to feel they have nothing to lose if they embrace originality. The hardest level to convince of the need for change are the middle-management levels, where there are strong incentives to choose the tried-and-true default option over the untested new idea. Medina learned to voice her ideas upward, to the top, and downward, to the lower ranks, rather than focus on pitching her ideas to middle managers.
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Learn how innovators and original thinkers across time developed their novel ideas, mitigated risks, persuaded others, and changed the way we all see...
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How do you inspire salient ideas and collaborate with your team in a brainstorm session? Use our Mind Map collection to visually organize information by themes, hierarchy, and causal relationships, and find the common thread that can lead you to out-of-the-box thinking. Since solutions are rarely surface-level, deeper exploration of each problem is needed. Mind Maps encourages you to keep digging deeper and draw insights from potential solutions.
How can you accelerate the cerebral engines that power those “Aha!” moments? And what sets a good idea apart from just any average idea? Whether it’s as a collaborative effort with other team members, or a solo endeavor at your desk, or thinking on-the-spot during a case interview, or even leading a workshop, use our collection of Brainstorming Techniques to upkeep the mind palace.
How to know if an idea is worth pursuing? Companies need tried-and-true ways to discover the next big idea that will disrupt their industry. This Idea Testing presentation template includes tools that can be customized to different business scenarios and provide a framework for brainstorming and testing new ideas.
Feel overwhelmed by a seemingly complex problem? Download the Problem-Solving Frameworks template to deconstruct problems into a series of smaller, logical steps. This deck includes tools that survey and identify a problem, explore potential causes, brainstorm potential counter measures, implement proposals, and then evaluate the outcome.