Encouraging Employee Innovation Through Brainstorming to Improve Hospitality Organizational Performance

Unlike entrepreneurs, who develop ideas, products, and services to establish independent businesses, intrapreneurs create and develop innovative ideas while remaining employed within an existing organization. Well-known examples of intrapreneurial success can be found at companies such as Google and 3M. In 1985, Gifford Pinchot defined intrapreneuring as the practice of acting like an entrepreneur within an organization by discovering, evaluating, and pursuing new business opportunities with the company's support.

Hospitality leaders who embrace intrapreneurship can uncover innovative ways to enhance operations and create value across the organization. By encouraging employees to share ideas and propose new approaches to workplace challenges, leaders can boost employee motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction, ultimately reducing staff turnover. While the concept may seem simple, successful intrapreneurship requires a strong understanding of the organization's vision, mission, and culture.

Before adopting an intrapreneurial approach to problem-solving and innovation, leaders must first create an environment that supports creativity and encourages employees to explore new ways of thinking. This requires a top-down commitment to fostering a culture in which employees feel empowered to challenge traditional methods and contribute fresh ideas. Often referred to as “thinking outside the box” or, more commonly today, “creative thinking,” this mindset is essential for organizational growth and innovation. As Albert Einstein famously observed, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking we used when we created them.”

Brainstorming is a structured process through which employees generate ideas and develop solutions to specific organizational challenges. American advertising executive Alex Faickney Osborn introduced the concept in his 1942 book How to Think Up. He described brainstorming as a method of generating ideas and solving problems through group discussion and free thinking. One of its key benefits is that it gives employees a voice and an opportunity to be heard and valued while identifying new opportunities for the organization. As a result, both employees and the company benefit.

Effective brainstorming requires careful planning. Simply adding brainstorming to a routine meeting agenda is unlikely to produce meaningful results, as employees cannot be expected to generate creative ideas on demand. Instead, brainstorming should be incorporated as a regular business practice because innovation is a key driver of organizational growth, which includes the hospitality industry. Well-designed brainstorming sessions allow employees to suggest improvements to work processes, internal workflows, customer experiences, employee engagement, and revenue generation, to name just a few.

In some cases, brainstorming sessions can lead to innovative products, services, or business opportunities that create new revenue streams for the organization. A classic example is the development of Post-it® Notes at 3M, which demonstrates how employee-generated ideas can evolve into highly successful commercial innovations.  

Steps for developing brainstorming sessions

For brainstorming to be effective, hospitality leaders must create an environment that encourages employees to generate and share ideas freely. This should be an ongoing process that becomes embedded in the organization's culture, enabling employees to regularly contribute suggestions and innovative solutions. Depending on the nature of the issue being addressed, brainstorming sessions may be conducted at various organizational levels, including supervisors, managers, department heads, senior leaders, vice presidents, presidents, and CEOs. Following a structured approach helps participants understand the purpose and expectations of the brainstorming process while fostering open communication and the free exchange of ideas without fear of criticism or negative consequences.

Choose a non-work-related location 

Begin by selecting a location outside the workplace and dedicating sufficient time to the session signals to participants that management views brainstorming as a valuable and important activity. Depending on the time of day, participants may be encouraged to bring lunch or snacks to create a more relaxed atmosphere. Suitable locations might include a park, a beach, a mountain setting, or any environment not directly associated with the workplace.                                                

Why is location important? Research suggests that a change of environment can reduce workplace distractions, stimulate fresh perspectives, and encourage creative thinking. By removing employees from their routine surroundings, organizations create brainstorming conditions that foster innovation and the generation of new ideas and reinforce the purpose of selecting an alternative location: to encourage creativity and support the development of innovative solutions.

Psychological safety

Consider a situation in which an employee shares an idea, but before they can fully explain it, other group members ridicule or dismiss it. This is a common problem in poorly managed brainstorming sessions, often leading to confrontation. The outcome is often a demotivated employee who becomes reluctant to contribute further ideas for fear of criticism or embarrassment.

To prevent this, organizations must create psychological safety. Psychological safety refers to an environment in which individuals feel comfortable sharing ideas, opinions, and suggestions without fear of ridicule, rejection, or negative consequences. Many ideas are incomplete when first presented and may initially appear impractical or unrealistic. Premature judgment can discourage participation, create a negative atmosphere, and undermine future brainstorming efforts.

Psychological safety extends beyond brainstorming sessions. It is influenced by factors such as organizational culture, power distance, leadership behavior, and communication norms. It also helps explain why some employees remain silent even when they have valuable ideas to contribute. Employees must feel comfortable sharing innovative suggestions, particularly in the presence of supervisors and senior leaders. Leaders should therefore consider whether managers might feel threatened by ideas proposed by their direct reports and take steps to ensure that innovative thinking is welcomed at all levels of the organization. 

Avoid interruptions

The facilitator is responsible for ensuring that participants are not interrupted while presenting their ideas. This practice reinforces psychological safety by giving individuals the necessary time and space to organize their thoughts and fully explain their suggestions. Participants should be allowed as much time as necessary to communicate their ideas clearly and completely.

Prevent criticism

During the idea-generation phase, no comments, evaluations, or judgments, whether positive or negative, should be made about any suggestion. Instead, each idea should be recorded for later review and evaluation. The facilitator must enforce this rule consistently and encourage participants to continue sharing ideas until all suggestions have been exhausted. The facilitator should also actively encourage contributions from quieter participants and those who may feel hesitant because of their junior position within the organization. This helps reduce the risk of social loafing, a phenomenon in which individuals contribute less to a group setting than they would when working independently.

Form small groups

Brainstorming is generally most effective when conducted in small groups of four to seven participants who have sufficient knowledge of the issue being addressed. However, there can be significant value in including a participant who serves as a "devil's advocate" or who comes from outside the area under discussion. 

For example, a brainstorming session focused on improving the hotel guest check-in process might benefit from including an employee from the food and beverage or marketing department. Because these individuals are less familiar with the specific challenge, they may offer a fresh perspective and raise questions that prompt the group to think differently. Such diverse viewpoints can broaden the discussion, stimulate creativity, and help prevent groupthink. Many corporate advisory boards and executive teams use this approach when developing strategy and solving complex problems.

Assign a specific task

The facilitator begins the session by clearly defining the problem or challenge to be addressed. It is then their responsibility to ensure that participants remain focused on the topic throughout the discussion.

Broad questions such as "How can we generate more revenue?" can be difficult to address because they encompass many different issues and possible solutions. More specific questions are generally easier for participants to tackle. For example, "Our current guest check-out satisfaction score is 85 percent. How can we improve it?" provides a clearer focus while still allowing room for creative thinking. It is important not to restrict participants by specifying a desired outcome. For instance, setting a target score of 95 percent may unintentionally limit thinking, causing participants to focus solely on that figure rather than exploring ways to achieve even greater improvements. This example illustrates the important role facilitators play in shaping the quality, scope, and outcome of the brainstorming process.

Document ideas

The facilitator should ensure that all ideas are documented, whether on a flip chart, whiteboard, computer, or digital collaboration platform. Some organizations use secure online systems that allow participants to submit ideas anonymously, which can be particularly helpful for employees who are uncomfortable speaking in group settings. Once all ideas have been collected and securely stored, the facilitator should thank participants for their contributions and remind them that the purpose of the session was to generate ideas rather than evaluate them. The evaluation of ideas should take place during a separate follow-up session.

Key takeaways

Well-structured brainstorming sessions are an important tool for organizations seeking continuous improvement and innovation. They enable leaders to tap into the knowledge, creativity, and experience of employees throughout the organization. Companies such as Google have famously encouraged employees to dedicate a portion of their time to developing new ideas and projects, helping to foster innovation, engagement, and commitment. In the hospitality industry, brainstorming sessions can generate valuable insights into improving the guest experience, enhancing the employee experience, reducing costs, increasing efficiency, and identifying new revenue opportunities. When employees realize that their ideas are heard, valued, and implemented, they are more likely to feel engaged and appreciated. Organizations that actively encourage brainstorming not only benefit from better ideas but also cultivate a more innovative and inclusive culture – which in today’s workplace can be a competitive advantage.