Just published
New Article · 9 min read
The PDCA Cycle: Plan, Do, Check, Act Explained With an Example
The PDCA cycle in plain words: the four steps, a worked example from a factory floor, where it comes from, PDCA vs PDSA, A3 and DMAIC, and a simple template.
New Article · 8 min read
What Is 5S? The Five Steps, an Example and a 5S Audit Checklist
5S explained: sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain, with a workshop example, how to run it step by step, 5S vs 6S and a 5S audit checklist.
New Article · 11 min read
Startup Scouting: How to Run an Open Call to Startups, Step by Step
Startup scouting for companies: the five ways to find startups, when an open call works best, a brief template, scoring criteria, venture clienting and pilots.
Learn the basics
What idea management, open innovation and participative innovation are, in plain words.
Article · 18 min read
What Is Idea Management? The Complete Guide (2026)
What idea management is, how the five stages work, and how Halfords collected 515 employee ideas and £759K in business value in 6 months.
Article · 10 min read
What Is Participative Innovation? Complete Guide for Enterprises (2026)
Participative innovation goes beyond the suggestion box. Four principles, a five-step playbook, industry variants, three case studies, common mistakes and FAQ.
Article · 13 min read
Types of Innovation: The 4 That Actually Matter (2026 Practical Guide)
Incremental, modular, disruptive, organisational: what each type of innovation means, when to use which, the realistic portfolio mix and benchmarks.
Article · 9 min read
What Is Open Innovation? Forms, Examples and How to Start (2026)
Open innovation explained: where the term comes from, its three forms, real examples from P&G, NASA, LEGO and Tesla, and how a company gets started.
Article · 15 min read
What Is Innovation Intelligence? Definition & 2026 Guide
Innovation intelligence connects internal idea management with external technology scouting. Definition, why it matters in 2026, and how leading teams use it.
Article · 18 min read
How to Create a Culture of Innovation: Diagnostic, 90-Day Plan, KPIs (2026)
Build a real culture of innovation: a 10-question diagnostic, five building blocks, six anti-patterns, and a 90-day plan that delivers results.
Article · 10 min read
The Scandinavian Approach to Innovation Management
The Scandinavian approach to innovation management: flat hierarchy, trust and simple design, compared with the Anglo-American model, plus customer results.
Article · 16 min read
The 70-20-10 Rule for Innovation: Practical Guide (2026)
The 70-20-10 rule in practice: portfolio diagnosis, starting splits by industry, governance for Horizon 3, KPIs per horizon and six anti-patterns.
Run a programme
Templates and step-by-step guides, from the first challenge to the report at the end.
Toolkit · 9 min read
Your First Idea Challenge: From Question to Decision in 10 Days
Run your first idea challenge from question to decision in 10 days: a day-by-day plan, a worked example, common-fear answers and an FAQ for new organisers.
Toolkit · 9 min read
How to Write an Idea Challenge: Five Parts, Templates and Sector Patterns
How to write an Idea Challenge that pulls in relevant, high-quality submissions: the five components every strong challenge needs, templates and an FAQ.
Article · 11 min read
Startup Scouting: How to Run an Open Call to Startups, Step by Step
Startup scouting for companies: the five ways to find startups, when an open call works best, a brief template, scoring criteria, venture clienting and pilots.
Article · 10 min read
Supplier Innovation: How to Run an Innovation Challenge With Your Suppliers
Supplier innovation in practice: why suppliers have ideas you never hear, how to run a supplier challenge, what to promise on IP and gains, and how to score.
Article · 9 min read
University-Industry Collaboration: How to Run a Challenge With Universities and Research Partners
How companies work with universities and research partners: the five forms, how to run a challenge for students and researchers, IP, publishing and timing.
Article · 11 min read
How to Collect Employee Ideas 2026 (Halfords Playbook)
How to collect employee ideas in 2026: 5 methods, pricing and FAQs. Halfords collected 515 ideas and £759K in business value in 6 months across 400 stores.
Toolkit · 6 min read
Who Should You Invite? The Audience Planning Worksheet
Who should you invite to your idea challenge? The audience planning worksheet helps you target the right people without going too broad and diluting quality.
Toolkit · 9 min read
Campaign Communication: 8 Templates Every Idea Programme Needs
8 ready-to-send templates for an idea campaign: manager briefing, launch, reminder, frontline messages, outcome, implementation update and quarterly report.
Toolkit · 5 min read
The Idea Submission Template: A Matrix That Actually Gets Used
The idea submission template that actually gets used. A simple matrix format that helps employees submit better, more actionable ideas with less friction.
Toolkit · 5 min read
How to Keep Momentum During an Active Campaign
How to keep momentum during an active idea campaign. Practical tactics to sustain participation between launch and close without annoying your contributors.
Toolkit · 9 min read
How to Triage 100+ Ideas in 2 Hours
How to triage 100+ ideas in 2 hours: the three-pile method, async workflow, reply templates and a worked example for innovation managers on a deadline.
Toolkit · 9 min read
How to Prioritise Ideas: A Framework and 90-Minute Session
How to prioritise innovation ideas when you have more shortlist candidates than budget. A framework, a 90-minute session, and how to explain decisions honestly.
Toolkit · 5 min read
The Idea Scoring Scorecard: 3 Models for Different Situations
Three idea scoring models for different situations. Choose the right evaluation framework for your innovation programme and score ideas more consistently.
Article · 18 min read
4 Best Idea Evaluation Methods for Innovation (2026)
Five ways to evaluate innovation ideas: Three Lenses, Urgency vs Value, Question Checklist, ATAR and RICE, with templates and scoring.
Toolkit · 7 min read
How to Give Feedback That Builds Trust (Even When the Answer Is No)
How to give feedback that builds trust, even when the answer is no. Practical frameworks for closing the loop with idea submitters and keeping them engaged.
Toolkit · 5 min read
The 30-Day After-Action Checklist
The 30-day after-action checklist for idea campaigns. How to document results, close the loop with contributors, and build on what worked for next time.
Toolkit · 9 min read
How to Measure Your Innovation Programme Without Lying to Yourself
7 metrics that show whether your innovation programme is working, plus a worked ROI example, reporting cadence and how to present results to leadership.
Toolkit · 6 min read
The One-Page Innovation Report for Leadership
Use this one-page innovation report template for leadership: campaigns run, decisions made, ideas implemented, value generated, and what is not working.
Toolkit · 7 min read
Why Is My Innovation Program Stuck? A 20-Question Diagnostic
Why is your innovation program stuck? A 20-question diagnostic to identify what is blocking progress, what to fix first, and where to focus your energy.
Get people taking part
Employee voice, engagement and suggestion boxes people actually use.
Article · 10 min read
30 Employee Engagement Ideas People Actually Notice (2026)
30 employee engagement ideas for offices, shop floors and remote teams, most of them free: ways to ask, answer, recognise and include people without a desk.
Article · 13 min read
Employee Voice: What It Is and How to Turn It Into Action
What employee voice actually is, why it matters, and the part almost everyone misses: how to turn what employees tell you into implemented improvements.
Article · 10 min read
Employee Voice Survey: 30 Questions That Work (2026)
Employee voice survey guide with 30 copyable questions by theme, the right cadence, and how to turn results into action instead of another report.
Article · 10 min read
Employee Voice Tools & Software: 2026 Buyer's Guide
Employee voice tools compared for 2026: survey platforms vs idea management software, real pricing where published, and how to choose a stack that acts.
Article · 13 min read
Employee Voice Programme: Ideas That Get Implemented
Most employee voice programmes stop at surveys. Build one that collects, prioritises, and implements employee ideas. Framework, KPIs, and real results.
Article · 14 min read
Employee Engagement Through Innovation: 2026 Playbook
Build employee engagement through structured idea management: why surveys fall short, what makes an idea programme credible, Halfords' £759K and a 90-day plan.
Article · 7 min read
Employee Wellbeing Through Participative Innovation
How participative innovation lifts employee wellbeing: agency, recognition, fewer daily frustrations. Practical 90-day blueprint, real numbers, common pitfalls.
Article · 10 min read
How to Get Frontline Workers to Share Ideas in 2026 (Halfords Playbook)
How to get frontline workers sharing ideas in 2026. Halfords reached 1,000+ engaged colleagues and collected 515 ideas worth £759K in 6 months. Full playbook.
Article · 13 min read
Employee Suggestion Scheme: How to Run One That Actually Works (2026)
Set up an employee suggestion scheme that produces implemented ideas: the seven-step process, reward rules with UK tax limits, examples and a policy template.
Article · 18 min read
The Digital Suggestion Box: Why It Fails and What Actually Works (2026)
Most digital suggestion boxes fail within months. Learn why, and how to build an idea management system that actually delivers results for your organisation.
Article · 10 min read
Why Employee Ideas Get Ignored (And How to Fix It)
Most organisations say they want employee ideas, then let submissions disappear without a reply. Why employee ideas get ignored, and what to fix first.
Article · 9 min read
Why Your Suggestion Box Is Collecting Dust (2026)
Your suggestion box got three ideas and a coffee complaint, then went quiet. Here is why that happens, the failure modes behind it, and what works instead.
Continuous improvement and lean
Kaizen, gemba walks and improvement ideas from the shop floor.
Article · 14 min read
What Is Continuous Improvement? The Process, Cycle, Methods and Examples (2026)
Continuous improvement explained: the PDCA cycle, why it matters, kaizen, ISO 9001, continuous quality improvement in healthcare, methods and examples.
Article · 13 min read
What Is Kaizen? Meaning, Principles and How It Works on the Shop Floor
Kaizen is Japanese for improvement. What it means in practice, where it came from, daily kaizen versus kaizen events, how it relates to Lean, and how to start.
Article · 12 min read
What Is Lean Management? Principles, Wastes, Tools and Where It Goes Wrong
Lean management explained: where it comes from, the five principles, the seven wastes and the eighth, the main tools, the health risks, and how to start well.
Article · 9 min read
The PDCA Cycle: Plan, Do, Check, Act Explained With an Example
The PDCA cycle in plain words: the four steps, a worked example from a factory floor, where it comes from, PDCA vs PDSA, A3 and DMAIC, and a simple template.
Article · 8 min read
What Is 5S? The Five Steps, an Example and a 5S Audit Checklist
5S explained: sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain, with a workshop example, how to run it step by step, 5S vs 6S and a 5S audit checklist.
Article · 17 min read
Gemba Walk: Meaning, Purpose, Checklist of 24 Questions and Template (2026)
What a gemba walk is and what it is for, plus a checklist of 24 questions across safety, quality, productivity and engagement and a follow-up template.
Article · 16 min read
30 Process Improvement Ideas (And How to Get More) (2026)
30 real process improvement ideas across manufacturing, ops and admin, plus a 4-6 week starter template and a framework for collecting more.
Article · 18 min read
Cost-Saving Ideas in Manufacturing: a Practical Guide for 2026
Where the savings actually hide on a manufacturing shop floor: 6 categories, an evaluation framework, customer benchmarks, and a 90-day starter plan.
Article · 22 min read
Employee-Driven Continuous Improvement: 2026 Playbook
Build an employee-driven CI programme that lasts in 2026. Halfords £759K from 515 ideas, a 90-day launch template, sector patterns, and pricing from €695/mo.
Article · 13 min read
How to Digitise Your Kaizen Process (2026)
How to digitise your Kaizen process without losing the philosophy. Move from paper suggestion systems to a digital idea management platform the right way.
Article · 18 min read
Why Your CI Programme Isn't Working: 90-Day Reset (2026)
Why CI programmes plateau after the Kaizen event: the 4 stages where ideas stall, a 90-day reset playbook and customer benchmarks.
Article · 9 min read
Operational Excellence and Idea Management: A Practical Guide (2026)
How idea management drives operational excellence: Lean, Kaizen and Six Sigma fed by frontline ideas. Halfords created £759,000 from 515 ideas in 6 months.
Article · 20 min read
Continuous Improvement Software for Manufacturing 2026
Continuous improvement software for the factory floor: what it must do for operators without a desk, pricing from €695/mo, and Halfords' £759K from 515 ideas.
Make the case
What the programme is worth, and how to win the budget for it.
Article · 11 min read
How to Build a Business Case for Idea Management Software (2026)
Build a compelling business case for idea management software: ROI calculations, fill-in template, real Halfords benchmark, objection-handling and FAQ.
Article · 11 min read
How to Get Executive Buy-In for Idea Management
How to get executive buy-in for idea management: practical arguments, ROI framing, and how to position your proposal so it avoids the innovation theatre label.
Article · 15 min read
How to Measure Innovation Programme ROI (2026)
Measure innovation programme ROI in 2026: hard and soft metrics, a worked example, the Halfords benchmark (£759K in 6 months) and a 5-step starter plan.
Article · 11 min read
Innovation Theatre: 7 Warning Signs in 2026 (Halfords Counter-Example)
7 signs your innovation programme is theatre, not innovation. The Halfords counter-example: 515 ideas and £759K in business value in 6 months.
Choose software
What to look for, what it costs and what fits your sector.
Article · 21 min read
Idea Management Software Buyer's Guide 2026 (+ RFP Template)
Shortlist idea management software without sitting through demos. Vendors compared by need and published 2026 pricing, plus a 10-question RFP template.
Article · 8 min read
Open Innovation Software 2026: How to Choose by What You Need
Open innovation software compared by job: calls to known partners, solver crowds, startup dealflow, research scouting and suites. And what Hives.co doesn't do.
Article · 20 min read
10 Best Idea Management Software in 2026 (Prices Compared)
The 10 best idea management software platforms of 2026 compared on published prices, best fit by need, and the trade-offs vendors leave out. No demo needed.
Article · 15 min read
Idea Management Software Pricing 2026 (No Custom Quotes)
What 12 idea management platforms cost in 2026. Eight publish no price at all; we list the prices we found, the pricing models and the hidden costs.
Article · 8 min read
Free Idea Management Software in 2026: 6 Options and Where Each Stops
Six free ways to collect employee ideas in 2026, from Microsoft Forms to open source: what each does well, where it stops, and what Hives.co costs.
Article · 21 min read
Best Suggestion Box Software 2026 (8 Tools, Real Pricing)
The best suggestion box software in 2026: 8 tools compared on price and fit, what Halfords got from 515 ideas (£759K in six months), and a setup playbook.
Article · 8 min read
GDPR-Compliant Idea Management Software: What to Check Before You Buy
What GDPR means for an employee idea programme: lawful basis, DPA, sub-processors, EU hosting, retention, anonymity, Article 22 and works councils.
Article · 8 min read
Idea Management in Microsoft 365: Forms, SharePoint or a Teams App?
When Microsoft Forms or a SharePoint list is enough for employee ideas, when they outgrow it, and what an idea tool in Teams must do for users and IT.
Article · 15 min read
Innovation Intelligence Software: 10 Platforms Compared (2026)
Innovation intelligence software joins internal idea management with external scouting. Ten platforms compared on what they do, pricing and where they're based.
Article · 8 min read
Idea Management for Large Enterprises and Multinational Groups (2026)
How large enterprises run idea management across countries and business units: one setup, languages, SSO, works councils, data residency, rollout and cost.
Article · 11 min read
Idea Management for Retail: Frontline Insights (2026)
Idea management for retail: how to capture frontline insights from store associates across distributed locations. Practical guide with tactics that work.
Article · 8 min read
Idea Management for the Public Sector and Municipalities (2026)
How a council or municipality collects ideas from staff and residents, and what to check: procurement, GDPR, public records, accessibility and unions.
Compare Hives.co
Head-to-head comparisons and alternatives for 17 tools. Each one says where the other tool fits better.
| Tool | What it is | Hives.co vs | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beeshake | Idea management | Hives.co vs Beeshake | Alternatives |
| Brightidea | Innovation suite | Hives.co vs Brightidea | Alternatives |
| Fabrico | CI and lean | Hives.co vs Fabrico | – |
| HYPE Innovation | Innovation suite | Hives.co vs HYPE Innovation | AlternativesFor mid-sized groups |
| IdeaScale | Idea management | Hives.co vs IdeaScale | Alternatives |
| Ideanote | Idea management | Hives.co vs Ideanote | Alternatives |
| IDhall | Idea management | Hives.co vs IDhall | Alternatives |
| InnovationCast | Idea management | Hives.co vs InnovationCast | – |
| ITONICS | Innovation suite | Hives.co vs ITONICS | Alternatives |
| KaiNexus | CI and lean | Hives.co vs KaiNexus | Alternatives |
| KPI Fire | CI and lean | Hives.co vs KPI Fire | – |
| LeanSuite | CI and lean | Hives.co vs LeanSuite | – |
| Qmarkets | Innovation suite | Hives.co vs Qmarkets | Alternatives |
| Sideways 6 | Idea management | Hives.co vs Sideways 6 | Alternatives |
| Vetter | Idea management | Hives.co vs Vetter | Alternatives |
| Wazoku | Open innovation | Hives.co vs Wazoku | Alternatives |
| Yoomap | Open innovation | Hives.co vs Yoomap | – |