Bridging the Gap: How to Turn Ideas into Improvements

Moving from Idea Collection to Real Results

Collecting ideas is easy.

Turning those ideas into real, measurable improvements is where most organizations struggle.

Many companies launch suggestion programs, idea portals, or kaizen initiatives with enthusiasm. Participation starts strong. Ideas are submitted. Leaders celebrate engagement.

But then something happens.

Implementation slows down. Follow-up weakens. Employees stop submitting ideas. The improvement culture stalls.

This webinar explores why that gap exists — and how to close it.

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The Core Problem

There is often a significant gap between:

• Ideas submitted
• Ideas approved
• Ideas actually implemented
• Ideas that generate measurable impact

When implementation rates fall, engagement follows.

When employees see ideas sit untouched, the message is clear — improvement is optional.

This session explains how to prevent that cycle.

What You Will Learn

💡 Why collecting ideas is not the same as improving
📊 Why implementation rates matter more than idea counts
🌵 How the “idea desert” effect quietly kills engagement
🤝 How to coach ideas instead of rejecting them
🏗 Why committees slow improvement
👥 How to distribute responsibility across teams
🎯 Why intrinsic motivation outperforms financial rewards
📈 How to measure impact beyond cost savings
🔁 How to spread improvements across departments and locations

This is not theory. It is grounded in real data from organizations that have built structured improvement systems.

Why Idea Systems Fail

Common failure patterns include:

• Leaders reviewing every idea themselves
• Committees delaying approval
• Employees waiting for permission to improve
• Measuring participation instead of implementation
• Focusing only on financial ROI
• Failing to spread improvements across locations

These patterns unintentionally signal that improvement is bureaucratic and risky.

That discourages initiative.

What Sustainable Improvement Looks Like

High-performing improvement cultures:

• Empower teams to act locally
• Coach instead of judge
• Track implementation rates
• Recognize impact broadly — safety, quality, delivery, morale, and cost
• Spread successful improvements intentionally
• Make improvement part of daily work

The difference is not motivation.

It is system design.

Who Should Attend

• Continuous improvement leaders
• Lean practitioners
• Operational executives
• Healthcare leaders
• Manufacturing leaders
• HR and engagement professionals
• Anyone responsible for idea programs

If you are responsible for turning ideas into results, this session will give you a clearer framework.

About the Presenters

Greg Jacobson, M.D.

Co-founder and CEO of KaiNexus, Greg Jacobson has worked with organizations across industries to design improvement systems that drive engagement and measurable results. His focus is on building scalable structures that support daily improvement at every level.

Mark Graban, M.S., M.B.A.

Vice President of Improvement & Innovation Services at KaiNexus, Mark Graban is an internationally recognized Lean consultant, author, and speaker. He has helped healthcare systems and other organizations strengthen improvement culture and leadership practices.

Together, they bring both practical experience and system-level thinking to the topic of improvement implementation.