Making ideas count.

Thomas Davenport is well-known for inventing the concepts of knowledge management, reengineering, and enterprise systems, but has more recently looked at business ideas. By looking at some of the big questions surrounding ideas, he has come up with an 8-point plan for ensuring that thoughts count.

First, companies compete with their brains as well as their brawn, which might seem an obvious insight, but it shows how small companies with little clout but great ideas can thrive. Second, great ideas show at least one of: improved efficiency, greater effectiveness or innovations in product or processes. Sometimes only focusing on one of them can limit the idea. Third, …