Swiss aerodynamics engineer Éric Favre changed how we drink and experience coffee with his idea for the Nespresso coffee machine. But it wasn’t easy: Nestlé initially rejected the idea. “Employees who spontaneously share advice show great commitment and engagement, which is what organisations need more than ever”, writes Simone van Neerven.
The Nespresso story
Favre is always working on new inventions when, one day, his Italian wife jokes about the bad taste of Swiss coffee. That triggered him, and he became determined to change that. In 1975, he took a job at the packaging department of Nestlé to better understand how this company operated.
Favre became increasingly fascinated by coffee, and during his holiday in Italy, he visited as many coffee shops as possible. He discovered that the Italians, real coffee lovers, choose places with the best coffee, regardless of the coffee bar’s ambience. There, Favre studied how baristas make such a delicious espresso for hours. He learned the tricks of the trade, and he started dreaming: “What if everyone could make such a tasty coffee at home?”.
Back in Switzerland, he worked on a plan and created his prototype for such a coffee machine. He presented it to the management of Nestlé, but they were not open to his unsolicited advice. Filter coffee sold better than ever before, and they were convinced that people did not want such an expensive coffee machine at home. Ten years later, Favre finally got a green light. Nestlé created a standalone Nespresso division, and it takes off.
Reasons for spontaneous advice
Without Favre’s spontaneous inspiration, we might never have had the Nespresso. Many process improvements or new products have originated from unsolicited advice given by employees to their bosses.
But why do people give unsolicited advice? For several reasons, for instance, they see a gap in the market that offers a huge opportunity. The iPhone is an example of unsolicited advice because people did not ask for it (but now they can’t go without it!).
Another reason is that employees see improvements in the current way of working. They get inspired by other organisations doing similar things smarter. Nowadays, you can submit a claim to your health insurance in just a few clicks, an improvement sparked by the simplified way of money transfers by banks.
It is also possible that an employee foresees a problem and wants to prevent it from happening, for example, when implementing a new IT system or a dramatic customer experience. A nurse warned lung specialist Sander de Hosson that a patient would probably not make it to the end of the day. But de Hosson responded irritated, as the results of all checks were good. Nevertheless, he went to the patient, and her health was indeed deteriorating. They can inform the family just in time and arrange a dignified farewell.
Lastly, people speak up and start interfering when they see immoral things happening in their organisation. When Pierre Niessen and Gyan Effendi, two civil servants at the Tax and Customs Administration, noticed the incorrect working method regarding granting child benefits (Toeslagen affaire), they reported it. Unfortunately, only years later, appropriate measures were taken.
Tips for dealing with people who think along
Nevertheless, people find unsolicited advice annoying, and they quickly dismiss it. When a small team of engineers presented the idea of the iPhone to Steve Jobs, his first reaction was: “That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard!”.
Often, this irritation stems from thinking that the suggestion is complete nonsense. But is that so? What assumptions do you have that make you believe that, and are they correct? By listening to the employee, you will discover the underlying reasoning and see it is a good idea.
You may also feel criticised or think that your solution is better. Realise that an employee’s intention is almost always to make things better. Keep your criticism to yourself and listen to that employee; there is a good chance you will be surprised.
And if your employee’s suggestion is good but you already came up with it yourself, or you just had not thought of it at all, then thank them, and if possible, involve them when you develop it. It improves the idea, and you will save a lot of resistance.
Missed opportunity
Listening but not acting or, even worse, ignoring the suggestion causes people to drop out. They might try once more, but when they are disregarded again, next time they will think: “Ah, never mind…”. If people suddenly become silent, that is a very worrying signal.
Dismissing unsolicited advice is a huge missed opportunity for organisations. People who want to think along to improve things are a sign of enormous commitment and engagement. Embrace this proactive behaviour, and your organisation’s performance will improve significantly.
Thus, this is a real win-win: improved products and services, higher engaged employees, and a process with less friction and bureaucracy.
This article was originally published in Dutch on CHRO.nl – the platform for HR executives.
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