Set Up Worlds to Collide

Tony Hsieh, the entrepreneur who found fame and (additional) fortune with his shoe company Zappos, is a big believer in “collisions,” serendipitous encounters where workers randomly run into each other and share ideas. He recently told Entrepreneur magazine he’d even shut down a bridge linking his office’s parking garage to force workers to walk through a common area before they could get to their offices. Your staff may not be so large, but could you shake things up to spark similar innovation? Occasionally get a groomer out on the salesfloor, encourage sales staff to have lunch with employees they don’t normally spend much time with, ask a new employee to review your procedures after their first two weeks.