When leaders think about asking a whole organisation for ideas, the first worry is usually about turnout. Will anyone bother? Participation comes down to two things: how easy it is, and how safe it feels.
Make it easy
Every step between a person and their first vote loses some people.
- No account. People open a link and vote. No one is asked for a name or an email.
- No training. Choosing between two ideas needs no explanation.
- Works on a phone. Many people will see the link on a phone between other things.
- A few seconds at a time. Each vote is one choice, so people can do a few and come back.
In an earlier Vision Lab project with clients, removing the login step raised participation by about 30 percent. That was a comparison within one project, not a controlled study, but it matches what you would expect: the fewer steps, the more people finish.
Make it safe
People give honest answers when they are not worried about who sees them.
- Organizers see results, not who voted for what.
- Groups of fewer than five are never shown, so no one can be picked out.
- Authors stay anonymous unless an idea finishes in the top ten, the project has ended and the author agrees.
Say so in your invitation. One clear sentence, such as "You will not be identified, and I will not see how anyone voted", helps more than a long privacy notice.
Make it matter
People take part when they believe the answer will be used.
- Ask a specific question about something you can change.
- Say who decides and when you will report back.
- Have a leader the group trusts send the invitation.
- Then report back, even if the answer is "not now".
Engagement at work is a wider problem than any one project. Gallup's latest global report found that 20 percent of employees were engaged in 2025, down from a peak of 23 percent in 2022. People who are used to being unheard will not rush to answer, so a project that leads somewhere is the best invitation to the next one.
Reach people where they are
People who sit at a computer all day can get an email. People in stores, sites or on shifts are better reached with a QR code on a poster or a text message. Use more than one channel, and tag your links so you can see which one worked.
Expect a range, not a number
Participation varies with the group, the question and the sponsor. A question about something people care about, sent by a leader they trust, with a short window and a reminder, does well. A vague question with no promise attached does not. Rather than aiming for a number, aim to learn what your own group responds to, and run the next project knowing it.
What the results look like
In a large organisation, you do not need everyone. You need enough people from each part of the business to give a picture that people recognise as theirs. The results show who took part by group, so you can see whether a part of the business is missing and invite them again.