Why “Reply All” Is a Risk Worth Taking

Why ReplyHere is a brief excerpt from an article by Tim Brown for LinkedIn. To read the completer article and check out others, and sign up for email alerts, please click here.

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When was the last time you emailed your entire company? On purpose? If you’re not a C-level executive sending missives to employees about company policy, your “Reply All” average is probably zero. And for good reason: Business email etiquette forbids thepotentially career-damaging practice.

Not so at IDEO, where we believe the collective intelligence, experience, and creativity of the group is greater than that of any individual, “Reply Alls,” or “IDEO Alls,” in our case, are standard practice. Everyone, from first-day interns to senior partners, uses mass emails to get quick global insight, on-the-spot trend reports, or a jolt of inspiration.

A few weeks ago, a particularly inspired “IDEO All” sent by my colleague Grace Hwangcaught the company’s collective attention. She was trying to land a project to design a new loyalty program and the proposal was due the next day, so she needed examples of brands or services we felt loyal to—and fast. Instead of drafting a formal email, which the self-professed introvert admitted was more her style, Grace took a risk and composed her email in form of a rap:

“Sup IDEO,
Regal and royal.
I’m here to pick your brain
about those who are LOYAL.”

Her quirky, unexpected call to action unleashed a barrage of responses—over 50 of them from 10 different studios. The team built on Grace’s idea and sang the praises of their favorite things in iambic pentameter, Haiku, free verse, and everything in between.

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To read the complete article, please click here.

Tim Brown is the CEO and president of IDEO. Ranked independently among the ten most innovative companies in the world, IDEO is the global consultancy that contributed to such standard-setting innovations as the first mouse for Apple and the Palm V. Today IDEO applies its human-centered approach to drive innovation and growth for the world’s leading businesses, as well as for government, education, health care, and social sectors. Tim advises senior executives and boards of Fortune 100 companies and has led strategic client relationships with such corporations as Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Steelcase. He is the author of Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, published by HarperBusiness (2009).

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