(From PRNewswire) -- Companies leveraging new ideas and innovation will be able to distinguish themselves from competitors in the global marketplace. No longer the purview of only Research & Development departments, innovation may spring from any employee - especially when they are encouraged and motivated by management, says the new Performance Perspectives executive briefing, released today by Madison Performance Group.

"In companies with innovative environments, employees feel management is open to new ideas and experimentation. These companies understand that new strategic ideas come from all levels of an organization," says Mike Ryan, Senior Vice President of Madison Performance Group, a premier global reward and recognition design and consulting firm.

Research shows, according to the Madison briefing, that innovators flourish at workplaces where employees are rewarded for idea development.

"Companies that give positive attention to new ideas demonstrate to employees that it's okay to experiment and develop new ideas - even if they aren't 'perfect' the first time around," adds Ryan. "In fact, showering positive attention on new ideas is considered a best practice at innovative companies. And because innovation is often a project-based activity, the simple recognition of a new idea by a manager can kick start its adoption into a firm's work processes."

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