Competition and slumping orders are forcing Intel to lower prices. Its stock price has dropped substantially. Meanwhile, Intel is selectively paring other costs. It plans to cut about 5,000 jobs through attrition from its roster of 90,000 workers over the next nine months. An effort to give every employee a home computer is on hold.
Executives elsewhere have the same goal.
At Voyant Technologies Inc., which provides conferencing capabilities and other services to telecommunications companies, Bill Ernstrom doesn't want his 200 employees to become so worried about the slowdown that they stop thinking in novel ways. In February, Voyant also launched a Bright Ideas program. Employees are encouraged to submit ideas for new products or marketing tactics on the company's Web site, which other employees can then discuss and embellish. Every quarter, Ernstrom identifies the employee whose idea has generated the most discussion. He also presents the Elisha Gray Award, or the ''best almost'' idea, to another employee.