Many employees have been at a meeting and held back from sharing an idea for fear of how it might be viewed. At Penn State University's Management Development Team Innovation Center, ideas can flow freely.

The center utilizes GroupSystems software that allows participants to share ideas anonymously, immediately, and simultaneously, helping evaluate them based on merit. State College-based ChemCut, the world's leading developer and supplier of wet processing equipment for a variety of applications, has brought teams to the center and claims annual growth of at least 15 percent since it started participating.

Located at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, the facility is useful for collaboration, strategic planning, stakeholder focus groups, grant planning, organizational self-assessment, customized occupational profiles and performance gap analysis. The center also can bring wireless mobile labs for organizations hoping to stay travel-free.