I think my company rewards good ideas, but you have to know what upper management wants in order to find your way down the right path. I've gone down a few dead end roads, but that's to be expected: risks are taken and persistence pays. You're usually also learning, even as you go down the dead end road, so it's still useful.

The hardest part about coming up with new ideas is not when you first come to a company - you're the "fresh eyes" at that point. But after you've worked at the same place for years, it becomes more of a challenge, especially when you're doing basically the same types of tasks. I've been at the same company for 6 years now, so it's tougher for me to be creative than when I first started. But of course, new tech. can help with finding better ways to work.