There are still many people and business leaders who are confused about what innovation really is. This is seen in what is perhaps the greatest piece of innovation crowdsource software on the planet: LinkedIn. There are thousands of groups that try to discuss this concept and they have come up with thousands of ideas. The irony is that what they are doing is innovating!
What Is Innovation?
A lot of people like to work with metaphors when it comes to understanding a new concept. A good metaphor for innovation is music. If someone is a creative leader, their goal is not to define what music is and isn’t. They know that there is value to each tune, whether someone likes it or not. What they want to define is appropriateness, capability, and scale. Those can all be reflected through crowdsourcing software.
Crowdsourcing Software and Scale
Sticking with the concept of music, you know that a single individual would be able to put a few notes together, which could be classified as a jingle. But for the jingle to be successful, it should be scaled. This means others have to become involved in it, preferably those who have a musical talent and those who have decision-making capabilities. That is the scale, and each of those elements is brought together through good crowdsourcing software.
Crowdsourcing Software and Capability
If you were to tell an apprentice janitor that you want them to come up with next year’s full budget, they will probably be completely daunted by that prospect. But if you were to give them training to understand budgetary responsibilities, they might get there eventually. Crowdsourcing software recognizes people’s current capabilities and their development needs.
Crowdsourcing Software and Appropriateness
Last but not least, it is important for things to be appropriate. This means that a system has to be put in place in which people feel confident to deliver anything they like, but where someone monitors it to remove the things that have no place in it. Again, crowdsourcing software enables this, because it allows for mutual cooperation in which entire groups of people can determine whether or not something is appropriate and worth pursuing.
Crowdsourcing software, in a nutshell, gives people an environment in which they can freely express themselves. In some cases, this can even be done anonymously, so that people feel even less fearful about putting forward ideas. It creates an environment in which the right people with the right skills can pick up on an idea and hash its details out, creating something that can actually be actioned on. Mainly, it supports people to develop themselves more, and once they do that, they can come up with even better ideas.
Through crowdsourcing software, organizations can truly change the way they operate. They can finally be driven by innovation, ensuring they stand out from the crowd. It is essential for businesses to change the way they think and do business if they are to remain successful, and that is what crowdsourcing software will enable them to do.