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	<title>IdeaScale</title>
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	<link>https://ideascale.com</link>
	<description>Enterprise Innovation Management Software</description>
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		<title>3 Key Crowdsourcing &amp; Innovation Management insights</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/3-key-crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/3-key-crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2016 16:10:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Devin Mcintire]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voice of IdeaScale]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22290</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments. This post is by Devin Mcintire, Innovation Technology Adviser at IdeaScale. What are your current innovation-related objectives and how well prepared &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/3-key-crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/3-key-crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights/">3 Key Crowdsourcing &#038; Innovation Management insights</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-6520572-digital1.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-22287" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-6520572-digital1.jpg" alt="crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights" width="300" height="300" /></a></span></p>
<p><i>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments.</i></p>
<p><i>This post is by Devin Mcintire, Innovation Technology Adviser </i><i>at IdeaScale.</i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What are your current innovation-related objectives and how well prepared are you to achieve them?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the past few months I’ve been diving deep into the field of innovation management, attempting to identify the keys to a successful open innovation program. What I’ve learned is that “Innovation Management” is neither rocket science nor voodoo there are simply a handful of key factors for success along with some hard work and diligence.</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">     </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Innovation management is a practice, your success is determined by fitness</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">     </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crowdsourced innovation management is an inherently social process</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">     </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be deliberate about determining and communicating objectives</span></li>
</ol>
<p><b>Fitness for success</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Launching an innovation management program implies that you believe your chosen audience already has valuable ideas but that you’re not necessarily nurturing or collecting them as well as you’d like to be. While the goal of your IM program may be disruptive innovation, the moment you start getting more good ideas than you had before, someone is going to be happy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starting small and specific gives you three key benefits:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One is to make sure you don’t end up buying a surfboard, a surf rack and lots of other gear before you even learn how to swim.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second and biggest benefit, is the opportunity to refine your objectives and improve each step of the process by which you collect, evaluate and prepare ideas for implementation.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, as you continue you begin to acquire the fitness it takes to run an innovation management program, you will also start to understand the direct relationship between your team’s efforts and the program’s output which is critical for optimizing and scaling the scope of your program.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><b>IM is inherently a highly <a href="http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2013/01/28/using-social-tools-to-become-a-more-innovative-manager/" target="_blank">social endeavor</a></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">:</span></p>
<p>There are many ways in which this is true and recognizing this reality from the get-go is key.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First, IM requires a number of different roles that will need to be managed for a successful program. Employees at various levels of capacity will need to be pro-active and responsive in a process that doesn’t always fit into existing routines. The manager of an IM program needs to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">make sure these employees have clear tasks, well-aligned incentives and appropriate support</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Personal leadership</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is critical to creating social proof, inspiration and creating accountability for the IM program itself. Employees aren’t going to set aside time for participating in something their boss doesn’t think is worthwhile.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ideas themselves are personal</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This means that effort must be made to make your target audience feel comfortable, purposeful and appreciated. Some aspects of this are less challenging, like making sure employees or customers can log in easily to share their idea when inspiration strikes. Others, like reaching your audience with the right medium and message or designing the right prompts and incentives can be a lot more difficult.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your audience exists in a connected world where perspectives are shared rapidly. If they come to believe that their ideas have no pathway for implementation or that the IM program isn’t serious or successful, this will spread quickly and devastatingly. However, the same viral phenomenon is true for positive impressions. Meaningful success stories will spread quickly and can help quickly develop social capital which can be used to scale your subsequent efforts.</span></p>
<p><b>You can’t succeed if you don’t know what success looks like:</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Determining how you will measure the success of your innovation programs is the number one factor in whether it will succeed. Any type of new program planning will require a strategic vision that deals less with the tactical and more with ROI.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Objectives should drive planning but with appropriate scale so that your impact can be more precisely defined. <a href="https://ideascale.com/service/innovation-management/">Innovation management programs</a> (when done well) produce many (tangible and intangible) benefits, across many departments from operational improvements to growth ideas. Rather than trying to reduce or stuff them all into a cost-savings bucket, use this multitude of potential benefits to your advantage in the planning process by specifying multiple unique impact objectives and let your ROI be a powerful collection of these impacts.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/3-key-crowdsourcing-innovation-management-insights/">3 Key Crowdsourcing &#038; Innovation Management insights</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>10 Qualities of Great Innovators</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/10-qualities-of-great-innovators/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/10-qualities-of-great-innovators/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Jun 2016 14:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[great innovators]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idea management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovators]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22297</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Are you an innovator? Many people have a pretty narrow definition of an innovator. They assume that if they don’t invent things and hold multiple patents, they aren’t very innovative. In reality, many inventors don’t have patents or products. Some innovators generate ideas, others bring those ideas to reality, while still others are advocates, leaders, &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/10-qualities-of-great-innovators/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/10-qualities-of-great-innovators/">10 Qualities of Great Innovators</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/manufacturing-innovation-RAMI.jpg"><img class="10 Qualities of Great Innovators alignleft wp-image-22298" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/manufacturing-innovation-RAMI.jpg" alt="10 Qualities of Great Innovators" width="268" height="176" /></a>Are you an innovator? Many people have a pretty narrow definition of an innovator. They assume that if they don’t invent things and hold multiple patents, they aren’t very innovative. In reality, many inventors don’t have patents or products. Some innovators generate ideas, others bring those ideas to reality, while still others are advocates, leaders, and champions of great ideas. When you think of it this way, you might realize you’re innovative after all.</p>
<p>No matter the role, great innovators share some qualities. If you recognize these qualities in yourself, you may need to give yourself more credit! If you’re looking to become a great innovator, these are the qualities to develop.</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Value Innovation</strong></h4>
<p>This might seem obvious, but it’s not. Many organizations value stability and consistency more than innovation and change. Innovators realize that innovation is the only way to remain truly competitive, and they share that feeling with others. As a result, they value innovation and help others to do the same.</p>
<h4><strong>Encouragement of Risk Taking </strong></h4>
<p>Innovators realize that taking risks is part of making great discoveries and advancing society. Great innovators encourage risk taking in others. In fact, <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/ideas-unlikeliest-sources/129533/">80% of great innovators</a> encourage employees to be curious, and 76% systematically encourage risk-taking. A culture of risk-taking means encouraging new ideas and being gentle with failure, seeing it as an opportunity to learn rather than an occasion of punishment.</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Teach Others </strong></h4>
<p>Great innovators realize that new ideas and implementation can’t end with them. They bring others along on the journey, training them how to think in new ways. In this way, they build entire teams of forward-thinkers. When innovation best practices and mindsets are shared widely, entire industries can benefit.</p>
<h4><strong>Start Somewhere </strong></h4>
<p>Too many people feel like they can’t move forward with an idea until they are sure that it’s the absolute best. Great innovators realize that they won’t know what ideas are great until they try them. In fact, they’re not afraid of bad ideas because they know that good ideas are usually close behind! To become an innovator, begin with the idea you have and be open to learning more.</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Look for Patterns Everywhere </strong></h4>
<p>Innovators are always on the lookout for analogous solutions.  That is, solutions that exist in one industry that may help them with theirs. A perfect example is skis. A ski company wanted to reduce the vibration in skis as skiers turned at high speeds. They <a href="https://hbr.org/2013/03/your-next-innovation-is-right">found an analogous solution</a> in the music industry and appropriated technology used to stabilize violins to reduce the ski’s vibrations. Look for ideas everywhere!</p>
<h4><strong>Staying Positive </strong></h4>
<p>As an innovator, you have to keep a good attitude. You can’t assume that something won’t work simply because it hasn’t been done that way before. Innovators realize that if you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten. Stay positive and you’ll see new ideas work out in surprising ways!</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Incentivize Innovation </strong></h4>
<p>Just like innovators take others under their wing to teach them how to innovate, they also incentivize those who are willing to innovate. You might assume every organization does this, but the reality is many companies will discourage or even punish those who try to suggest doing things in a new way. Instead, build incentive programs that encourage new ideas!</p>
<h4><strong>Being a Team Player </strong></h4>
<p>The stereotype of an innovator as a trouble-maker that no one enjoys working with is false. A great innovator realizes that a team is involved, and does his or her best to be a team player. Rather than being difficult mavericks, great innovators are team players who bring others along with them on implementing new ideas.</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Connect and Collaborate </strong></h4>
<p>In the Renaissance, often viewed as the peak of innovation in Western society, most people worked alone. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=2LxU2QVa8woC&amp;pg=PA9">Less than 10%</a> of the innovation during the Renaissance was networked.  Whereas now, a majority of breakthroughs happen in collaborative environments. Expect to work with others to create breakthroughs.</p>
<h4><strong>Innovators Value a Culture of Innovation </strong></h4>
<p>As an innovator, you realize that you can’t “go it alone” because you want and need the innovation and new ideas to go beyond your department and direct influence. Great innovators help create a culture of innovation in their whole organization so that innovation has a greater reach. Having a culture of innovation benefits not only an organization, but the industry and even society as a whole.</p>
<p>Being an innovator means a lot more than being Benjamin Franklin or a mad scientist. Day to day, great innovators encourage risk-taking, teach others, collaborate and build teams, and much more. Do you see yourself as an innovator now? Do you want to be? Here’s an <a href="http://bit.ly/1qFEqlP">infographic</a> that you can reference as you continue on this journey.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/10-qualities-of-great-innovators/">10 Qualities of Great Innovators</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Innovation Management: The Surprising Truth</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/innovation-truth/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/innovation-truth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2016 08:12:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Devin Mcintire]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voice of IdeaScale]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22276</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments. This post is by Devin Mcintire, Innovation Technology Adviser at IdeaScale. &#8220;Innovation-speak worships at the altar of change, but it rarely &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-truth/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-truth/">Innovation Management: The Surprising Truth</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-6349092-digital.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-22279" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-6349092-digital.jpg" alt="innovation-truth" width="300" height="300" /></a>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments.</i></p>
<p><i>This post is by Devin Mcintire, Innovation Technology Adviser </i><i>at IdeaScale.</i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Innovation-speak worships at the altar of change, but it rarely asks who benefits, to what end?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8221;  </span><a href="https://aeon.co/essays/innovation-is-overvalued-maintenance-often-matters-more"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Russell &amp; Vinsel ‘16</span></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the world of business strategy seems to be facing an exponential growth of jargon, formulas and proprietary methodologies, the term “innovation management” and associated terms “crowdsourcing” and “<a href="https://ideascale.com/innovation/open-innovation-software/">open innovation</a>” should definitely give you pause. Most of these concepts we encounter in the business world should be taken with a grain of salt (or less), yet some are very much applicable and worth your valuable time and resources.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to sorting through them, organizations have to decide what approaches are legitimate and capable of producing meaningful results (not just snake-oil) and which approaches are appropriately aligned with the capacity the organization (hopefully, not rocket science).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So the question I wanted to get to the bottom of in my deep dive was: “innovation management:  rocket science or snake-oil?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First, the easy answer: it’s definitely not snake oil. I am awed by the volume and diversity of success stories. Corporations, governments and social sector organizations have used innovation management to help catalyze</span><a href="https://ideascale.com/resource/2014-innovation-award-winner-scentsy/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">new product development</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, dramatically lower</span><a href="https://ideascale.com/resource/kane/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">costs of operations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, improve</span><a href="https://ideascale.com/resource/msa-safety-incorporated/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">workplace safety</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, increase</span><a href="https://ideascale.com/resource/employee-engagement/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">employee engagement</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span><a href="https://ideascale.com/resource/ea-sports/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">customer loyalty</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and so much more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The question now becomes: “will your organization successfully be able to implement an innovation management program?” But here again I have good news; “innovation management” does not require a new team of consultants and engineers, nor does it require the flashiest, most expensive tools available.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rather, it’s an impressively intuitive approach to managing the reality that your employees or customers have valuable insight that can be collected, refined and implemented. The challenging nature of innovation management is that your success is highly dependent on your own initiative. In fact, your success with an innovation management program is already 99% in your control. Join me on my next blog for the 3 key insights I discovered that are key to a successful IM program.</span></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-truth/">Innovation Management: The Surprising Truth</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Congratulations to Our Innovative Customers</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/congratulations-to-our-innovative-customers/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/congratulations-to-our-innovative-customers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jun 2016 15:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22250</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Here at IdeaScale, our purpose is to encourage innovative ideas in as many organizations as possible. We want to help our clients gain new ideas through crowdsourcing, and it feels great when they succeed. It feels even better when that success is recognized by a prestigious publication like Fast Company! Several of our clients have &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/congratulations-to-our-innovative-customers/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/congratulations-to-our-innovative-customers/">Congratulations to Our Innovative Customers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_55361899_s-2015.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-22251 alignleft" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_55361899_s-2015.jpg" alt="Congratulations to Our Innovative Customers" width="282" height="169" /></a>Here at IdeaScale, our purpose is to encourage innovative ideas in as many organizations as possible. We want to help our clients gain new ideas through crowdsourcing, and it feels great when they succeed. It feels even better when that success is recognized by a prestigious publication like Fast Company!</p>
<p>Several of our clients have recently landed on Fast Company’s list of <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies">The Most Innovative Companies of 2016</a> as winners of their category. We wanted to congratulate them and publicly thank them for letting IdeaScale play a part in their culture of innovation through crowdsourcing.</p>
<h4><strong>About the Fast Company Innovation Award </strong></h4>
<p>When Fast Company set about to find the 50 winners of the Innovative Company Award, the magazine’s reporters dug into the details of thousands of companies around the world. Fast Company believes that no matter what unrest may be going on in the marketplace, there are always companies putting forward extraordinary creativity and achievement. Those companies are what the Fast Company Innovative Company List is all about.</p>
<p>The rankings come after full evaluation from Fast Company’s editorial staff. While the exact ranking methodology is not disclosed, there’s no end of big names on the list. At the same time, the innovative organizations are not simply the ones with the highest revenue or profit margin. The top 50 for 2016 spans industries and sectors and includes companies of all sizes, including ones not well-known to the general public. From Amazon and Facebook to Alphabet and Black Lives Matter, true innovators of all shapes and sizes grace the Fast Company list.</p>
<h4><strong>IdeaScale Clients on the Fast Company Innovative Company List </strong></h4>
<p>At IdeaScale, our mission is to help our clients use crowdsourcing to maintain their creative and innovative edge. That’s why it’s so exciting for us to see our customers on this list of innovative companies. We’d like to recognize these three clients, and thank them for letting us be part of their culture of innovation.</p>
<p>John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory<b>. </b>A <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/company/johns-hopkins-applied-physics-laboratory">winner in the Healthcare category</a>, John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory was founded in 1942 to help with WWII efforts. The core mission of the organization is to use innovative science and technology to assist with national security efforts. John Hopkins Laboratory was selected as a 2016 innovative company for its efforts on the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program. This program coordinates the Applied Physics Laboratory with other John Hopkins departments, other universities, government agencies, and private firms to work together on developing next-level prosthetics.</p>
<p>A recent major breakthrough is the Modular Prosthetic Limb, the first prosthetic arm that a user can operate merely by thinking about moving it. There is a limited number available, and the Applied Physics Laboratory is actively working with industry partners to get the prosthetic limbs to those who need them.</p>
<p>UNICEF<b>. </b>UNICEF is a <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/company/unicef">winner in the non-profit category</a> for their “Unfairy Tales” initiative, which helps tell the stories of refugee children. UNICEF, which stands for United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, was founded in 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in nations that had been devastated in WWII. Unfairy Tales is an initiative that brings humanity to the story of refugees, especially refugee children. The three animated videos explain the true stories of children fleeing from their homelands and the horror they left behind. The purpose of Unfairy Tales is to show that children are children, no matter where they are from, and that every child deserves a chance to have a long, happy, and healthy life.</p>
<p>UNICEF hopes to engage audiences and help those in developed nations understand the plight of refugee families. They intend to produce additional animated videos to continue to share children’s stories.</p>
<p>NASA<b>.</b> NASA is a <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/company/nasa">winner in the Space category</a> for the ingenuity and innovation that allowed the New Horizons satellite to return clear, close pictures of Pluto. NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is a government agency responsible for the civilian space program, and aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA was established in 1958, and since that time has launched scores of research and manned spaceflights.</p>
<p>Most recently, the New Horizons mission has been gathering well-deserved press. In July 2015, the satellite returned the very first <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-returns-first-of-the-best-images-of-pluto">clear, up-close pictures of Pluto</a>. Scientists were stunned and delighted at the depth and detail in the images, which are the first fly-by pictures of Pluto ever sent back to earth.</p>
<p>We are delighted that our customers have won this prestigious award, and we look forward to continuing to help them and many other organizations remain on the cutting edge of innovation. To read more about how our customers use Ideascale visit our <a href="https://ideascale.com/resources">resource center</a> today!</p>
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		<title>If Kim Kardashian Is an Innovator, So Are You</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/kim-kardashian-innovator-you-too/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/kim-kardashian-innovator-you-too/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jun 2016 16:53:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Zach Weismann]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voice of IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation statistics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kim kardashian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[statistics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stats]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22228</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments. This post is by Zach Weismann, Director of Enterprise Solutions at IdeaScale. We hear about innovation constantly &#8211; in the &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/kim-kardashian-innovator-you-too/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/kim-kardashian-innovator-you-too/">If Kim Kardashian Is an Innovator, So Are You</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-19139034-digital.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-22269" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/yay-19139034-digital.jpg" alt="Who is an innovator?" width="350" height="233" /></a></p>
<p><i>This blog post is part of a series authored by IdeaScale employees. It showcases how they’re thinking about crowdsourcing and innovation as part of their daily routine. Feel free to ask questions or make comments.</i></p>
<p><i>This post is by Zach Weismann, Director of Enterprise Solutions at IdeaScale.</i></p>
<p>We hear about innovation constantly &#8211; in the news, on social media, at conferences, from friends, from our wonderful <a href="http://ideascale.com/blog">IdeaScale blog</a> &#8211; most of us know <em>WHAT</em> innovation is, we hear about <em>WHO</em> does it, but we don’t know <em>HOW </em>we fit in.</p>
<p>We all have big dreams, the next great invention, a wonderful idea, I mean after all, we put a man on the moon! We are the land of opportunity, a place where even Kim Kardashian can build a $54 million dollar empire. But, surprisingly, most Americans don’t consider themselves innovators.</p>
<p>A groundbreaking <a href="https://itif.org/publications/2016/02/24/demographics-innovation-united-states">survey</a> from the Information Technology &amp; Innovation Foundation took an in depth look at why our country needs more innovators.</p>
<p>Shockingly, only 12% of innovators are women. Over 35% of US innovators were born outside the US, even though this population only makes up 13% of all U.S. residents. And, contrary to popular stereotypes about hoodies, flip flops, and selfies, the median age for an innovator in the US is 47-years-young.</p>
<p>So for those middle aged, foreign-born, American-living men actually innovating, are they sitting alone in tiny garages across the county coming up with the next great idea? Quite the contrary, as it turns out approximately 60% of private sector innovations originate from business with over 500 employees.</p>
<p>Maybe that’s why we don’t consider ourselves innovators. Innovators represent such a small percentage of our population, an incredibly small amount of women, and 60% of private-sector innovation is dominated by companies with over 500 employees &#8211; large environments where the individual voice is either not being considered, drowned out, or never even heard.</p>
<p>Yet we have tons of ideas, game-changing inventions. But armed with only ideas, are we each innovators?</p>
<p>Absolutely.</p>
<p>That’s the beauty of crowdsourcing innovation and IdeaScale. We capture not only the voice of the crowd but harness its power, too. That power, fueled by your ideas, creates new products, improved processes, refined business models, and turns them into transformative, future-building, disruptive solutions.</p>
<p><a href="https://ideascale.com/service/ideas-crowdsourcing/">Crowdsourcing ideas</a> allows you to pair ideas with solutions, both seen and even unforeseen. New ideas surface, and when collected, evaluated, and fostered properly, solutions are created and implemented.</p>
<p>Research shows that innovation impacts 78% of a company’s overall revenue growth, 71% of increased productivity, and 74% growth in revenue from new products and services.</p>
<p>We know you have great ideas. You are an innovator. So let your innovation flag fly, and who knows, maybe one day you could become the next Kim Kardashian.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/kim-kardashian-innovator-you-too/">If Kim Kardashian Is an Innovator, So Are You</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Innovation Leadership Drives Big Ideas</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/innovation-leadership-drives-big-ideas/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/innovation-leadership-drives-big-ideas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2016 15:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leadership]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22245</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>According to the Center for Creative Leadership, 94% of business leaders believe that innovation is important, but only 14% of them agreed that their organizations are effective at innovation. Obviously, there’s a giant disconnect between knowledge and execution. Innovation leadership is essential and is the key to bridging this gap. What is Innovation Leadership?  Innovation &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-leadership-drives-big-ideas/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-leadership-drives-big-ideas/">Innovation Leadership Drives Big Ideas</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_53184273_s-2015.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-22246" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_53184273_s-2015.jpg" alt="Innovation Leadership Drives Big Ideas" width="300" height="300" /></a>According to the <a href="http://insights.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/innovationDifference.pdf">Center for Creative Leadership</a>, 94% of business leaders believe that innovation is important, but only 14% of them agreed that their organizations are effective at innovation. Obviously, there’s a giant disconnect between knowledge and execution. Innovation leadership is essential and is the key to bridging this gap.</p>
<h4><strong>What is Innovation Leadership? </strong></h4>
<p>Innovation leadership is the foundation for big ideas. In every industry, businesses are facing enormous challenges ranging from economic uncertainty to new competitors, from international markets to new legislation that is changing how business works. These obstacles cannot be surmounted by continuing “business as usual”. Innovation leadership is vital if your organization is going to grow and thrive.</p>
<p>Throughout the history of business, innovation leadership has led to tremendous breakthroughs. Thomas Edison was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention. As a result, Edison is credited as the creator of the first industrial research laboratory. Edison’s 1,093 U.S. patents, plus dozens in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, impacted every area of modern life.</p>
<p>Another example of innovation leadership was Henry Ford’s integration of process thinking into production and manufacturing. The application of mass production in manufacturing <a href="http://www.lean.org/WhatsLean/History.cfm">paved the way for later innovations</a> including the Toyota Production System, which shifted the focus of manufacturing to the flow of the product through the total process.</p>
<h4><strong>Key Characteristics of Innovation Leadership </strong></h4>
<p>Innovation leadership doesn’t happen by accident. Leaders at every level have to choose to be innovative, and they have to choose to develop the characteristics of innovation leadership in their daily work systems. The key characteristics are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ideation<b>.</b> Idea creation is the cornerstone of all innovation. As you focus on innovation leadership, your first job is to encourage participation. This can mean everything from scheduling specific <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201405/the-importance-play-having-fun-must-be-taken-seriously">“fun times” to encourage creative thinking</a>, to having specific innovation days where your team is encouraged to brainstorm creative solutions to problems. Ideation is an ongoing process where you make room for those “aha” moments.</li>
<li>Idea Evaluation<b>.</b> Not every idea is gold, and that’s OK. As an innovation leader, you should be able to evaluate ideas for feasibility and even offer tweaks to make them more workable. As the leader, you’re most aware of the business environment you’re in and what makes sense. Just be careful not to shoot down ideas simply because they’re novel or unusual!</li>
<li>Implementation<b>.</b> Nothing is more demoralizing to a team than to come up with innovative ideas and then see nothing happen. As you develop your innovation leadership, be sure to implement the ideas as quickly as possible. Keep your team and the upper level posted on progress. It may encourage faster engagement.</li>
<li>Evaluation of Results<b>.</b> Innovation leaders should be able to assess performance as they go, be prepared to take action, and course correct when the implementation isn’t going as planned.</li>
</ul>
<h4><strong>The Importance of a Supportive Culture </strong></h4>
<p>One of the reasons that top leaders reported a lack of innovation in their organizations is the lack of a supportive culture. Innovation leadership starts with support for new and unusual ideas at the top. Having a supportive culture will drive the success of innovation leadership within teams, among coworkers, from the supervisor, and from the higher levels of the organization.</p>
<p>In the short term, it’s often easier to ignore innovation and continue doing things as they have always been done. It’s comfortable. But it’s also the death knell of the organization. Organizations are not in a static environment. Things are constantly changing around you. Whether it’s a new competitor, innovation in your industry, or a change in regulations, you can’t afford to stick with business as usual.</p>
<p>Your organization should always be looking for the next big idea that will help you get the upper hand. Innovation leadership, at every level, will help you find it.</p>
<p>Regardless of the type of innovation, you’ll need a tool to help you get organized and rapidly implement ideas. <a href="https://ideascale.com/product-tour/">Click here</a> to learn more about how IdeaScale can help you!</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/innovation-leadership-drives-big-ideas/">Innovation Leadership Drives Big Ideas</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Who Knows Your Campus Best?</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/who-knows-your-campus-best/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/who-knows-your-campus-best/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2016 16:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Case Study]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22182</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>As crowdsourcing becomes more acceptable and common, it is also becoming more prevalent on college campuses and among college students. Some students utilize crowdsourcing in order to find out how other students have felt about certain classes or professors. Others may use crowdsourcing in order to confirm an assignment or textbook. Recently, following almost two &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/who-knows-your-campus-best/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/who-knows-your-campus-best/">Who Knows Your Campus Best?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://bit.ly/202J74P"><img class=" wp-image-22238 alignleft" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/crowdsourcing-at-college.jpg" alt="crowdsourcing at college" width="300" height="248" /></a>As crowdsourcing becomes more acceptable and common, it is also becoming more prevalent on college campuses and among college students. Some students utilize crowdsourcing in order to find out how other students have felt about certain classes or professors. Others may use crowdsourcing in order to confirm an assignment or textbook. Recently, following almost two decades of construction and renovations, Washington State University used crowdsourcing to map the facilities and utilities on campus.</p>
<p>These are just small examples of ways in which crowdsourcing can be useful on college and university campuses. What it ultimately comes down to is that students, faculty and staff are part of the community, and are thus most familiar with the space and quirks of a university, and are best equipped to present common problems and provide possible solutions. Even beyond the institutional knowledge, crowdsourcing also helps students to feel invested and heard in the community.</p>
<p>One of the most significant ways in which crowdsourcing is being utilized on college campuses today is with university IT help desks. Such was the case for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which recently completed its pledge to have 100 IT wins in a year. When incoming CIO Curtis Carver was getting ready to begin his position at UAB, he set a goal of delivering 100 IT wins in his first year. In order to accomplish that goal, he initiated the SPARK initiative—utilizing IdeaScale—in order for community members to engage. The program was especially effective because it gamified the system, providing badges as a motivator for participators. This gamification and badging of participation has been proven as a tried and true method for getting higher engagement.</p>
<p>In addition to exceeding their goals by over 200%, there were also a number of unintended benefits, including positive feedback about the method of communication and prioritizing solutions.</p>
<p>As CIO at UA Birmingham Curtis Carver said, “[Crowdsourcing] gets us out of the business of saying ‘no’ and into the business of facilitating solutions. Within IdeaScale, everybody can be an agent of innovation.”</p>
<p>To find out more about how the University of Alabama at Birmingham is using IdeaScale to crowdsource fixable problems, <a href="http://bit.ly/202J74P">click here to download and read the recent white paper.</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/who-knows-your-campus-best/">Who Knows Your Campus Best?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>How to Use Crowdsourcing in Finance</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/how-to-use-crowdsourcing-in-finance/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/how-to-use-crowdsourcing-in-finance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2016 15:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial industry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=22159</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Crowdsourcing, drawing information from a large group of people, has been gaining ground as a source of innovation in a wide variety of industries. It may seem hard to understand how crowdsourcing can apply to finance, especially with the regulations and privacy issues that surround the industry. However, some financial institutions are taking the lead. &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/how-to-use-crowdsourcing-in-finance/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/how-to-use-crowdsourcing-in-finance/">How to Use Crowdsourcing in Finance</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Crowdsourcing, drawing information from a large group of people, has been gaining ground as a source of innovation in a wide <a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_38602767_s-2015.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-22160 alignright" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Depositphotos_38602767_s-2015.jpg" alt="How to Use Crowdsourcing in Finance" width="350" height="350" /></a>variety of industries. It may seem hard to understand how crowdsourcing can apply to finance, especially with the regulations and privacy issues that surround the industry. However, some financial institutions are taking the lead.</p>
<h4><strong>Benefits of Crowdsourcing in Finance</strong></h4>
<p>A financial organization has a lot to gain from crowdsourcing. Your company can connect with employees, customers, or stakeholders to find new ideas. These ideas can help streamline processes, improve productivity, and identify new strategies that will help build the financial institution of the future. With crowdsourcing you can gain:</p>
<ul>
<li>Feedback<b>. </b>At the most basic level, crowdsourcing allows you to see what’s working and what’s not from the perspective of customers, employees, and stakeholders.</li>
<li>Ideas for Improvement<b>.</b> Whether it’s cost-savings or an innovative way to approach a business process, crowdsourcing allows your financial institution to gain new ideas for improvement.</li>
<li>Customer Insights<b>.</b> Do you wonder why your customers aren’t buying a specific financial product, no matter how much you promote it? Ask them! Whether they need education or a better understanding of risk, you’ll gain new ways to relate to them.</li>
<li>Risk Mitigation. When stakeholders can be part of product and service development, you’ll get innovative ideas on how to control risk and maximize return.</li>
<li>Increased Customer Loyalty<b>.</b> Customers want to be heard. When they feel like you truly care about their input, they will be loyal to your institution. Loyal customers save you money and increase profits.</li>
</ul>
<h4><strong>How Financial Institutions are Using Crowdsourcing around the World</strong></h4>
<p>Many financial institutions have already realized the benefits of crowdsourcing by running their own initiatives. Whether it’s exercising corporate responsibility or coming up with new concepts for their offices, organizations have increased innovation through crowdsourcing. Here are some examples.</p>
<ul>
<li>Standard Bank wanted to give back to those in need. Through crowdsourcing, they were able to collect ideas for ways to bring <a href="http://water4africa.ideascale.com/">clean water to Africa</a>. Using Ideascale, they were able to collect concepts and designs in seven different categories, allowing them to find new and unusual ways to give back to this significant need. They also built brand awareness and provided positive public relations material by giving back to those around the world.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>DBS Bank in Singapore needed some new ideas for their branch offices. They specifically wanted to draw a younger crowd to their bank, but they weren’t sure where to start. As a result, they chose to <a href="http://thefinancialbrand.com/14158/dbs-bank-gen-y-branch-crowdsourcing-contest/">ask Generation Y directly</a> through crowdsourcing. Using a Facebook contest, they solicited design entries and received 80 submissions. Everyone could participate, but 80% of the submissions were from those under 26, exactly the audience they were targeting. In fact, the youngest submitter was only 10 years old! The bank awarded cash prizes to six winning designers and opened the “DBS Remix” branch in 2011.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>HSBC Expat, a financial institution that helps international travelers keep their money in one place, was looking for a way to draw more of the expat community. As a result, they launched <a href="https://expatexplorer.hsbc.com/hintsandtips/">HSBC Expat Hints &amp; Tips</a>, a crowdsourcing platform aimed at those who live and work overseas. By featuring tips from expats for other expats, HSBC was able to become an information hub, which promoted their brand while providing valuable information to their clients.</li>
</ul>
<p>These are just a few examples of how financial institutions around the world are using crowdsourcing to innovate and thrive. For more information about how crowdsourcing can benefit your organization, download our <a href="http://www2.ideascale.com/crowdfin4" target="_blank">Crowdsourcing in Finance report</a> today!</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/how-to-use-crowdsourcing-in-finance/">How to Use Crowdsourcing in Finance</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Why Should the Public Vote on the Ideas of Government Employees?</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/why-should-the-public-vote-on-the-ideas-of-government-employees/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/why-should-the-public-vote-on-the-ideas-of-government-employees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2016 16:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Case Study]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[citizen engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourced innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ideascale.com/?p=21633</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>These days, it’s easy to feel apathetic and frustrated by politics and government in general. It often feels as though your voice is not heard, that special interests and corporations are more important than the citizens at large. But luckily, there are factions of the government that are realizing the futility folks are feeling, and &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/why-should-the-public-vote-on-the-ideas-of-government-employees/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/why-should-the-public-vote-on-the-ideas-of-government-employees/">Why Should the Public Vote on the Ideas of Government Employees?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #333333;"><a href="http://www2.ideascale.com/txhhs-4"><img class=" size-full wp-image-22190 alignleft" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/texas-hhs1.png" alt="texas hhs" width="264" height="264" /></a>These days, it’s easy to feel apathetic and frustrated by politics and government in general. It often feels as though your voice is not heard, that special interests and corporations are more important than the citizens at large. But luckily, there are factions of the government that are realizing the futility folks are feeling, and are working to make the government work for the people again.</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #333333;">One of the ways this is happening is with public engagement on the ideas of government employees. A few short years ago, the state of Texas enacted legislation that requires any state agency with 1,500 or more employees to provide a process by which an employee may submit suggestions and ideas for cost savings and allow the public to vote on those ideas. Who doesn’t love cost saving? And who doesn’t love their voice being heard on cost saving ideas? What a win-win scenario.</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #333333;">The Texas Health and Human Services System selected IdeaScale as its platform, and has been actively promoting and engaging with citizens to find areas to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Since the program was started, there have been over 1,400 ideas, with over 1,100 citizens logging over 16,000 votes. Now that’s a response!</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #333333;">Initiatives such as this serve a dual purpose of not only reducing costs, but also of engaging citizens in decisions that have a real impact on their lives, and allowing them a voice. After being involved in such a process, it wouldn’t be surprising if those citizens are more likely to participate in other civic situations where they might have previously been discouraged.</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #333333;">To read more about the Texas Health and Human Services initiative for saving money for their citizens, <a href="http://www2.ideascale.com/txhhs-4">click here</a> to download the recent case study.</span></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/why-should-the-public-vote-on-the-ideas-of-government-employees/">Why Should the Public Vote on the Ideas of Government Employees?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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		<title>Crowdsourcing vs. Crowdfunding and Everything in Between</title>
		<link>https://ideascale.com/crowdsourcing-vs-crowdfunding-and-everything-in-between/</link>
		<comments>https://ideascale.com/crowdsourcing-vs-crowdfunding-and-everything-in-between/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2016 14:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Day]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IdeaScale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdfunding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terminology]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Crowdsourcing has become a very common term online. Sometimes, however, the meaning gets blurred with other crowd-related terms. It can be confusing to hear someone say crowdsourcing when they really mean crowdfunding. It can also mean that the purpose or focus of a project gets completely overlooked simply because a different word was used. What &#8230; <a href="https://ideascale.com/crowdsourcing-vs-crowdfunding-and-everything-in-between/">Continued</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/crowdsourcing-vs-crowdfunding-and-everything-in-between/">Crowdsourcing vs. Crowdfunding and Everything in Between</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Crowdsourcing has become a very common term online. Sometimes, however, the meaning gets blurred with other crowd-related<a href="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/editorial_50253_780x0_proportion.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-22155" src="//ideascale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/editorial_50253_780x0_proportion.jpg" alt="Crowdsourcing vs. Crowdfunding and Everything in Between" width="300" height="170" /></a> terms. It can be confusing to hear someone say crowdsourcing when they really mean crowdfunding. It can also mean that the purpose or focus of a project gets completely overlooked simply because a different word was used.</p>
<h4><strong>What is Crowdsourcing? </strong></h4>
<p>Crowdsourcing is a business term coined in 2006. It <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing">is defined as</a> “the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.”</p>
<p>Crowdsourcing takes on a variety of forms. It can be organized as a contest for the public, such as the challenges at <a href="https://www.innocentive.com/">Innocentive</a>. Or, crowdsourcing can be organized as an internal way for organizations to gain feedback and innovative ideas from their employees or stakeholders. Regardless of how it’s used, crowdsourcing has proven itself to be incredibly helpful in a wide variety of organizations.</p>
<p>There are many benefits to crowdsourcing. The process allows organizations to solve problems more quickly. The collective insight of a group is generally superior to the ideas of a single expert or handful of executives because of the diversity and breadth of ideas the large group brings. As long as ideas are organized in an innovation platform, and carefully vetted before implementation, your organization stands to gain tremendously from crowdsourcing.</p>
<h4><strong>Crowdsourcing vs. Other Crowd-Based Terms </strong></h4>
<p>There are other terms that are related to crowdsourcing, primarily based on their emphasis on using large groups of people to achieve a goal. Here are some common crowd-related terms that you will want to be familiar with:</p>
<ul>
<li>Crowdfunding<b>: </b>A form of alternative finance that involves the funding of a project or business venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people.</li>
<li>Crowd Creation<b>:</b> A form of crowdsourcing where ideas for creating something are solicited from a group of people, often online. Examples include customers creating commercials and amateur hobbyists reporting their findings to help develop scientific databases.</li>
<li>Crowd Voting<b>: </b>A form of crowdsourcing that uses a community’s judgment to organize and filter content. Examples include readers rating articles online or viewers voting on who should continue on a reality television program.</li>
<li>Crowd Wisdom<b>:</b> A form of crowdsourcing that harnesses the knowledge and experience of a large group of people to solve problems or predict future outcomes. Examples include prediction markets such as the <a href="http://tippie.uiowa.edu/iem/">Iowa Elections Market</a> or the <a href="http://www.hsx.com/">Hollywood Stock Exchange</a>.</li>
<li>Co-Creation<b>: </b>Co-creation allows employees, customers, or other stakeholders to become part of the product creation process. Examples include snack companies taking suggestions for a new flavor of potato chip, or shoe companies allowing customers to design their shoes online.</li>
<li>Collective Intelligence<b>:</b> A shared or group intelligence that emerges from collaboration and collective efforts to reach a group consensus. Examples include Wikipedia’s database of volunteer-written articles and Google’s indexing of millions of websites to find useful information through search.</li>
</ul>
<p>When you fully understand crowdsourcing and its related terms, you’ll reduce the risk of miscommunication, projects will run smoother and you’ll see results faster. For more information, download our report <a href="http://www2.ideascale.com/intro-to-crowd">Crowdsourcing: An Introduction</a> today.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com/crowdsourcing-vs-crowdfunding-and-everything-in-between/">Crowdsourcing vs. Crowdfunding and Everything in Between</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ideascale.com">IdeaScale</a>.</p>
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