how to attract external knowledge to solve company's challenges

How to attract 100’s of external to work on your problem?

Ideon, Lund, 2014-03-18

Experience and approach from 3 projects

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Pictures from Prototype Day

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Pictures from Workshop I

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Pictures from Workshop I

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Clear Problem Statement, Sharp Target Group & Incentives and Intriguing Invitation & Primers are key to attract 100’s of externals

Clear Problem Statement

• What is the background?

• Which are the underlying drivers for why this is a problem?

• What will the users gain when the problem is solved?

• Which data and facts supports the impact and breadth of the problem?

Intriguing Invitation & Primers

• How clear is the problem expressed?

• What will the process be and who are involved?

• Are all incentives and benefits explicitly expressed?

• Which effort is required by me and during which time-frame?

• How will participants be primed to solve the task?

Sharp Target Group & Incentives

• Challenge who you do innovation together – challenge your value chain.

• Who are the dream external solvers – competence, industry, network, IP, etc?

• Which non-obvious participants and partners are there – other industries, competences, value-chains, etc?

• Which incentives will make them do their outmost – why should they care?

• Which mix of incentives should be used to balance between self-interest and team performance?

100’s of externalproblem solvers

Intriguing Invitation & Primers

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How to write a Clear Problem Statement that opens up for what could be, challenging conventions and appreciates what has been done?

Challenging conventions: What if the problem is solved in a way that no one else has done before – where could they find inspiration? Explain your assumptions and conventions – that way solvers know what to challenge.

Open up: The Problem statement needs to state the original purpose and mission, what the problem is and a vision for how users will experience their situation once the problem is solved – a stretch target

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How to identify and attract a Sharp Target Group with Incentives driving individual and team performance

EXAMPLE CONTRIBUTORS

• Race car manufacturers

• Packaging designers & engineers

• Social media, chefs and food experts

• Lego, comics and branding gurus

• Product or graphic designers

• Packaging & label manufacturers

• Transportation & logistic experts

• Retail trend experts

• Retailers

• Packaging designers

• NGOs & people behaviour experts

• Product or graphic designers

• E-commerce and retail trend experts

EXAMPLE INCENTIVES

• Consulting project

• Research funding

• Thesis project

• Co-branding

• Sell packages and labels

• Deliver logistics services

• Sell more in the store

• Improved value from recycling

• Consulting project

• Research funding

• Thesis project

• Suppliers & their peers

• Competitors

• Customers & Non-customers

• Peers in other supply-chains

• Other industries, same value-chain position

• Similar problems

• Completely opposite organizations

• Researchers

• Children from Kindergarten

• Future researchers

• Historians

• NGO’s

WHERE TO SEARCH?

IP issues related to the Experts

The Experts – Who are they?

Assignment of IP

Freedom-To-Operate

Handling of Information

Collaboration

What if……?

© Cecilia Svantesson 2014

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Newspaper article, Complementaries and Supplier are all examples of incentives that can help recruit external solvers

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE COMPLEMENTARIES

SUPPLIER

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An Intriguing Invitation attracts problem solvers and partners while well thought through Primers prepares the solvers for the problem

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A Primer let the solvers internalize knowledge, fealings and purpose –setting the direction and mental mood prior to addressing the problem

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Challenging conventions – turning the guitar on the side

Daniel Rosenfeldt – Good Morning Copenhagen

Change with Impact.