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Open Innovation

gamification
29 Mar

Gamification and Open Innovation

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation, Uncategorized
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Open innovation injects new ideas into an organization by providing the ability for non-employees to submit concepts for consideration. The process relies on a pool of involved and enthusiastic contributors who want to participate in the process. The challenge is how to attract and engage these innovators in a way that sustains their interest and increases the quality of their submissions. Gamification is an excellent tool to achieve this goal.   Gamification is the process of transforming tasks or processes into a competitive process to engage users, solve problems, increase productivity, and drive innovation. It encourages ongoing participation, which keeps the open innovation ideas flowing.   Gamification Systems The concept of gamification is part of our everyday lives, in that certain systems encourage our active participation. Examples include: Airline Frequent Flyer Programs Real-time Fuel Usage Tracker Apps One Day Sales Crosswalk Countdowns Credit Card Rewards Store Savings Apps   Each of these systems gives rewards for participation,...

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22 Mar

Workflows Address Open Innovation and Product Lifecycle Management

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation
Comments

Ezassi Provides Practical Workflow Capabilities Have you ever shifted files or cleaned out your inbox files only to discover a great project that has languished, forgotten in the sea of other information?   This situation is both common and avoidable. When it occurs on an organizational level, it hinders both innovation and market responsiveness.   There is a better way.   Open Innovation and Workflow Ezassi is globally recognized for delivering the best OI management tools on the market. We have combined this innovative software with an intuitive, customizable workflow system that: Integrates all project functions on one dashboard; Allows you to track projects from concept submission to product marketing; Establishes and assigns tasks for every phase of concept to product efforts; Includes graphics that lets you see the workflow status with a simple click of a mouse; Gives you the power to customize the workflow to match your systems, and modify them further to address the needs...

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02 Mar

5 Guiding Principles for Your Next Innovation Challenge

by Virginia Bush
in Innovation Challenge, Open Innovation
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Holding an open innovation challenge is an excellent way to ensure a continuous flow of fresh ideas to your organization. When launching your next challenge, consider these five guiding principles.     1. Cast a Wide Net to Find Unexpected Innovators   Let everyone know that you're on the hunt for ideas. You never know who is capable of coming up with a great innovation. Make the deadline and incentive for making submissions clear. Let the participants know what they will get for entering a winning innovation.   GE's CEO Jeff Immelt went all out when he launched the massive "Ecomagination Challenge," using a press conference, VC firms, and marketing to garner participation. This innovation challenge resulted in the largest public participation ever run with 100,000s of participants.     2. Make the Innovation Challenge Specific   The best ideas come from specific challenges. Make sure the contestants know the specific problems you're trying to solve. Set guidelines for any desired innovations...

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idea management
30 Jan

The Era of Open Innovation

by Virginia Bush
in Innovation, Open Innovation, Uncategorized
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The shift from closed innovation to open innovation is the defining characteristic of this decade. Startups are able to compete with billionaires, disrupting entire industries from cheaply assembled DIY workspaces. Even large companies like Microsoft are replacing private R&D with open source methods. All entrepreneurs, freelancers, and members of technology-focused industries should study this change. Open Innovation is a Revolution Many of the biggest innovations of the last few decades were built upon pre-existing infrastructure. Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of Amazon, spoke about this concept at the Code Conference in 2016. He explained that the internet was only made possible by the existence of telephone lines. As the infrastructure grows, so does the possibility for innovation. Manufacturers are already starting to build products on the newly emerging infrastructures of 3-D printing and artificial intelligence. This is exactly what open innovation is about. How To Embrace Open Innovation The notion of building products upon public...

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07 Jan

Idea Management Software Streamlines Open Innovation

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation, Technology
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Idea Management Software Streamlines Open Innovation "Open innovation is a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as the firms look to advance their technology." //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_innovation R&D Is No Longer a Barrier to Entry or Strong Strategic Advantage Traditionally, innovation was a closely guarded secret. R&D teams hid away in secrecy innovating, discovering, and releasing the next generation of products. Think of IBM, Bell Labs, DuPont and other companies where R&D was a valuable strategic asset. Traditional Companies Are Moving Toward Open Innovation According to the MIT Sloan Management review "Companies are increasingly rethinking the fundamental ways in which they generate ideas and bring them to market — harnessing external ideas while leveraging their in-house R&D outside their current operations." //sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-era-of-open-innovation/ Harvesting, managing and sorting through 1,000s of ideas to find the diamonds in the rough is a daunting process. Large organizations...

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23 Dec

Social Media Integration and Open Innovation Software

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation, Technology
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eZassi Uses Social Sites like Linkedin to Sign-In and Auto Profile Users How many times have you been interested in something online, only to abandon moving forward when you see a cumbersome sign in process, replete with password entry a confirmation email in the way? A 2012 study by Blue Research found 86% of people are bothered by the need to create new accounts, 54% consider leaving the site, and 88% say they have given inaccurate information. What is Social Sign-in? eZassi integrates with Linkedin, Facebook, and other popular platforms so that with the click of a button, the visitor can “sign-in” and start participating in the open innovation process without creating a username and password and verification email. Benefits of Social Sign-in Higher conversion of visitors into users Increase the amount of people that join your innovation community by making it easier to begin. Higher participation once a user joins your innovation community. Users can go back...

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Technology Scouting Software for Open Innovation
12 Dec

Technology Scouting Software for Open Innovation

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation, Technology
Comments

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Business is evolving faster than ever. Consumer demands have never been higher, and large organizations who don’t innovate will eventually die. Large organizations like these can no longer exclusively rely on the internal R&D team or employee base to produce the product innovation and insights that will keep them in the game. This is where proven technology scouting software plays a critical role with innovation success.   Enterprises are increasingly turning to open innovation for their product development strategy. Alan G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble believes “half the company’s ideas must come from the outside.”   Technology Scouting Software Allows Organizations to Find Innovators and Solvers   To do this, you need to find and engage innovators outside of your organization. This is called “technology scouting,” and it’s a critical aspect of open innovation.   Scouting allows organizations to identify intellectual property and key influencers and engage them to become part of their innovation.   Whether you’re scouting “internally”...

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02 Dec

3 Powerful Innovation Management Software Features – eZassi 3.0

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation, Uncategorized
Comments

Ezassi's Innovation Management Software v3.0 makes it easy for companies, large and small, to manage their open innovation process from idea capture to creating winning products and services.   Today, we'll cover three key features from this version 3.0 including:   1. Innovation Portal 2. Easy Registration and Single-Sign-On 3. Customized Content for All Audience Types   One of the key features of version 3.0 is the innovation portal.   1. Version 3.0 Includes a Uniquely Branded, Public Facing Innovation Portal This easy to find, uniquely branded, public facing innovation portal website can run off a custom URL or your corporate domain.   2. Easy Registration and Single Sign On From one single point of entry, employees, external users, and administrators can log in to participate in and manage all aspects of the innovation process. One-click registration and auto-profiling make it easy for users to instantly auto-populate profile information from social networks such as LinkedIn and others. Single Sign On (SSO) allows employees...

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31 Oct

6 Powerful Open Innovation Software Features : eZassi

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation
Comments

  The free flow of information is a critical component of effective open innovation. Without it, your ideas might perish before they ever get a chance to get off the ground. While software tools definitely help, it's important that yours go above and beyond. eZassi's unique software platform facilitates more impactful crowdsourcing with features that let you dictate how your ideas evolve, adapt and grow. Here are six for starters:   A Fully Functional, Branded Microsite   Deploy your own branded, public-facing portal from your corporate site or other digital location. A single point of entry and professional branding makes it easier to share and test promising concepts.   Single Sign-On Capability   Employees, community members, end users, project administrators and other important stakeholders all deserve the chance to contribute. eZassi Innovate permits secure external sign on so that authorized participants can all play their part. Customize your content to suit different audiences and share ideas more readily.   A Brand New,...

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28 Oct

Overcoming the Fuzzy Front-End With Idea Management Software

by Virginia Bush
in Open Innovation
Comments

As a front-end innovator, you need far more than great new ideas. You also need a discerning eye that lets you determine which concepts are worth investing your valuable time and money in and which are better left for another time. eZassi is designed to help you innovate in an optimally productive fashion.   What Defines a Good Idea?   Many ideas have potential, but including all of them in your planning can make your front ends chaotic, fuzzy and directionless. Your project's survival may depend on your ability to make tough decisions and prune the things that are not viable early on in the process.   Comprehensive Tools for Evaluating Ideas   Our idea management ecosystem empowers you to innovate and derive insight from a single, protected entry point. In other words, we help you manage the concepts that drive you forward in one convenient place. We make it easier to assess and compare each plan, design,...

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