Why our open approach works

Benefits of the crowd: A problem shared is a problem solved.

What does it take to solve a problem? Is it simply that eureka moment? How much does your background, education, upbringing, or the way that you process information come into play? Is problem solving always collaborative, or can it be worked out in a silo?

No matter what business you are in, there is always an opportunity to work better, faster, or smarter. There is scope to pivot, change, or add value to your proposition. There is also always a challenge to overcome. But what happens when these challenges can’t be solved by your own experts, or within your own network?

Our approach to open innovation enables us to find Solvers (academics, experts, specialists, and SMEs, etc.) from around the world from outside our network and work with them to accentuate the strength of our existing workforce. It empowers us to problem solve and view needs and problems from a different perspective, by combining different locations, cultures, backgrounds, and areas of expertise.

There are a number of important tenets that underpin open innovation:

• Not all the smart people work for your company, so you must find and tap into the knowledge and expertise of bright individuals from outside of your organization.
• External R&D can create significant value: internal R&D is also needed to claim some of that value.
• You don’t have to originate the research to profit from it.
• The firms that make the best use of internal and external ideas will outperform the competition.
• Profit from others’ use of your IP, and buy others’ IP whenever it advances your business model.

If you’ve always thought of innovation as something that’s done inside your organization or with consultants or freelancers, moving from an ‘inside-out’ mindset to a truly ‘outside-in’ one may initially be a challenge in itself. However, once you start to think about the knowledge, expertise and sheer thinking power you can tap into and the exciting possibilities of open innovation, it can be a eureka moment in itself.

How does it work?

Our Wazoku Crowd is the world’s biggest community of Solvers, with expertise in areas as diverse as business, technology, chemistry, life sciences, engineering, statistics, food and crop science, and much more. They’re located around the world, and are typically educated to Masters level or above.

You don’t have to assess job applications or resumes. You don’t have to search the globe to find Solvers yourself. You can post your toughest problems, in the form of prize-based Challenges, to our global network of Solvers.

The power of the crowd

• The world’s biggest community of millions of expert problem solvers
• Fast and secure access to ideas that can become solutions to your business problems
• Cost-effective approach
• Possible to take you in new directions, with the opportunity for other income streams
• Well-honed process means we’ll present you with solutions in a useable way

Learn more about how our unique Challenge Driven Innovation® approach powers open innovation success here.