Even though we hear an awful lot of talk around engaging customers in the innovation process, the actualization into actionable initiatives around this critical activity is sorely lacking.
The reasons for this dichotomy are two-fold:
- The fear of competitors eavesdropping on the process - thereby poaching your good ideas
- This brand of engagement requires work – hence, resources need to be deployed (people and money)
I would argue that both of these fears represent far less risk than is perceived. Here is why:
The fear of competitors eavesdropping on the process – having an Open Innovation portal by definition could allow anyone in; that’s true. But the sponsoring organization has some advantages that the would-be eavesdropper doesn’t:
a) It has control of who is allowed to play and how they get in
b) It has the discretion to vet any idea prior to any exposure and thereby decide on it’s eligibility for publication (inappropriate content, selective audience, too good to share, need for fast-tracking) – and to decide who sees what and when
c) It has organizational preparedness that the potential snoops lack – a collaborative portal for conversation, discovery, ideation, crowd validation, co-creation, augmentation, expert input, financial justification and an iterative process calibrated to run with ideas that have met the organization's unique criteria for do-ability – along with the mechanisms to successfully deliver on this synchronicity in a much more expeditious fashion
This brand of engagement takes work – in order to get ideas done and derive a benefit, someone somewhere along the way will need to do some work; yes Virginia, good ole’ fashioned work. However, the bulk of this work can be shared and even owned by members of your community – if you will let them.
Anyone you ask wants the benefits of customer-engaged Innovation, but few are willing to pay for the ticket-to-play. Fair enough, most everyone in business today feels like they’re being squeezed from all sides, with nowhere to turn for breathing room…oh, but there is. Your community is the answer. In the Innovation Game, especially Open Innovation, there is strength in numbers. Now we know that not all your participants will be power users; but those who are will carry the load and get things done. True, some of the more delicate executables have to be handled by internal folks, but so much of what makes an idea ripe for legitimate consideration can be, and, I propose, even should be managed by externals folks. The most important collaborators you can have engaged in your innovation future are your customers – because if you think about it, without them, your organization wouldn’t never even have had the chance to exist in the present.