Enterprise Innovation Needs A Game Plan

The practice of fostering innovation by tapping into large groups on the Web to capture their great ideas — also known as crowdsourcing — has received much attention. Yet new trends often breed misunderstanding, and crowdsourcing is no different. Many enterprises launch crowdsourcing initiatives before defining clear value propositions and structured use cases. It's time for a more systematic look at what crowdsourcing is — and what it isn't. This report begins by exploring both enterprise doubts and best-practice success stories. We then present a planning framework that enterprises should use to ensure crowdsourcing success. By focusing on each of four critical aspects — people, objectives, strategy, and technology — enterprises will realize powerful innovation returns.