Stakeholder Engagement with Open Innovation

Open Innovation, which fosters greater communication and transparency in organizations, celebrated its official launch on July 28, 2010. The OC platform is based on the central idea that regardless of the setting, public engagement and social responsibility ultimately create a much more efficient and productive organization, whether that organization is a ten person company or a nation of millions.

Accurate feedback and data is vitally important. Without it, decisions are not nearly as effective. A competent decision maker understands that his or her decision must be based not only on the immediate facts of the situation, but their desired outcome. If the decision maker possesses an inaccurate understanding of the initial situation, his or her decision will be inherently flawed, and require frequent revisions and addendums. Reaching out to these so-called ‘stakeholders,’ whether they are public citizens, employees, or other individuals who interact directly with a particular situation, is ultimately one of the savviest ways a decision maker can improve and streamline his or her process, resulting in a more effective and functional organization.

As an example, numerous governments have begun to pioneer so-called ‘open data’ programs. These programs encourage the sharing of publicly collected data by governments on easily accessible websites. However, individual citizens also indirectly share their concerns and experiences by the type of information they request, the format they request it in, and the frequency of the requests. Many citizens across the globe are concerned about recycling, and want to increase awareness and accessibility of local recycling locations. When a local government is made aware of this public need, it can correspondingly allocate funding or attention to increase the effectiveness or number of recycling centers, thereby satisfying the needs of the citizens while allowing the government to spend its money in a way that will benefit its constituents. Both parties meet their goals, simply by sharing information in a neutral, open-data format.

Other governments, including the U.K., hold Facebook polls about potential spending cuts, and closely monitor the results. This allows both the citizens and the government to communicate in a highly efficient way. A Facebook poll can be conducted over the course of a day, and elicit literally millions of responses. Because Facebook is ubiquitous, it is a relatively fair representation of the population. The government can move quickly in making a decision, and know that it has chosen something that has the backing of the majority of its constituents.

A platform such as Open Innovation allows for this type of comprehensive communication in any sized organization, with the aid of extensive graphics, text, and other customized industry-specific displays. For more information on the solutions offered by Open Innovation, please feel free to contact our office.