Crowdsourcing: a Corporate

Management Tool?

A Decade of Stories and Lessons in

Crowdsourcing

Joanne Celens Synthetron

© Synthetron 2015

We started 10 years ago..

•engaging 10-1000’s•and getting the best ideas •translating these into actionable insights

Synthetron helps organisations

to better change and transform

We bring a decade of stories and lessons in Crowdsourcing

We started 10 years ago..

•Crowdsourcing dialogues•Engage from 10 to thousands•Corporate and civil society•Get their best ideas •Translate them into actionable insights

FNV

Synthetron solves:

•Scale & Synthesis•Peer & Real Dialogue

Instantshort list

oftop opinions

& ideas

evolutionarydiscussion

clever virtual scalable

table setting

Deep analysisactionable

insight

Onlinewww

moderated

Qualified data set

synthetrons

Cases

© Synthetron 2015

Crowdsourcing to address employee engagement,

resilience

CorporateHR

© Synthetron 2015

Input directly from shop floor on new staff planning

CorporateOperations

© Synthetron 2015

Engage top 1.000 worldwide Co-create and test vision & strategic options

CorporateStrategy

© Synthetron 2015

Finger on pulse during change,

feedback & co-create

CorporateChange

•Merger aspiration• &• Culture change• Co-create meaning

CorporateCulture

What did we learn?

© Synthetron 2015

•People are not against change•Head Heart Hands1

Change only happens if people change

© Synthetron 2015

•CEO, HR, Operations, line, procurement, strategy

•Takes guts

•Listen to learn, learn to listen

•Culture where people are not objects - you measure but participants co-create

2CorporateStrategy: changeneeds corporate fit

© Synthetron 2015

3Make choices

- Context- Purpose- Crowd- Value- Practicalities

Desired output

Crowd - Source

Wisdom potential

Interventionimpact

Follow up

© Synthetron 2015

Crowds

•Recruit & Stimulate•Engage & Respect•Trigger slow and fast thinking with clever questions

4Engage

© Synthetron 2015

Stupid crowds risk:Safe spacePitfalls: groupthink, herding, ..Crowd dialogue breaking lines5

Avoidpitfalls

#

Experience

=

= Knowledge/Info #

chit chatpolicy

beliefs

Concept discussion

deep dialogue

Experience focused

discussions

© Synthetron 2015

New habits, new skillsGrey-zone social collaboration, knowledge management, brainstorm and meeting formats

We believe in the value of•Dialogue•Anonymity

6New competence

© Synthetron 2015

Crowdsourcing is

not

decision making

7Management implications

1.Change if people change2.CS needs corporate fit3.Make choices4.Engage5.Avoid pitfalls6.Develop competence7.NOT a decision delegation

Recap7 lessons

© Synthetron 2015

•Wrong crowd•Not sincere, use <-> engage •Ill prepare•Hear out, flat or wide questions, induce groupthink•Promise crowd something that won’t be delivered•Manipulate data

Don’ts

•Be sincere in listening•Choose participants carefully•Prepare well and focus•Think of the crowd journey

• it, them, us, we, I, leader• Ratio- emo, feedback- feedforward

•Respect data, outcome•Follow up

Do’s

What did we learn

© Synthetron 2015

Crowds are a great corporate source &

lever for corporate change

dont miss out on their capacity

to help your business

progress faster

get their actionable

insights