In this week’s thought leadership roundup, we take a look at NASA’s latest crowdsourcing efforts, things innovation consultants shouldn’t say, and why it’s essential for thought leaders to stay up-to-date on their industries.
NASA Uses Crowdsourcing for Open Innovation Contracts
From NASA:
“NASA is turning to the public and crowdsourcing for outside-the-box thinking about human space exploration challenges with a series of 10 new NASA Open Innovation Service (NOIS) Contracts.
The first challenges to be launched under the new contract will seek new algorithms to improve Robonaut’s tool use in novel ways that could take advantage of materials found on asteroids, the moon or Mars for both space and Earth applications. Future challenges will seek help in developing improved textiles for planetary exploration spacesuits and other useful technologies as NASA continues its evolvable Journey to Mars strategy.
The total value of all contracts combined is $20 million over five years.”
Why Read It: If NASA feels that crowdsourcing is beneficial enough to invest millions of dollars in the process, it’s definitely worth looking into – especially if your company is struggling for fresh ideas or solutions to persistent business problems.
5 Things Innovation Consultants Say but Shouldn’t
From LinkedIn Pulse:
“1. Repeatable innovation comes from having an innovation process.
What is this mythic process capable of responding to any and all variability in idea flow, which is equally capable of implementing cost saving and business model changes? No such thing exists. Every idea is unique. Therefore, the path taken between the idea and its implementation is also unique.
2. Innovation comes from an innovation culture.
Yes, but what is that? And even if we knew what it is, how long will it take to get it?”
Why Read It: It’s short, it’s to the point, and it’s accurate — plus, it’s written by one of the industry’s foremost experts on crowdsourcing software for innovation.
Thought Leadership: Why It’s Essential to Stay Up-to-Date With Your Industry
From Forbes:
“In this digital world of ours, where reputation cultivation is so often the key to success, staying in the know about what’s happening in your industry has never been more important. Maybe that sounds obvious, but when you consider the fact that even major corporations seem out-of-touch sometimes, maybe it’s not so obvious after all.
But thought leadership is about more than talking the loudest or making the most money; it’s also about becoming the most unimpeachably knowledgeable voice in your industry. And you don’t get to that point by living in a vacuum.
Today I’d like to talk about what it takes to become a “thought leader” — that is, how you can leverage your knowledge to turn yourself, and your company, into a resource not just for your customers, but also for your industry as a whole.”
Why Read It: One of the most negative results of having uninhibited access to so much information is laziness. People want to be heard, they want a platform through which to share their opinions, but for many, the effort it takes to do detailed research and craft unique perspectives is just too daunting. This piece talks about why you need to do it anyway, and where to start.
The post Thursday Thought Leadership Roundup: Crowdsourcing with NASA, Innovation Jargon, and Staying Up-to-Date appeared first on via @Mindjet's Conspire #ideasquad.