Novozymes successfully implemented an online idea crowdsourcing platform called COLIN to boost innovation. Over 1000 employees from across the organization contributed ideas, with 75% being active users. COLIN was adopted rapidly due to strategic alignment, simplicity, familiarity with the innovation process, and the company's culture being open to new ideas. Diversity in contributors led to higher quality ideas, showing the value of diverse perspectives. While diversity has costs, it also has benefits for innovation that make it worthwhile for companies to pursue.
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Boosting innovation through collaborative online ideations
1. BOOSTING INNOVATION BY
COLLABORATIVE ONLINE IDEATIONS
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Frank Hatzack
Business Innovation
Novozymes
fhat@novozymes.com
@frankhatzack
Presented at
IATI Biomed
Tel Aviv
June 11th, 2013
2. ABOUT NOVOZYMES
World leader in
- Industrial enzymes
- Microorganisms
- Biopharmaceutical indgredients
Bio-solutions for
- Detergents
- Biofuels
- Food & feed
- Crops
Employees:
Turnover:
Patents:
Listed:
6000 worldwide
$ 2 billion
> 6000
NZYB.
3. THE STORY IN A NUTSHELL
2011
Need for new growth bets
leads to first COLIN
2012
Fast adoption across the
organisation
2013
COLIN = standard process
Why was COLIN succesful?
Why was adoption fast?
What did we learn here?
5. FACTORS OF SUCCESS
Strategic alignment
Timing
Mobilization
SIMPLICTIY
Robustness
Familiarity
Crowd diversity
Company culture
Capacity to absorb
ESTABLISHED SKILLS
12. DIVERSITY CORRELATED WITH IDEA RANKING
Diversity dimensions: seniority, tenure, rank, site
Statistical method: Fisher’s exact test
13. EVERY COMPANY HAS A
HIDDEN DREAM TEAM
…a long-tail case story
Frank Hatzack and Maria Carlsen
@frankhatzack, @MaCarlsen
14. HISTORIC RECORD OF IDEA POSTING IN THE ’ALWAYS OPEN
IDEA BOX’
35 idea web curve
no. of posted ideas
30
25
20
15
10
Long tail group: 23 inventors (I – AE) accounted for 46 (30%) of
the idea-web ideas in question
5
0
A
B
C
D
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F
G
H
I
J
K
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M
N
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P
Q
inventors
R
S
T
U
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W
X
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Z AA AB AC AD AE
15. ON-LINE CAMPAIGN OBSERVATIONS:
The ‘long tail group’ outperformed the ‘high activity group’ by
producing more top-category ideas
‘THE BANG IS IN THE TAIL!’
35
idea web curve
30
no. of posted ideas
25
x Top category idea (x= no. of top category ideas posted)
Winning idea
1
20
15
2
10
1
1
5
1
1
2
1
1
1
0
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
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I
J
K
L
M
N
O
1
1
Q
R
1
1
V
W
1
1
1
P
campaign curve
1
inventors
S
T
U
X
Y
1
1
1
Z AA AB AC AD AE
20. 1ST LESSON : IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT SOFTWARE
"IF YOU WANT TO BUILD A SHIP,
DON'T DRUM UP PEOPLE TO
COLLECT WOOD AND DON'T
ASSIGN THEM TASKS AND
WORK,
BUT RATHER TEACH THEM TO
LONG FOR THE ENDLESS
IMMENSITY OF THE SEA."
ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPÉRY
22. THE THEORY BEHIND DIVERSITY &
INNOVATION
OPTIMAL
COGNITIVE
DISTANCE
&
ABSORBATIVE
CAPACITY
Nooteboom et al. (2007) in:
Research Policy, vol 30, issue 7,
pp 1016–1034
23. FAST ADAPTATION – WHY?
1.Successful first movers have many followers
2.A tool & process gap was filled
3.CULTURE
24. COMPANY CULTURE IS CRITICAL FOR
MOBILIZED DIVERSITY
INNOVATION
CROWD
composition MOBILIZATION
external
culture
extrinsic
COMPANY
motivators CULTURE
25. OR IN OTHER WORDS…
CULTURE EATS
STRATEGY FOR
BREAKFAST!
Intensively discussed during: