Innocentive

Case 3: First, a seeker typically comes to InnoCentive because it has not been able to solve a problem on its own. The Use of InnoCentive may lead to bigger breakthroughs/increases the potential of innovations. Organizations can tap into the diversity of the InnoCentive Marketplace to find gifted individuals they would never otherwise identify. The pool of potential participant-solvers is quite broad including many people from many backgrounds, countries, personal and professional situations and experiences. IC´s pool of Solvers, 40% of whom held PhDs, represented diverse fields and included private sector participants, academics, students, consultants, and retirees, among others. Often these individuals have a unique perspective that allows them to “connect the dots” in ways the organization never would.

The broadcast-search problem-solving approach was distinguished from traditional methods of scientific problem solving in three ways. First, the pool of potential participant-Solvers was quite broad, including many people from different backgrounds, countries, personal and professional situations, and experiences. A problem deemed intractable by a Seeker was thus exposed to a host of people with a wide range of expertise not feasibly corralled or even imagined by the firm. Second, Seekers shifted their perspective from that of “having” a problem to that of evaluating solutions to it. To generate solutions for evaluation, Seekers had to articulate their problems precisely, a nontrivial task in which IC’s role was pivotal. But it was this definition task that set the stage for multiple, heterogeneous Solver minds to be focused on a Challenge. Finally, the process of articulating a problem yielded criteria by which to judge proposed solutions. Only solutions that met the criteria were eligible to be rewarded. More than 200 Solvers typically expressed formal interest in working

Case 4: