Collaborative innovation is a process in which multiple players contribute towards creating new products with customers and suppliers.
Collaboration can occur in all aspects of the business cycle, depending on the context: Procurement and supplier collaboration Research and development of new products, services, and technologies Marketing, distribution, and commercialization
Collaborative innovation network (CoIN) is a collaborative innovation practice that uses the internet platforms such as email, chat, social networks, blogs, and Wikis to promote communication and innovation within self-organizing virtual teams. The difference is that people collaborating in CoIN are so intrinsically motivated that they might not be paid nor get any advantage.
Thus, a CoIN is a social construct with massive innovation potential. The originator of the term has defined it, Peter Gloor from MIT Sloan's Center for Collective Intelligence, as "a cyber team of self-motivated people with a collective vision, enabled by the Web to collaborate in achieving a common goal by sharing ideas, information, and work".
Indeed, CoIN is a type of open collaboration that helps organizations to become more creative, productive, and efficient. By adopting CoIN as part of their culture, these companies accelerate innovation, uncover hidden business opportunities, reduce costs, and enhance synergies. They can engage employees from every level of the hierarchy towards a joint project (discovering new talents and promoting direct relations between employees) and partner with external parties.
Similar is the concept of the "Self-Organizing Innovation Network" author has described, Robert Rycroft of the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University.
Overview
Coins feature internal transparency and direct communication. Members of a CoIN collaborate and share knowledge directly with each other rather than through hierarchies. They come together with a shared vision because they are intrinsically motivated to do so and seek to collaborate to advance an idea.
Coins work across hierarchies and boundaries where members can exchange ideas and information directly and openly. This collaborative and transparent environment fosters innovation. Gloor describes the phenomenon as "swarm creativity." He says, "CoINs are the best engines to drive innovation."
Coins existed well before the advent of modern communication technology. However, the internet and instant communication improved productivity and enabled the reach of a global scale. Today, they rely on Internet, e-mail, and other communications vehicles for information sharing.
According to Peter Gloor, CoINs have 5 main characteristics: Dispersed Membership: technology allows members to be spread worldwide. Regardless of the location, members share a common goal and are convinced of their cause. Interdependent Membership: cooperation between members is critical to achieving a common goal. The work of one member is affected and interdependent on the others' work. No simple chain of command: there is no superior command. It is a decentralized and self-organized system. Conflicts are solved without the need for a hierarchy or authority. Work towards a common goal: members are willing to contribute, work and share freely. They are intrinsically motivated to donate their work, create and share knowledge in favor of a common goal. Dependence on trust: cooperative behavior and mutual trust are needed to work efficiently within the network. Members act accordingly to an ethical code that states the rules and principles to be followed by all members. Usually, moral codes include regulations related to respect, consistency, reciprocity, and rationality.
There also are five essential elements of collaborative innovation networks (what Gloor calls" genetic code"):
1. They are learning networks: they set an informal and flexible environment that facilitates and stimulates collaboration and the exchange of ideas, information, and knowledge.
2. They need an ethical code: they agree on a moral code that guides the conduct and behavior of the members.
3. They are based on trust and self-organization: members trust each other without needing a centralized management. They are brought together by mutual respect and a strong sense of shared beliefs.
4. ' They make knowledge accessible to everyone: CoINs nurture communication to the extent that everyone shares information. Nowadays, with the internet and social media, their ideas and concepts achieve a global level.