While sharing and collaboration in a general sense are easier than ever, it is uncertain how they can be applied broadly to aid in research and product development outside the government or public arena.
The concept is appealing--get lots of subject-matter-experts or fanatics to pool their brain power and come up with the next new product innovation. But what do they get for their time and effort? A pat on the back? The right to sit on the sidelines and watch some mega-corporation get even richer off their ideas without personal financial gain while the corporations have no upfront costs? There must be some incentive for the collaborators or they won’t collaborate.
A good example of how to motivate individuals to use their brain power for a common cause can be found in the DARPA network challenge to locate 10 weather balloons placed around the US. MIT, who won the contest, used social networking coupled with a compensation framework for those who contributed to their search. Imagine how many companies could gain if they provide a clear incentive scheme to motivate someone who already has a propensity for innovating and sharing.
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14 years ago
I agree with you, most individuals choose to comment, do graphic design, give huge ideas to mega-corporations, and they don't get much. I alike this to reality TV shows. What do these people get. Some of them get travel and hotel rooms paid for, but why is there always a line out the door for casting of American Idol and The Real World.
ReplyDeleteIt's because these people might just get their 15 mins of fame. The American public might fall in love with them and they can have their own personal reality TV show. Just what everyone has always wanted.
The same is true, I believe for these collaborators on-line. You might just get a call from Bill Gates one morning and then you'll be set for life....
Theres a big difference between signing up for a reality TV show, and large corporations leveraging the 'crowd', and then turning the result of individuals for their own massive benefit.
ReplyDeleteYet, when the end result is an honest exchange of ideas, competitions and large scale collaboration can spur incredible innovation. The race to sequence the human genome, or the myriad of X prizes do just that.
The difference here, is that the creative and innovative people maintain the rights, ownership, and benefits from the success they produce. More so, the runners up often produce impressive work that is of future benefit.
I don't know, collaboration can provide its own set of incentives - getting a project done faster, helping derive an answer that wasn't there before. For example, people have been lending their computers to SETI@Home for years now, and it's helping to search for extra terrestrial life. Without people donating their time, it would never happen. Not exactly the same idea, but almost...
ReplyDeleteAgree with all your comments. My main point is that corporations (and occasionally society as a whole) benefit, but if there is no benefit to the collaborator, this model won't work for the long-term. --particularly if corporations reap benefits from the work of the collaborators.
ReplyDelete