Open Source Knowledge & Innovation

I have a feeling this applies beyond professional services. I am always surprised by how much consultants hoard knowledge and even how I've been tempted to guard against "leaking" too much of my expertise. Even professional service firms talk about their "proprietary" intellectual "property" - often not in the form of products, but typically their practices, processes and methodology.

I don't feel that way anymore and had already been considering how to implement an open source innovation strategy - where clients participate in the ideation and solution-finding and the takeaway bonus is learning and instilling new practices and processes).

I'm glad to see that my thinking isn't so unique...

While re-reading David Maister's valuable book, The Trusted Advisor, I rediscovered this sage metaphor:

The conclusions many advisors draw are that they must be careful about giving away the store... The truth is, expertise is like love: not only is it unlimited, you destroy it only by not giving it away. Love for a child is not cut in half with the birth of a second child. And expertise is not to be confused with what can be scanned into a database. The human capacity for problem redefinition and creativity is what a successful advisor brings to every situation. It is unlimited; it only gets better with practice. (via Church of the Customer Blog)

And IDEO [innovation design firm] works fast. That's because the company requires its clients to participate in virtually all the consumer research, analysis, and decisions that go into developing solutions. When the process is complete, there's no need for a buy-in: Clients already know what to do -- and how to do it quickly. Unlike traditional consultants, IDEO shares its innovative process with its customers through projects, workshops, and IDEO U, its customized teaching program. In IDEO-speak, this is "open-source innovation." "Consulting firms usually come in, go away, and return with heavy binders that sit on the desk," says Kaiser's Nemer. "With IDEO, we partner up and work side-by-side. We are internalizing their methodology to build our own culture of innovation." (via Business Week)

Comments

[Ron Young]

Hi Evelyn

I was simply blown away by your two blogs, one on creativity, knowledge and innovation and the other on spirituality, ancient knowledge and wisdom

I thought I was getting somewhere, as a km consultant and a deep thinker, but I realise that I haven't even started yet!

Keep writing :-)
I will keep reading

Ron Young
Cambridge UK

spiritual blog: http://ronaldyoung.blogspot.com
website: www.in-love-with-wisdom.com
km blog: http://km-consulting.blogspot.com
website: www.knowledge-management-online.com