Go ahead…get your teenager to translate if you don’t know what Wikinomics is. I’ve been recently reading Don Tapscott and Antony Williams’ 2008 revision of their book “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.” This is a fascinating look at the frenetic pace with which communication and truly, the way we do business is changing. You can order Wikinomics here.
One of the examples the authors give is Lego Mindstorm. Here is a web site where the users design, order, and build Lego robots to their exact specifications. And these aren’t just kids….
Dell started these massive changes in our everyday lives by allowing us, the customer, to choose and assemble a laptop or desktop computer with parts and pieces to our specific desires. What a concept — involve the customer in the design of the product!
The most interesting aspect of the book is the hope for revolution in innovation. Through sites like InnoCentive and yet2.com, real companies (like P&G) are seeking real solutions to real problems with real people (like you and me).
Exciting, isn’t it? It will be fun to see where open innovation sources take us in the future. And it will be interesting to see which companies take advantage of the global community to invent their next big “thing” and which companies fall by the wayside.
In the meantime, pick up a copy of Wikinomics and learn how knowledge and consumer choices are expanding at an exponential pace!
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originally posted 11 Feb 2010
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