Lorinda R. Rowledge – författare

Open innovation enabled through crowdsourcing is one of the hottest topics in management strategy today. Particularly striking – and of vital importance to the world – are the pioneering efforts to apply crowdsourcing technology and open innovation to solve social, environmental, and economic sustainability challenges. CrowdRising sets out these challenges as context and then highlights the experiences of leaders and early adopters, identifies implementation guidelines, critical success factors and lessons learned, and finally projects where the field is going in the future. With a strong focus on the applications of crowdsourcing for innovation, engagement, and market intelligence, the book profiles the initiatives of companies, NGOs, and technology providers using crowdsourcing to develop these solutions to global problems. It addresses the key challenges impacting organizations: 1) identifying more sustainable ways to design, distribute, transport, recycle, and repurpose products; and 2) discovering and implementing the systems needed to transform global economic growth, drive human prosperity, and replenish the planet’s resources.

Open innovation enabled through crowdsourcing is one of the hottest topics in management strategy today. Particularly striking – and of vital importance to the world – are the pioneering efforts to apply crowdsourcing technology and open innovation to solve social, environmental, and economic sustainability challenges. CrowdRising sets out these challenges as context and then highlights the experiences of leaders and early adopters, identifies implementation guidelines, critical success factors and lessons learned, and finally projects where the field is going in the future. With a strong focus on the applications of crowdsourcing for innovation, engagement, and market intelligence, the book profiles the initiatives of companies, NGOs, and technology providers using crowdsourcing to develop these solutions to global problems. It addresses the key challenges impacting organizations: 1) identifying more sustainable ways to design, distribute, transport, recycle, and repurpose products; and 2) discovering and implementing the systems needed to transform global economic growth, drive human prosperity, and replenish the planet’s resources.

This illuminating new book presents a series of in-depth case studies from around the world based on numerous personal interviews with organizational leaders and focusing on their journey towards sustainability. The aim is to provide visions of a more sustainable future, and shed light on the path, milestones and solutions – in particular the management processes these organizations employed – to provide a reliable compass that others can follow. Although each organization must take steps to fit its particular circumstance, business conditions and culture, Mapping the Journey proves that valuable lessons can be learned by setting aside critique as to where these organizations may yet make progress and instead focusing on the guidelines, targets, measures of success, tools and techniques and valuable wisdom about how pioneer organisations are travelling toward a prosperous, sustainable future. Each organization included has crafted its own unique strategic responses to an identified need for increased sustainability. While none can be said to have reached the end-point of a sustainable development strategy, all have found that, by addressing the challenge of sustainable industrial practices, they have found innovative solutions, new opportunities for revenue generation, better relationships with customers, new business and product opportunities and a boost to morale from the executive ranks to front-line employees. Mapping the Journey examines both public and private organizations worldwide: SJ Rail of Sweden; Sony Corporation; SC Johnson; TransAlta Corporation; Patagonia; Henkel; Volvo; ASG; Interface Flooring Systems; Suncor; DaimlerChrysler; AssiDoman; Germany's Centre for Technology Assessment and the Dutch National Environmental Policy Plan. These case studies provide an inspiring framework of effective processes for defining a sustainable development strategy and transforming it successfully into actions and results.