A "Created by you / Made in world" kind of world

Hello. I'm Akihiro Shimura from the Consulting Department, Marketing Design Bureau, Dentsu Kansai Branch. In Parts1 through 4, we mainly discussed innovation management within companies. This time, I'll talk about several types of "innovation through networks, including external partners."

Generally, when we talk about "innovation projects involving external partners," idea contests open to the public are overwhelmingly the most common, followed by collaborations with non-profit organizations like universities. Some companies invite other firms into their emergent environments to refine ideas, including untapped intellectual property, but this approach isn't particularly common even in Europe and the US. Considering why this trend emerges reveals an important point.

A tendency toward "incorporating" rather than "contributing"

In "open innovation involving external parties," the essential requirement is the co-creation mindset of the innovation management implementers. Government agencies serving residents and companies outside of symbiotic categories with fixed market shares often collect ideas externally but hesitate to engage in co-creation due to fears of conflicting interests. Consequently, reporting on outcomes frequently occurs during phases like PR, CSR, or product delivery, resulting in a "disconnect between input and output." This often results in insufficient rewards for external participants, stifling the emergence of collaborative idea generation. The process then becomes little different from a one-way survey merely collecting ideas from outside.

The Discrepancy Between Input and Output

The solution to this is "permission control." Innovation management tools enable the control of rights and information sharing by issuing IDs/passwords. This allows the on/off control of functions and visibility—such as idea submission, viewing, and evaluation—based on the attributes of various participants, whether internal or external, or with differing interests or positions. Consequently, input and output can be conducted in the same space.

Increasing the Number of Ideas Requiring No Screening

Initiatives for "open innovation including external parties" often take the form of social Q&A platforms where participants solve problems and share concerns together. Social Q&A platforms allow priority and trends to be identified based on content. This approach resembles CRM concepts, analyzing opinions and complaints received through inquiry channels, making it a familiar concept.

Social Q&A platforms increasingly feature emergent themes focused on permeating social visions among citizens and addressing topics with significant social impact—such as disaster prevention, the environment, and education. These themes tend to fall into highly social categories where superiority is not the primary concern.

　For themes with high universality and strong social relevance, the concept of deadlines becomes less essential. This makes offline sessions and seminars (including hackathons*1 and ideathons*2) effective, as they facilitate real-time, systematic processing. Opinions and ideas generated here are consolidated into innovation management tools, serving as a post-event networking space for offline participants and contributing to information dissemination by some attendees. This approach moves closer to teaming and collaboration focused on connection rather than screening.

In the IT industry, "someone creates, and the world implements" is the norm

In the IT industry, not only offline events like hackathons and ideathons, but also broad "network collaboration" is thriving. Specifically, this includes sharing source code and jointly developing services using collaboration tools. Nowadays, even code itself is easily shared via SNS. In this case, users ideate on platforms provided "free of charge," leading to less clear ownership and a greater emphasis on the concept of teams within a group.

Furthermore, source code sharing websites are accessible not only to developers but to anyone. They serve as observation points for recruiters from web service companies or zero-day vulnerability buyers from cybersecurity firms. With minimal intermediaries between developers and stakeholders, connections—including contracts and transactions—become almost entirely direct. Services are often announced online, drastically shortening the path from idea to realization.

For startup ventures focused on developing and commercializing value-added services around open platforms with specific partners, the idea creators and implementers are often the same people. However, going forward, "innovation projects involving external parties" will increasingly separate idea creators from implementers. At that point, rules clearly distinguishing "who created and who built" will likely become necessary from a business perspective. The importance of innovation management tools will also increase, serving to technically preserve evidence.

In "innovation projects involving external parties," the situation differs significantly from purely internal innovation, largely due to the nature of the implementing entity and the characteristics (social impact) of the defined theme. In extreme cases, it approaches a world where "someone creates and someone else implements." Since the seeds of ideas can easily drift away into the vast ocean, when conducting innovation involving external parties for profit, it is crucial to establish the fundamental principles of identifying the idea originator and implementing permission control (though this may sound obvious).

In future installments, I plan to introduce the realities of innovation management through interviews with executives from companies engaged in cutting-edge innovation both domestically and internationally. Stay tuned.

(Continued in Part 6 and beyond)

※1 Hackathon:
An event where developers interested in the same theme gather to intensively code through discussion and collaboration. A portmanteau combining "hack" and "marathon."

※2 Ideathon:
An event format where groups brainstorm ideas on a specific theme and consolidate them. A portmanteau of "Idea" and "Marathon."

※3 Zero-day vulnerability:
A system flaw or vulnerability that, once discovered and disclosed, leaves the system susceptible to a "zero-day attack"—where malware exploiting the vulnerability is developed and used to attack before a patch is released.