Online communities for employees, the tool to promote internal innovation.

Innovating is one of the main challenges that many companies face, regardless of their size or sector. However, having a dedicated innovation department is often economically unfeasible due to its limited short-term profitability, lack of human or financial resources, etc. In cases where such a department exists, it is likely to be constantly searching for new ways to carry out the process of transformation and open innovation for which it is responsible.

In the pursuit and promotion of innovation, companies can choose to seek partners, such as startups or other external companies, to assist them in this transformation process. These collaborators should be trained in the company’s values, corporate culture, cover the costs, etc. But what if, instead of looking for solutions outside the company, the talent and potential within the organization itself are leveraged?

Online Communities as a Tool for Innovation

In today’s business landscape, organizations that have the most interconnected people and departments, in other words, all their networked professionals, will have better ideas and be more innovative than those that are not. Internal and corporate social networks are here to stay and are undoubtedly the innovation tool of 21st-century companies.

One tool that has the ability to achieve this connection and drive innovation is the Online Community from a corporate or brand perspective, as is the case with our WAT Lab Online Communities tool. In other words, these are created within the company itself and are made up of its employees. In other words, it is a kind of corporate social network that promotes all employees as creators of change, drivers of innovation, with the ability to have an impact within the company and be responsible for generating ideas.

From a practical standpoint, this innovation management tool allows you to create activities, tasks, challenges, debates, etc., on issues that concern the organization, such as the launch of new products, services, or features, or collaborate to find solutions to challenges or crises.

Advantages of Online Communities for Employees

Among other benefits, some of the advantages of implementing a brand community among employees include:

• Generating ideas for new products or services related to the brand in co-creation processes, open innovation, etc.
• Evaluating these ideas or products by different departments of the company. Each department will provide its market insights, product knowledge, technical expertise, etc.
• Promoting disruptive thinking to find solutions.
• Sharing information and knowledge applicable to other projects within the company.
• Identifying internal talent and promoting employees, as well as increasing competitiveness and collaboration.
• Increasing commitment and engagement with the brand, as well as communication with other departments and top company executives who may not be accessible due to geographical limitations, hierarchy, etc.
• Streamlining decision-making
• Customizing with your brand image.

The members and experts in these communities will be specialists in cultural changes and innovation. They can make traditional organizations change their values and start using this resource that highlights the human intangible asset.

In summary, this is an opportunity to democratize innovation, embrace the best ideas and internal collective intelligence, and involve employees in the transformation process that helps the company progress.

Are you looking to establish internal innovation processes in your organization? Do you want to give your staff the opportunity to be more proactive and get involved in transforming your company? We have several tools that can help you, such as a satisfaction study or online communities. Contact us at info@wearetesters.com, and we will inform you about all their benefits.