A Learning Experience on Open Innovation and Social Media

Interaction and involvement are key elements for open innovation as well as social media. Companies need to build strong capabilities on this intersection if they want to out-innovate their competitors.

This fall, 15inno launches a network to make this happen.

You can read a short overview below and you can forward an e-mail to stefanlindegaard (@) me.com if you would like to discuss how your company can join the network.

What is the purpose?

The network is a learning experience that helps companies develop insights and capabilities on how to use social media in innovation efforts.

What are the benefits?

• Your company can join 3 half-day sessions in the U.S. during the next 9 months. A company can participate with up to 4 people at each session. The content is co-created between the participants and Stefan Lindegaard.

• Your company gets the opportunity to work with Lindegaard on blog posts featuring your company for 15inno.com.

• Your company will be featured in Lindegaard’s new book on this topic. The book is due spring 2012.

• Your company will be invited to feature Twitter chats held by Lindegaard. These chats are open to the public.

• You and your colleagues can join an exclusive LinkedIn group where you can discuss issues with Lindegaard and the other members.

In short, participating companies not only get an opportunity to learn and to be inspired on how to use social media in innovation efforts. They also get new channels to promote and brand their corporate innovation efforts.

What are the issues?

The network goes beyond the hype that follows open innovation and social media as we take a practical approach that will prepare the participants to take action once they are back at their companies.

In the network, participants will get insights and inspiration on how to:

• Develop a better understanding of social media tools and how they can be used

• Build an understanding of internal strengths and weaknesses related to achieving your vision for the open innovation and social media intersection

• Identify internal and external members and form a team that can help your company extract value out of social media tools

• Develop a training program focusing on 1) internal trainers 2) employees and 3) external stakeholders

• Develop a destination site in which your company shares great content, facilitate interactions within the ecosystem and provide innovation opportunities related to your company

• Develop a process for creating relevant content (for your company as well as the community) and develop a strategy on how to share this content

• Develop a strong story line for upcoming communication efforts (communication will be a key element internally as well as externally)

• Identify key influencers within the innovation community and within the innovation ecosystems and develop a strategy on how to “influence” them

• Educate senior executives on open innovation in general and the intersection of social media tools and open innovation in particular (goal = one or more senior executives contribute to the efforts)

The network will also look into issues that are relevant for the participants. It is a co-creation process that will continue to evolve as the participants get to know each other.

What are the costs?

A corporate membership costs USD 8,000 per year (until July 2012).

How to join the network?

The network is intended for corporations with dedicated innovation units and for service providers that can bring real value to the corporate participants.

Please forward an e-mail to stefanlindegaard (@) me.com if you would like to discuss how your company can benefit from and contribute to the network.