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What happens to brilliant scientists and engineers when they retire, or are pushed into retirement by today's challenging economic conditions? Their knowledge, skills and wisdom walk out the door with them.
YourEncore.com has a better idea: Why not invite these very talented subject matter experts to become part of a worldwide network that companies can call upon to help solve some of their biggest innovation challenges?
Started six years ago, YourEncore.com now boasts a worldwide network of 6,000 scientists and researchers, 65 clients and some very successful engagements under its belt. I had a chance to talk with Gary Crays, YourEncore's vice president of client development, at the recent CoDev and Open Innovation conference, where this innovative service generated a lot of buzz. At least four speakers mentioned YourEncore in their speeches.
Crays shared one recent success: A consumer products company that markets diapers was trying to develop a new type of material for training pants for toddlers. They were stymied by the ability to accurately model the typical body shapes of little boys and girls. YourEncore tapped a former Boeing engineer in its network, an expert in 3-D modeling, who was able to help the consumer product firm to solve this challenge. The result is that it was able to bring an innovative new product to market almost a year ahead of time.
As I see it, YourEncore's success is being driven by two relatively recent factors:
First, the global economic downturn has caused most companies to cut costs, often by decimating their workforces. Now that an upturn is all but inevitable, these very same companies need to develop new products and services, but are hamstrung because they have jettisoned some of their brightest people.
Secondly, within the last year, open innovation has evolved from an interesting concept to a strategic imperative.
If your company is becoming open to searching for solutions from "outside the firewall," where should you look? YourEncore, with its rigorous approach to vetting its network partners, looks like a solid possibility. |
