Mass participation in innovation ? The foundation of a modern organization and beyond

In this practice reflection paper I share hands-on experiences on innovation ecosystems. They have taught me that if we want innovation to be the core catalyst of value creation, we need an advanced set of tools, mechanisms and approaches to encourage horizontal cooperation and mass engagement in generation of innovative propositions that can turn into innovation. Even more, I stress that only mass innovation can ensure the appropriate culture and conditions for innovative breakthroughs. At the same time it is important that we do not merely transfer an effective model for mass innovation from one environment to another. Instead, we should first consider observing and learning about the evolution phase, the level of absorptiveness, the existing innovation experiences, and the structural and human capital present in an environment. Based on those observations we should create the model, which should be authentic, unique and adjusted to the local environment and local idiosyncrasies. Only with such adjustments one can hope to achieve optimal results. I will support my arguments with examples and experiences from the field.