Selfsourcing

Electrolux Redesigns Itself

If crowdsourcing involves going to the outside to gain a diverse and fresh perspective then Elextrolux "selfsourced" by looking within its own management team to clean house. They hired McKinsey & Co. to develop a questionnaire, which was sent to 500 managers. Four problems emerged: Managers didn't know enough about their customers, so they couldn't figure out what to develop; products were well-engineered but weren't filling consumer needs; R&D wasn't in sync with commercial product launches; and executives were afraid to take risks (sound familiar)?

This is a refreshing tale of a company looking inside itself to fix problems. The use of a survey instrument to gather data mirrors a Microengagement technique. Surveying a large & diverse group of experts who have a vested interest in the accuracy & completeness of the exercise (improve the company). This is a sure fire way to put the "Wisdom of Crowds" to good use.

From Business Week, November 27, 2006: Electrolux Redesigns Itself