Procter & Gamble Ask You To Connect + Develop

What’s the best way to innovate if you’re a big business today? Outside collaboration if you’re P&G… So you’re a big business, you know what you’re doing in your field but the time has come to freshen things up a bit and bring some new innovation to the fore – it seems the titan that is P&G have realised that getting a few pairs of fresh eyes (and minds) can really help push the envelope. In fact, more than 50 percent of product initiatives at Procter & Gamble ‘involve significant collaboration with outside innovators’. More than 50 percent is a large amount by anyone’s estimations and it proves that the idea of outsourcing creative ideas to…well, outside creatives, is a smart move for a big company. P&G explain their reasoning pretty well on the website for their ‘Connect + Develop’ platform – the place where creative folk can submit their innovative new ideas for the company and meet the specific needs that P&G has at the time… ‘Historically, P&G relied on internal capabilities and those of a network of trusted suppliers to invent, develop and deliver new products and services to the market…Times have changed, and the world is more connected. In the areas in which we do business, there are millions of scientists, engineers and other companies globally. Why not collaborate with them? We now embrace open innovation, and we call our approach ‘Connect + Develop.’ Well I can’t really argue with that logic – we are a more connected world, so it makes absolute sense to make use of the best minds from every corner of the globe. Plus, what is the point of employing a few creatives full time when you can pick the best people for the particular job you have at that time? Without generalising, creative people tend to prefer flexibility and a situation that affords them the least chance of getting bored. In that sense, P&G’s Connect + Develop initiative is a real winner. So if you’re a creative type, have a look at Connect + Develop and see what you think – and if you’re a business owner looking for a bit of inspiration, maybe a similar model is the way forward for your company…