IBM runs two programs out of their CIO Lab that encourage employees to share ideas and create prototypes, and helps them get their innovative projects in the hands of the crowd to uncover powerful new technology. I Fund IT is an in-house crowdfunding platform, and the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) helps employees create and try experimental software. Can your organization replace management decisions with crowd decisions?

1. © 2011 IBM
Corporation
How IBM enables its workforce to innovate
Mary Keough, IBM CHQ, Innovation Communities Manager
Ryan Hutton, IBM CHQ, Technology Adoption Program Manager

2. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Innovation Management Today
2
Death by management selection
Death by natural selection
Creation by innovators
Conventional
Model
ManagedAnarchy
Model
NUMBER OF GREAT IDEAS OVER TIME
IDEA EVALUATION PILOT
PROJECT
PRODUCTION

3. © 2013 IBM Corporation3
The Innovation Lifecycle
Brainstorm
share ideas
Incubate
and
collaborate
Validate and
iterate
Identify the
challenge
Implement,
go to
market
INSIDEOUTSIDE
Partners
Clients
Internal
Stakeholders
IBM Lines of
Business
GTO, GIO, IBV
reports
FOAK

4. © 2013 IBM Corporation
CIO I Fund IT
All the activity happens on this intranet site – proposing ideas, commenting,
volunteering, and funding!

5. © 2013 IBM Corporation
The place where employee innovators find a community, refine their projects with early adopters
and prove the business value to decision makers.
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“Decision makers”
Develop & nurture relationships
to ease transition of innovation
from TAP to decision outcome
“Early Adopter Community”
Informed by the TAP program they
adopt technology offerings and
contribute feedback that helps shape
innovations
“Innovators”
Submit their innovations to TAP to
gather feedback that helps iterate
to shape innovations
Drives a culture of
innovation
Self-service
Accelerates adoption
of new technology
It’s fun!
What is TAP?

6. © 2013 IBM Corporation6
A single place to make new technology accessible, test it, measure adoption and
uncover disruptive innovation.
IBM
enables the route to market
PRODUCTS
OFFERINGS
The TAP Site

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promotion discovery feedback
+
+ +
hosting
TAP Provides
…free to all innovators
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8. © 2013 IBM Corporation

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Thank you.