The Crowd’s Reach: Unlocking the Power of Open Innovation with Steve Rader

About this episode

<p>Today, we sit down with Steve Rader, who leads NASA’s efforts to leverage crowd-based platforms for open innovation and bring value to NASA’s programs, as well as innovation efforts in the U.S. government.</p> <p> </p> <p>Steve is also the Founder and CEO of Crowd Resources Consulting, where he speaks and consults on innovation, crowdsourcing, and the future of work.</p> <p> </p> <p>Listen in as Steve explains how open innovation at NASA around mitigating human risks in space “came out of necessity” a little over a decade ago due to budget cuts. He speaks in particular about the often underestimated value of tapping into the power of a crowd rather than relying only on deep expertise.</p> <p> </p> <p>Emphasizing that open innovation is “totally voluntary,” Steve shares how to best incentivize a diverse range of enthusiasts to offer their best ideas and solutions to your organization's problems when crowdsourcing challenges.</p> <p> </p> <p>Finally, Steve discusses how future technology can leverage the power of bringing together teams of people to solve virtually any problem.</p> <p> </p> <p>Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: </p> <ul><li>[02:25] The history of open innovation at NASA</li> <li>[06:09] The value of tapping into the power of the crowd</li> <li>[08:05] What motivates people to volunteer their time-solving problems for NASA</li> <li>[15:31] The future algorithm that can assemble teams to solve any problem</li> <li>[19:44] A highlight of the most eye-opening challenges NASA has put out so far</li> <li>[23:22] What astronauts will eat on the moon</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Key Quotes by Steve:</p> <ul><li>A crowd gets you that kind of diversity you can’t get with just deep expertise.</li> <li>The crowd was just effective when you’re trying to find the right skills, technologies, and the latest and greatest ways of doing things.</li> <li>Open innovation is voluntary.</li> <li>Innovation challenges are a few places in your life where you can fail without consequences.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Get in touch with Steve Rader at <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rader-92b7754/'>https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rader-92b7754/</a></p>