Hopefully you have heard of crowd-sourcing, but if you have not, it is a simple concept. Think of crowd and outsourcing together. Dictionaries define it as getting information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, paid or unpaid, typically over the internet.
Or there are our friends at Wikipedia, who crowd-sourced the encyclopedia (rhyme not intended), and who describe one benefit like this:
Some forms of crowdsourcing, such as in “idea competitions” or “innovation contests” provide ways for organizations to learn beyond the “base of minds” provided by their employees.
The term has been around since 2006, when it was coined by editors of Wired magazine. It has been adopted and mainstreamed by private industry, so why not make it mainstream for public-sector operations too?
If experts wish to help and receive nothing more than recognition for their work, why not give it to them?
Recognition is the reward
I started our first capture-the-flag competition, and the grand prize was a challenge coin, plus the bragging rights that came with it. That is it. There was no monetary reward, but the value exchanged was labour for:
- self-satisfaction
- fulfilment
- recognition among your community
- a chance to make a difference
These are all the qualities employers are seeking in their idea of a model employee, qualities they try to create artificially to attract workers. Along with salary and benefits, today’s workforce wants more than a good salary. People want to feel they work for something bigger than themselves: something almost cause-driven, something that matters.
What could be better than solving a mystery, solving a crime, righting a wrong, or bringing answers where there are only questions?