The freelancing and remote working future of work has already arrived for a large number of the online white-collar workforce. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report published in October 2020, 84% of employers are set to rapidly digitalize working processes, including a significant expansion of remote work-with the potential to move 44% of their workforce to operate remotely. Even pre-Covid, the UK saw a 31% surge in the number of new freelancers in the year to June 2019 . What will this mean for remote working tools in an ecosystem supporting the growing needs of crowds of freelancers and remote workers?

Technology has hurt traditional retailing, there is no question about it. Online shopping has transformed consumer behaviour and a growing switch away from physical trips to stores has been accelerated by pandemic lockdowns and social distancing regulations. Yet technology is also providing a number of ways for retailers and product brand owners to use crowdsourcing to improve their offerings and thus the appeal of “going to the shops.” The same technology also enables people to help others with impediments who don’t find it as straightforward to do their shopping. This article looks at the ways crowdsourcing helps retail store owners, product brand owners, and retail consumers to create better retail experiences in physical stores.

When seeking open innovation solutions for vexing problems, many large organizations and companies think they have a binary either/or choice. The perceived choice is to go down a broad crowdsourcing route with a wide range of non-expert potential problem-solvers, or they can initiate a topic-specific technology scouting project directed towards a more tightly defined crowd within a specific sector. In reality, choosing one route over the other is not an organization’s only choice: there are many times when they can be successful together, or sequentially. At a high level — if you are doing tech scouting correctly — you may want to employ both a specialist curated crowd and a general crowd. We’re seeing an increasing trend recently of more organizations doing exactly that.

Some fundamental obstacles prevent most big companies adopting methods or business models that are more sustainable. C Corp company directors have their hands tied by a legal requirement to maximise shareholder value. Stock markets appear to believe shareholder value is entwined with relentless growth targets, and everyone chasing growth in a world of finite resources is not sustainable. Though since 2007, an alternative B Corporation structure allows businesses to also incorporate social and environmental impact factors alongside financial returns in their articles of association (articles of incorporation in North America). These articles set out a company’s constitution and the responsibilities of its directors. Both B and C…

More and more firms have begun practicing the consumer-centric approach to new product development (npd). As part of this approach, firms use sophisticated market research to identify unmet customer needs that could be converted into successful consumer products. Now, it’s time to make the next step and use crowdsourcing npd research to also ask consumers to help design the new products. My wife often complains that her hair dryer has been designed by a bunch of bald males. I see her point. True, the device does produce a stream of hot air (accompanied by a loud noise). But it is heavy, and its handle is way too thick for a small-size…

Crowdsourcing data enables better analysis of overall behaviour patterns for efficient resource management in increasingly challenging urban environments. The term ‘smart city’ refers to 360 degree connectivity in a built environment. It includes IoT technology-enhanced equipment both in the home and in the workplace connected to and communicating with each other, and also connected to product suppliers and utility providers, plus personal and commercial transport connected to the traffic infrastructure. However, smart city mobility and other technology is itself increasingly under threat from hacks, and cybersecurity systems have to be able to handle the fast growing number of entry points. Given this risk, a high level of citizen engagement is required to maintain overall positivity.

The past 12 months of pandemic lockdowns and disruption to business through a mass of people working from home has posed a myriad of financial issues across all industries. Apart from internal financial struggles, companies might also be finding it difficult to gather external financial data. This poses a huge problem for the financial field, as it is deeply involved in big data. Through predictive analyses, businesses can find solutions and create informative reports that are crucial in business planning. However, the disruption to regular work patterns has been a hindrance to data-gathering processes, primarily due to how it has upended the current economic climate. Luckily, there are means by which businesses can bridge the data gap and keep business rolling. One solution: crowdsourcing. Read on to learn how financial institutions can leverage crowdsourcing to improve operations.

Our ability to communicate with many minds on a mass scale has made it a lot easier to turn to large groups of people to provide us with solutions to challenging issues, to deliver innovative new ideas, or give their feedback on our own ones. Turning a question or a challenging task over to a wide talent pool gives companies access to amazing suggestions for new products or services, or for crowdsourcing new solutions to a challenging problem in many business sectors.

The emergence of digital labour platforms is one of the most prominent transformations in the world of work during the past decade. The influence of microtask work platforms on the future of work will only grow stronger whether people are looking for additional earnings to boost a main income, develop a source of income while juggling other responsibilities, or to compensate for the absence of longer-term employment opportunities. Here we take a look at some top platforms that have built strong followings and a good reputation.