A new approach to collaborative innovation

A holistic vision of innovation

Innovation is not simply a series of innovative ideas or products, but a process encompassing the entire organization: culture, people, systems and practices. It requires a systemic approach, adapted to the specific needs of each organization.

Indeed, innovation is not an isolated activity. It's not limited to R&D departments. It occurs at all levels and in all functions of the organization. An approach that recognizes and values this diversity of innovation sources is therefore essential.

The limitation of specialized solutions

Specialized solutions often focus on a single aspect of innovation, be it idea management, project management or partner selection. This focus makes it possible to offer advanced functionalities for a specific domain, but it also limits the global approach innovation.

One of the main reasons for this limitation is that each large group of additional functionalities, outside the core proposition, requires significant resources in terms of development, testing and maintenance. As a result, suppliers of specialized solutions often prefer to deepen their initial functionalities, which are less costly to develop, even if this means leaving other aspects of the innovation without appropriate coverage.

The harmful effects of this specialization

Excessive specialization has several negative consequences for customers. Firstly, it forces customers to install more and more tools within the organization; and confusion and frustration for users who have to learn how to use and switch from one tool to another.

Secondly, the integration of these specialized tools can be complex, costly and fragile. Attempts to link these tools via APIs don't result in a seamless experience, limiting full use of functionality.

In addition, the cost of each tool seems affordable individually, but the sum of all these costs, including installation, maintenance and training, turns out to be significant.

Finally, with scattered data between several tools, obtaining a global and coherent vision of innovation becomes a real challenge, with less effective decision-making.

MARYLINK's integrated approach

MARYLINK rethinks collaborative innovation by offering an integrated platform that adapts to the specific needs of each organization. Rather than over-specializing in a specific area of collaborative innovation, MARYLINK focuses on the essentials of each available tool, while offering a wide range of tools.

We are convinced that collaborative innovation cannot be reduced to a single functionality, but is the result of a dynamic set of interconnected processes.

MARYLINK's integrated approach consists of a single, "straight to the point" platform with a wide range of natively interoperable functionalities. The functionalities of the MARYLINK platform are not isolated silos, but components that interact, reinforce and complement each other.

However, this "straight to the point" solution does not omit any of the functions that will be essential in 2023. That's because..,

• How can we envisage rigid collaborative innovation without personalizing profiles and processes?
• How can we do without the integration of GPT, a catalyst for creativity and productivity, a promoter of commitment and a lever for reducing barriers to participation?
• How can we overlook blockchain's insurance for intellectual property protection?
• How can we ignore the value of the now classic collaborative tools, such as question and answer modules, videoconferencing or the instant messaging ?
• And how can we underestimate the importance of skilful resource and task management for the success of an innovative project?

The synergy between the MARYLINK

Over and above the functions themselves, one of MARYLINK's strengths lies in the synergy created by theinteraction of its various modules. Far from being a simple sum of faculties, MARYLINK functions as a whole, with each added function enriching and strengthening the system as a whole.

For example, the Smart Spaces and the Collaborative Groups interact to provide more efficient, personalized management of activities. For a hackathon, for example, a Smart Space can be created for the event and associated with specific collaborative groups for each participating team. Each team can work privately on its ideas, while sharing updates with the whole organization.

Similarly, interactions between the Page Builder and Publications, Events or Blogs enable content to be presented in a dynamic and visually appealing way. For example, a page can be created to present a series of articles, events, or publications on a specific topic, organized in an intuitive way. This interaction reinforces the impact of each publication and enhances the user experience.

The integration of videoconferencing (audio and video calls) within Collaborative Groups also enhances collaboration. Project teams can hold online meetings directly in their workgroup, centralizing all project communications and resources.

Conclusion: A new approach to innovation management

Innovation management needs to be reinvented. Specialized solutions, despite their undeniable strengths in their specific field, have revealed their limits when it comes to a global, systemic approach to innovation. The consequences of this excessive specialization are a multiplication of tools, increased complexity, a total cost that is often underestimated, and a dispersion of data that is detrimental to decision-making. And, it has to be said, an immense opportunity cost on the addition of new technologies such as Blockchain and artificial intelligence (GPT). Simply put, these traditional proprietary software development models are not conducive to the adoption of new technologies.

MARYLINK offers a disruptive alternative: an integrated approach to innovation management. This unique platform, with its natively interoperable functionalities, meets the specific needs of each organization, enabling it to take full advantage of new technological opportunities, while preserving a holistic vision of innovation.