Projects

applied methods:

• Netnography

  Netnography is an online research method originating in ethnography, which is applied to understanding social interaction in the contemporary digital communications context. It is defined as a specific set of research practices related to data collection, analysis, research ethics, and representation, rooted in participant observation. In netnography, a significant amount of the data originates in and manifests through the digital traces of naturally occurring public conversations recorded by contemporary communications networks. Netnography uses these conversations as data. It is an interpretive research method that adapts the traditional, in-person participant observation techniques of anthropology to the study of interactions and experiences manifesting through digital communications (Kozinets 1998). The term netnography is a portmanteau combining "Internet" or "network" with "ethnography". Netnography was originally developed in 1995 by marketing professor Robert Kozinets as a tool to analyse online fan discussions about the Star Trek franchise.

• Radical Openness

  How people connect and collaborate is transforming. By shunning old, secretive practices and embracing transparency, smart organisations share intellectual property within themselves and the community. Through this practice they gain speed and interaction productivity that reconnects them to the pace of change happening around them.

• Exponential Organisation

  SCALE model:
  
  S: staff on demand. Just like Uber doesn't actually employ its own workers, we're moving to a model where companies outsource most of their major work, giving them more flexibility to quickly adapt to market changes.
  
  C: community and crowd. Exponential organisations use collaborative means to build community and scale their work.
  
  A: algorithms. UPS is a good example of a company using an algorithm to maximise efficiency--in this case, finding the best routes for trucks.
  
  L: leased assets. Similar to having staff on demand, exponential companies have assets on demand and don't own much of what they use.
  
  E: engagement. To create connectedness between the organisation and the community, exponential organisations use things like digital feedback, incentives, and gamification.
  
   
  
  IDEAS process:
  
  I: interfaces. These organisations have very customised processes for how they interface with customers and other organisations. An example of this is Apple's strict rules on what reaches its app store.
  
  D: dashboards. To manage employees with a lightweight and high touch, exponential organisations use real-time management systems and dashboards to measure business metrics.
  
  E: experimentation. Exponential organisations operate like lean start-ups--constantly adapting, tweaking, and tuning their efforts to match external factors.
  
  A: autonomy. Many exponential organisations streamline with a decentralised authority structure, which means no reporting structure or job titles.
  
  S: social. Using collaborative technologies, these organisations manage real-time communication to keep all employees up to date.
• further information about our methods