Innovation is not new to Russian companies and the local business community. There is however something new in how this word is being applied. A growing number of Russian based organizations have realized that innovation can be created as a result of voluntary collaboration of their employees. Based on long-time socialistic traditions, Russians are fine when working together and the word “collaboration” is not new at all. What is different is the idea that collaboration can be voluntary.
Russia stepped into the world of global business competition not so long ago. Accordingly, business leaders are seeking new approaches to their businesses’ development. This applies not only to intensifying business processes and increasing the effectiveness of each business unit, but also to how management and employees think of themselves and of the goals their companies are aiming for.

People understand that in a fast-changing world where information spreads instantly, competition becomes stronger. Brainstorming business solutions and submitting ideas on how to solve a real-life problem can be both inspiring and yield results at the same time. Moreover, it can also be fun to employees. Additionally, the way people collaborate and enhance the business processes can let the company stand out among their peers and competitors. Bringing together the knowledge and experience of many people provides competitive advantage and lets a company move ahead. In brief, differentiation makes a difference for the company itself and for the country – Russia – it operates in.

Being a bit more specific on how collaboration is being performed online, I’d like to share the vision of a large auto-manufacturing company’s managing director who states that, “Today’s level of digital penetration into people’s everyday life makes for many of them “being online” almost as essential as breathing oxygen.” His employees, especially the ones from Generation Y, are:

• used to playing with their gadgets and enjoying games (satisfying the “need for gamification” of any process)
• driven not only by money but also by sense of purpose and mastery (satisfying the need for “doing good” and “doing it well”)

By being active online, sharing knowledge, and creating value based on their experiences people achieve results for themselves and simultaneously build value for the organization they are working for (this applies in many different areas, from cost-cutting to building new products and services). Simply put, this is a “win-win” situation.

By Leonid Feoktistov
Managing Director of Invector, a Value Added Reseller of Exago for the Russian Market