Distributed Co-Creation et al

The growth of social networks and the concomitant growth in online collaboration has led to the coining of a phrase that captures the business technique that has evolved. It's called distributed co-creation and it represents the approach of gathering a group of users on the web together to collectively solve business issues.

McKinsey defines and places it thus “…[T]he ability to organize communities of Web participants to develop, market, and support products and services has moved from the margins of business practice to the mainstream,”

Those who are gathered may be customers, suppliers, technical experts or any group with the capacity to bring some critical expertise or knowledge or experience to bear on solving problems.

Online collaboration is no longer new, but this term is, as is the focus on the legitimacy of including in business processes, particularly those involving creative functions, such collaborative activities.

McKinsey has released a list of 10 IT trends most affecting business, and distributed co-creation is top of the list. Other collaborative activities are also on the list. All of which points to the new world of widespread collaboration on the web for business purposes.