Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of ....

I read a book recently by Jeff Howe called Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of .... Howe coined the term 'crowdsourcing' in June 2006 in a Wired article to describe the process by which the power of the many can be leveraged to accomplish feats that were once the territory of a specialized few. He adds that the crowd is more than wise—it’s talented, creative, and stunningly productive. The concept of collective intelligence has been around for a while, but with the advent of Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies it is even easier to reach and engage with large and geographically diverse audiences (inside and outside a company). The following sites (eg, eg, eg) often feature when commentators talk about crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing isn’t just about getting feedback from a group; it involves relinquishing power and getting the community involved in design.

This book got me thinking about the potential evolution of HR and recruitment. Howe dedicated a chapter to thinking about a ‘company as a community’. This is a major mind shift. Most HR and recruitment strategizing and design takes place in isolation, within the HR function, and sometimes in consultation with others (eg senior management, marketing, IT, external specialists, vendors, customers). Instead, why not crowdsource it? Invite the wider community of employees, managers, jobseekers, and third-party recruitment agencies to help develop the company’s employee value propositions (EVPs), employer brand, recruitment charter, etc. Use wikis, micro-blogs, blogs, social networking sites, polls, etc to reach out and engage with the community in real time. The community will more likely buy into a shared, collectively-created vision. They will not only interact with the company’s brand, they will feel a sense of ownership, even if they don’t work there (yet).

Within the last couple of weeks, another recruitment application for crowdsourcing jumped from way out of left-field - thanksJoshua Kahn for alerting me to this. Best Buy crowdsourced the design of a job description. Check out the details here. I love how this has evolved, and enjoyed following the discussion around the ideal person specification. You have to admit this is all very counter-intuitive.

What are your thoughts on crowdsourcing in HR / recruitment? Will it affect the HR / recruitment profession? Should HR professionals become Community Managers DJs? What other applications are there for crowdsourcing? (eg, could we get the community to shortlist candidates rather than a recruitment panel or agency?