Crowdsourcing the key to plugging skills gaps

If you’re not yet crowdsourcing, you’re missing out on “utilising the brightest minds across the globe”, according to a new report.

If you’re not yet crowdsourcing to bring specialised skills into your organisation, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to grow ideas and solve problems outside of organisational boundaries, according to a new report.
 
The Deloitte Australia’s Tech Trends 2014 report, Inspiring Disruption, found that businesses are increasingly turning to crowdsourcing to expand “in a cost effective way, by utilising the brightest minds across the globe”, said Deloitte Digital partner, Steven Hallam.
 
“Companies can use the collective knowledge of the masses to help with a range of tasks, from data entry to advanced analytics and product development,” Hallam said.
 
“But the value of crowdsourcing is not just about making cost savings; [it’s] also about providing quick access to specialised and often scarce resources, and the ability to work around fluctuating workloads and working across geographic markets.”
 
Crowdsourcing marketplaces such as Freelancer, an Australian-based start-up that has become one of the world’s largest outsourcing portals, are ideal when organisations require specialist or abstract expertise on a project basis, he added.
 
“The immediate benefits of crowdsourcing are the availability of a waiting and willing crowd that can generate answers and often execute tasks faster and more effectively than employees,” Hallam added.
 
“Organisations can also gain access to niche experience, which may otherwise be hard to find and retain in-house.”
 
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