Crowdsourcing as an alternative instrument for greater flexibility in small and medium-sized enterprises

What benefits can SMEs derive from crowdsourcing? Representatives from the University of Kassel and the employers' association HESSENMETALL Nordhessen met in Kassel to explore new opportunities for value creation.

The provider market for crowd-based solutions is growing continuously. In contrast to outsourcing, which is practiced by companies for a variety of reasons and is usually awarded to external parties in a targeted manner, crowdsourcing is aimed at an indefinite number of potential service providers. Crowsourcing platforms are used for orientation and to find suitable contractors. For companies, crowdsourcing can lead to greater flexibility. The time-saving aspect and the option of different approaches to solving commissioned problems can also be reasons for crowdsourcing. There are many possible applications.

In cooperation with the departments of Quality and Process Management and Business Informatics at the University of Kassel, the employers' association HESSENMETALL Nordhessen is offering its members the opportunity to try out this new way of creating value as part of the project "Development of comprehensive quality management for the use of crowd-based mechanisms in SMEs" under scientific supervision. Interested companies are welcome to contact the department at the e-mail address quality.office[at]uni-kassel[dot]de.