Day 3 of CSW Global 2018 Shows How Organizations Can Better Serve the Individual

Individual and organization needs, particularly within government, can seem at odds, though Day 3 of our CSW Global 2018 conference on October 26 emphasized the importance of them evolving together. At its best, the organization fully represents the individual, and the individual fully trusts the organization. The full day tackled how this would be possible […]

Written by Damon Brown

Oct 29, 2018

Individual and organization needs, particularly within government, can seem at odds, though Day 3 of our CSW Global 2018 conference on October 26 emphasized the importance of them evolving together. At its best, the organization fully represents the individual, and the individual fully trusts the organization. The full day tackled how this would be possible from many different angles.

Horizon State founder Oren Alazraki drove the discussion home in his dual keynotes: Accountable Leadership in a Decentralized World yesterday and Applying Agile Governance in a Decentralized World today. For Alazraki, it’s not just a matter of being anonymous, with the safety that it allows the public to be honest, but it also needs to be verified. In other words, representation is only effective when the system protects both the user and the data. As he put it, “Decentralized platforms can stabilize digital cultures”

Both POPin founder Hayes Drumwright and HeroX co-founder Christian Cotichini pushed this point in their back-to-back sessions on crowdsourcing. “Sharing authorship is a must if you want adoption of your idea,” Drumwright said talking about his feedback-driven startup, while Cotichini emphasised that we have shifted from the Mad Men model of private board-room decisions to going to market for feedback with the core team.

Derek Fetzer experienced this from the inside before founding Caring Crowd. He focused on creating medical support worldwide until a 2013 trip to Peru showed him how much locals improvised their own best methods to support communities. Caring Crowd shifts the power to the individuals who, through J & J employees, can contribute to causes that touch them the most. Johnson & Johnson will then match the funds which, in total, now are more than $1.5 million. “Crowdsourcing allows employees to pursue their own passion,” Fetzer says. “We want to disaggregate the decision making.”

Naveen Jain (left), author of Moonshots

Serial entrepreneur Naveen Jain had the audience sharp, focused and laughing at the stories behind his new book, Moonshots. The biggest insight was on how to begin, particularly not pursuing money specifically. “If you [start a business to make money], then it’s not going to happen. You have to focus on the process to make it happen”, adding later that “profit makes things scalable and enables us to move the needle.” 

Jain also found that value is based on perceived scarcity and need, which means even the toughest competitor can be challenged when a startup moves that cultural needle.

The final panel discussion of Day 3 heard a powerful group of innovators in the space travel and exploration frontier talk about the about the positive roles of crowdsourcing.

Day 3 of CSW Global 2018 Shows How Organizations Can Better Serve the Individual

Dr Tiffany Gray (left) with Damon Brown

The day ended strongly with my discussion on blockchain with Axes and Eggs’ Dr. Tiffany Gray and the crowdfunding monetization talk from Crowdholding founder Ethan Clime. As a medical professional, Gray sees blockchain as an opportunity to bring equal treatment to those in need and also to represent many who are ignored or underserved by public systems. The main challenge will be making sure people aren’t left behind in the digital gap because of access or education.

Crowdholding founder and CEO Ethan Clime sees blockchain, and specifically crypto, as a way to reward those who support certain businesses or movements – comparing them to stock dividends first campaigned by Henry Ford. As far as the recently high number of ICOs being called fraudulent, he says that is actually a good thing in the long run. “The rise of ICO scams shows that the transparency is working!” Blockchain forces companies to keep their books open, giving the public more insight than most businesses on the stock market.

At around two dozen talks, the final conference day of CSW Global 2018 gave significant arguments to the crowd. As I shared in opening the afternoon sessions, crowdsourcing gives us the rare opportunity to remove bias, get honest feedback and truly create a marketplace of ideas. We can make sure every individual has representation – the theme that vibrated throughout the entire conference.

We unreservedly thank all speakers and panelists who took part in CSW Global 2018, and all the CSW Team and venue organizers who put in an amazing effort. If you were with us in Washington D.C. or following the conference on social media at #CSWGlobal18 we’d really like you to share your own thoughts and comments on the conference with the Crowsourcing Week community.

About Author

About Author

Damon Brown

Damon Brown helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional entrepreneurs bloom. He co-founded the popular platonic connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year, all while being the primary caretaker of his infant first son. He now guides others through his consulting/coaching, daily Inc.com column (www.incdamonbrown.com), and public speaking on platforms including TED. Damon's most recent book is The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur, the latest in his best-selling Bite-Sized Entrepreneur series. Get Damon's free coaching at JoinDamon.me.

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