Could “Sharism” aid UK businesses?
The World Economic Summit in Davos saw the coining of a new phrase recently – the concept of “Sharism” whereby businesses share concepts and ideas.
This idea from Isaac Mao, co-founder and director of the Social Brain Foundation, is based on the idea that sharing more increases the development of ideas.
With social media and the internet gaining in stature for many businesses, sharing is easier than ever before and user-generated content is far more widespread.
For advertising and marketing companies the advantages of such concepts are clear, but ‘Sharism’ could potentially benefit all companies that embrace it.
All that is required is a bypassing of the common business ideals where ideas are kept secret, towards a more open society where the dangers of competition are forgotten.
Openness and innovation could potentially go hand in hand, so successful business methods could be shared and copied, while more companies could learn from the mistakes of others.
A brave new world of business
During the recession, a sharp increase in the number of companies requiring corporate recovery specialists increased, and the number of businesses entering administration also rose.
Therefore, ensuring that others do not make the same mistakes could potentially create a stronger business platform, and consequently a stronger economy.
Mao’s concepts are the complete opposite of how work has occurred in the past, but the trend he describes could potentially be a great opportunity.
Sharing blog content and tweets could reach thousands of potential customers, as well as possible competitors, so the concept can already been seen in operation.
Competition in business drives innovation, but sharing could potentially have the same impact, as others can search for solutions far in advance than was previously possible.
Customer engagement is a vital aspect of business success as companies constantly look for smarter ways to work.
It also helps to drive sales primarily, while customers are also the ones in the best positions to provide extensive feedback on products and ideas.
This helps to paint a picture of how a product is being perceived, from the aspects that work, right down to the parts that don’t.
Sharing concepts might take quite a while to be adopted into many businesses, but it would appear to have the potential to do a great deal of good in the long term.
By Phil Smith