It is the first time IBM has targeted the auto industry for a consulting Jam. Telematics and other in-car electronics are expected to form a big part of the 72-hour discussion.
“Jams” are moderated forums where a select audience can engage in an online discussion for a concentrated time period. IBM says the intensity of the online has surface, cultivate, and discuss new ideas, to collaborate on developing those ideas, and to drive new kinds of business innovation.
The Automotive Supplier Jam, a cooperative effort between OESA, IBM, and companies within the automotive industry, will be held for 72 consecutive hours from Wednesday.
Jams can help organisations achieve specific objectives like creating new methods for collaborating with partners or uncovering best industry practices. They enable participants to create operations from strategy and produce actionable ideas for general industry innovation.
The Automotive Supplier Jam will leverage tools and processes developed by IBM as part of its Jamming initiatives, including IBM Research's eClassifier – a real-time text analysis and data mining tool that can highlight emerging trends and distil actionable results. The tool lets tens of thousands of participants engage in the process.
Moderators play a critical role in driving the discussion and the Automotive Supplier Jam will include Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, General Motors worldwide purchasing vice-president Bo Andersson, and Toyota North America senior vice-president Gary Convis.
“The Automotive Supplier Jam will enable an innovative and democratic process where, without hierarchy, people across the industry can have the opportunity to come together to present and evaluate ideas,” said OESA president Neil De Koker.
“We expect this event to engage, empower and stimulate thousands of participants, with the ultimate goal of turning ideas into action on critical issues related to transforming the automotive industry.”
After the Jam concludes, IBM and OESA will analyze the discussion threads to identify specific, actionable ideas and strategies that individual companies can apply to their businesses.
Since 2001, IBM has used Jams to involve its more than 300,000 employees around the world in far-reaching exploration and problem-solving. During IBM's 2006 InnovationJam — the largest IBM online brainstorming session ever held — IBM brought together more than 150,000 people from 104 countries and 67 companies. As a result, 10 new IBM businesses were launched with seed investment totaling $100 million.
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