It sounds a bit like consulting-ese, but collaborative problem solving has become the hot new thing. Especially for entrepreneurs and home-based business owners, this type of Internet-based teamwork can be an easy and relatively affordable way to connect with experts for help around problems or ideas.

Enter IdeaConnection.com (www.ideaconnection.com), one of the leaders in this market. Using proprietary technology, it offers two methods for engaging experts in your problem solving initiatives.

The first option is for you to present your problem and choose problem solvers from a database, based on what they have defined as their areas of expertise and credentials. Twenty percent of that amount goes to IdeaConnection for administering the program; 80% is divided equally among the problem solvers you have accepted to work on the problem, payable only if and when you accept a solution.

Once you have entered your problem and funds are received, you may search the database of experts. You can evaluate their profile(s) and see their ratings from past problem solving on IdeaConnection.com. You may invite one or several Problem Solvers to collaborate on your challenge.

The best part? With this option, you can observe the problem solving process and see the ongoing results as well as participate in the process if you choose.

Finally, you decide if and when a problem is solved. If the problem is not solved to your satisfaction, a refund of 85% of your fee will be returned to you.

Another – free – option includes using the company’s “ThinkSpace” technology on your own server, with your own in-house team. This allows you to choose individuals to work on a problem within your own business circle, offer guidance and watch as the process unfolds.

Whichever option you explore, here are some key things to consider before posting your problem:

• Make sure your problem is as clearly well defined as possible. This will help the facilitators and problem solvers (whether yours or the company’s) produce an on-target answer.
• Give feedback. If you’re watching the process, feel free to offer your own guidance if a roadblock is hit. Perhaps the barrier triggers a new solution or thought for you – make sure you share it with the team. This is all part of the process.

Does this type of problem solving approach work? Only time will tell. But consider this: after only 10+ years in existence, the “Internet Age” moving faster than any other revolution history has experienced, if measured in terms of product and service adoption. With about one billion people “connected” and the numbers growing exponentially, businesses are harnessing the power and ideas of their online community of customers, employees and shareholders to make better decisions, improve services to their customers, and make bigger profits.

Similarly, these types of services lend themselves to innovation. When feedback is presented, the learning relationship between your idea or problem and its answer comes alive. Environments of collaborative creativity are what have kept innovation strong – and with the Internet shrinking the world, collaborative problem solving will only bring together more experts from different walks of life than ever before.

photo credit: lumaxart