Collaborative business models are gaining more and more prominence. Find out how they work, what their advantages are and what they can bring to organizations.
The fourth industrial revolution brought with it trends such as sharing goods, services and information through digital platforms and it is in this context where the collaborative economy allows the consolidation of new business models , which usually combine old ways of operating with technology.
Being able to choose a transportation service with a click, shopping for second-hand clothes or objects, and getting information before making a decision, demonstrate the importance of this economic model capable of interconnecting the world and breaking down geographical barriers.
Advantages of the collaborative economy
Collaborative consumption eliminates the costs and time involved in making transactions through intermediaries. For example, finding an academic advisory or consultancy on a web page, or renting a room in another city directly with the owner, negates the step of looking for an organization that charges for offering this service.
In addition to saving money, the collaborative economy is a benchmark for sustainability due to the positive impacts it generates on the environment: sharing a vehicle, as proposed by carpooling applications , or buying second-hand objects reduces the generation of waste and the emission of polluting gases.
Rollin , for example, is an application created in Colombia to encourage the use of shared vehicles; this venture has achieved close to 30,000 downloads and has approximately 22,000 registered users. Try my ride is another sustainable mobility system that works from a mobile application, in Medellín it has avoided the emission of 21,274 tons of CO 2 and its users have saved close to 114 billion pesos.
The key is in reciprocity
One of the axes of this collaborative model is the collaborative finance of which crowdfunding is a part, which seeks the creation and support of social and cultural initiatives. Its success depends on the diffusion and visibility that it is given through social networks and websites.
Verkami is a successful example of crowdfunding models ; Since 2010, nearly 7,830 cultural projects have been financed through this platform, with a success rate of 73%. Vermaki, born in Barcelona, has meant a revolution in cultural demand and supply with close to 39.5 million euros raised by more than a million people.
Vaki is a sample of the incorporation of these collaborative economy models in Colombia , it was created in 2015 to finance social and artistic projects, citizen movements and personal initiatives that contribute to social change, without the need for intermediaries and only with community support.
More knowledge for organizations
One of the potentials of the collaborative economy is its ability to foster the exchange of knowledge. At this point, according to Carlos Jaramillo, CEO of Distilled Innovation , companies that emerged in traditional economic models are called upon to link up with those ventures that are characterized by innovation , despite having fewer resources, since they occur in contexts of flexibility. and dynamism.
“The tendency is to learn to co-create. Large and small companies can work together, contributing their knowledge and skills to create new ecosystems”, says Jaramillo.
With the arrival of this new business model, today companies are obliged to rethink their nature and transform themselves not only by acquiring new technologies, but also by opening up to new thoughts, perspectives and ways of doing things , in In other words, evolution must be constant, because in this way it is possible to be sustainable over time and compete with these emerging businesses.
If the organization considers it appropriate to adopt a collaborative economy model, it is key in this process to create awareness about the importance of protecting data, providing relevant information and being transparent.
