Ministry of Defence selects Wazoku to improve innovation

New platform looks to build on previous innovation successes by increasing staff engagement and the volume of ideas

UK Central Government department, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected Wazoku’s idea management platform, Idea Spotlight, to drive digital innovation and idea management across its entire network: The Royal Navy, British Army, the Royal Air Force, Joint Forces Command and Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

The Ministry of Defence is replacing its existing idea platform, GEMS Scheme, with Wazoku. The MOD is looking to build on the success of the GEMS Scheme by making it easier for staff to be directly involved in innovation, engaging the people that are best placed to identify issues, problems and opportunities. Idea Spotlight is seen as the best way of achieving those goals.

“We are looking forward to partnering with Wazoku to build on our experience of delivering and managing an innovative idea management programme,” said Stuart Laws, Defence Innovation – Ideas. “MOD is proud of the commitment and dedication demonstrated by our people, and through Wazoku’s idea management solution we will ensure that the MOD continues to recognise and reward that dedication.”

Since the launch of the GEMS Scheme in 2012, it has achieved approximate savings of £14M and efficiencies of £37M, engaging around 11% of the Department. More than 5,000 ideas have been submitted, with 466 being taken forward. With the Wazoku implementation, the MOD is aiming to see a significant increase in engagement with the new platform and many more ideas flowing into the system.

The MOD aims to ensure that the UK armed forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and is always looking to innovate to help keep pace with developments around the world.

Idea Spotlight is used by a variety of businesses and public sector organisations to capture, evaluate, improve and implement ideas from all across an ecosystem. It’s a highly collaborative platform that makes it simple to discuss and develop ideas and comes with a range of features to make the entire idea process more engaging and effective. These features include a dynamic archive, that allows staff to be notified about previously submitted ideas so they can incorporate them into new recommendations where applicable.

“We have a rich heritage of working with the public sector so are delighted to now have the chance to work with the Ministry of Defence,” said Simon Hill, CEO and founder, Wazoku. “It’s an organisation that already has a successful track record of innovation, so implementing Wazoku’s Idea Spotlight platform feels like a natural evolution as it seeks embed ideas and innovation into its everyday capability.”