Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7638 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2017 DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS FOR big issues — like delivering on the 21st century food production challenge — requires innovation and new ways of thinking. Take, for example, soybean breeding. The industry’s approach to this disci- pline has long been characterized as an art and can best be described as labori- ous and inconsistent. Success depended on breeders’ intuition, studies rooted in trial and error and a lot of luck. Given the current business outlook for agriculture, which for growers translates to a chal- lenging commodity landscape and for ag companies can be observed in the unprec- edented industry consolidation, both par- ties need more than luck. Growers need soybean varieties that are engineered to perform well in very unique environ- ments. Companies need to be smarter and more strategic in their research and development efforts so they can bring high-yielding soybean varieties to growers more quickly. For Syngenta, harnessing the power of data analytics has been the single most important contributor to achieving our research and development goals. Nearly a decade ago, we began using open-innova- tion platforms to develop the data-driven Joseph Byrum, senior R&D and strategic marketing executive in Life Sciences – Global Product Development, Innovation, and Delivery at Syngenta Open Innovation Drives Progress in Plant Breeding tools that differentiate our work in plant genetics. This effort has revolutionized the way we breed plants — by replacing guess- work with math, science and contributions from some of the most brilliant minds. Online platforms, in particular, allow us to cast as wide a net as possible in the hunt for new talent, while supple- menting the important contributions of our employees. Online tools open our industry to new ideas from multiple continents and diverse academic disci- plines. Syngenta has been able to work closely with highly skilled experts who do not need to uproot themselves to take advantage of a business opportunity and contribute to our research efforts. The key to optimizing an open inno- vation platform is perseverance and an understanding of the platform’s limita- tions. It’s also important to strike the right balance when seeking wisdom in the crowd. Crowds can accomplish more than a single, talented individual. And extreme or bad ideas tend not to be heard over the general consensus. This is open col- laboration’s greatest strength, and at the same time, its greatest weakness. The general consensus trends toward group think, but disruptive innovation comes from the sort of extreme ideas that the crowd naturally rejects. In other words, ground-breaking ideas come from indi- viduals and small teams. The downside of open collaboration is that it requires serious effort to evaluate the solutions offered. Sometimes, the initial question posed is not phrased properly or sends participants in the wrong direction since their expertise lives outside the world of agriculture. Open collaboration is a pro- cess that requires constant communica- tion, feedback, iteration and improvement. At the same time, the process is inher- ently efficient, as solving problems in parallel can produce results more cost- effectively and quickly than the in-house alternative of using employees to tackle problems one-by-one. The old-fashioned sequential problem-solving method, where in-house teams move from one problem to the next, is both more expen- sive and takes longer to reach a solution. Of course, in-house talent plays a vital role in the process, and Syngenta employ- ees have a key role in evaluating responses to the open collaboration challenges. Certainly, there are multiple ways to accomplish our goals, but there is unique value in engaging analytics experts who bring a wealth of diverse ideas and skillsets beyond the traditional ag audience. SW