External brain service is a new innovation model, which opens the internal innovation activities of enterprises to the outside, and uses the knowledge, skills, experience and resources of third-party organizations or individuals to solve the problems or challenges faced by enterprises. External brain services can help companies save costs, improve efficiency, increase flexibility, expand their horizons, and acquire new knowledge, thereby enhancing their innovation capabilities and competitiveness.

External brain services have the following characteristics:

External brain service is a kind of service based on problems or needs, that is, the enterprise puts forward a specific problem or demand, and then the third party organization or individual provides the corresponding solution.

External brain service is a kind of service based on reward or contract, that is, the enterprise gives the corresponding reward or reward to the third-party organization or individual according to the quality, effect, innovation and other indicators of the solution.

External brain service is a kind of service based on network or platform, that is, enterprises publish problems or requirements through the Internet or special platform, and then third-party institutions or individuals participate in bidding or bidding.

External brain service is a service based on open or closed, that is, enterprises can choose to publish problems or needs to all potential third-party organizations or individuals, or they can choose to publish them to specific third-party organizations or individuals.

According to the different forms and scope of external brain services, they can be divided into the following categories:

Peer-to-peer: that is, companies work directly with a single third-party organization or individual, such as hiring freelancers, consultants, experts, etc.

Group type: that is, enterprises cooperate with multiple third-party organizations or individuals, such as holding creative competitions, crowdsourcing projects, etc.

Platform type: that is, enterprises cooperate with multiple third-party organizations or individuals through an intermediary platform, such as using online Q & A platform, knowledge sharing platform, innovation community platform, etc.

Organizational type: that is, the enterprise cooperates with one or more third-party organizations, such as establishing strategic partnerships, joint R & D centers, innovation incubators, etc.

The advantages of external brain services are mainly the following:

Cost reduction: External brain services can help companies save human, material, and financial resources for internal innovation, and can adjust the level of rewards or rewards according to the difficulty and urgency of the problem or demand, thereby optimizing cost-effectiveness.

Improve efficiency: External brain services can help companies shorten the cycle and time of innovation. At the same time, they can use the expertise and experience of third-party organizations or individuals to improve the quality and effectiveness of solutions, so as to achieve the optimization of efficiency effects.

Increase flexibility: External brain services can help companies adapt to changing markets and environments, and at the same time, they can choose the appropriate form and scope of external brain services according to the nature and characteristics of the problem or demand, so as to achieve the optimization of flexible adaptation.

Expanding horizons: External brain services can help companies obtain more information and knowledge. At the same time, they can use the diversity and creativity of third-party organizations or individuals to expand the possibilities and innovation of solutions, so as to achieve the optimization of vision innovation.

Acquiring new knowledge: External brain services can help companies learn and absorb the knowledge, skills, experience and resources of third-party institutions or individuals. At the same time, they can promote the sharing and transfer of knowledge through exchanges and cooperation with third-party institutions or individuals, so as to achieve The optimization of knowledge value-added.

The main risks of external brain services are as follows:

Information security: External brain services may cause the sensitive information or core information of the enterprise to be leaked to third-party organizations or individuals, thus damaging the competitive advantage and business interests of the enterprise.

Intellectual property rights: external brain services may cause the intellectual property rights of enterprises to be infringed or contested by third-party institutions or individuals, thus affecting the innovation achievements and value of enterprises.

Cooperation efficiency: external brain services may cause difficulties in communication and coordination between enterprises and third-party organizations or individuals, thus reducing the efficiency and effectiveness of cooperation.

Quality control: external brain services may make it difficult for enterprises to grasp and guarantee the quality and effectiveness of solutions provided by third-party organizations or individuals, thus increasing risks and costs.

Therefore, when enterprises adopt the external brain service, they need to carry out effective supervision and evaluation to ensure that the external brain service can achieve the expected goals and effects. This paper presents a theory based on goal management (Management by Objectives, MBO) of the external brain service monitoring and evaluation framework, which includes the following four steps:

Goal setting: that is, the enterprise and the third-party organization or individual jointly determine the objectives, indicators, standards, deadlines, etc. of the external brain service, and clearly record them in the reward or contract.

Target execution: that is, the enterprise and the third-party institutions or individuals carry out the implementation of external brain services according to the target setting, and communicate and feedback regularly or irregularly in the process.

Target evaluation: after the completion of the external brain service, the enterprise and the third-party organization or individual will objectively and fairly evaluate the quality, effect and innovation of the solution according to the target setting, and give the corresponding reward or reward.

Target improvement: after the evaluation of the external brain service between the enterprise and the third-party organization or individual, summarize and reflect on the process and results of the external brain service according to the evaluation results, and put forward suggestions and measures for improvement and optimization.

In order to illustrate and analyze the application of the framework, this paper selects the case of external brain services provided by Shangpu Consulting Company for customers. Shangpu Consulting is a company specializing in innovation consulting and management. It provides customers with a variety of forms and ranges of external brain services, including point-to-point, group, platform and organizational. Here are two of these cases:

Case 1: Shangpu Consulting provided a point-to-point external brain service to an automobile manufacturer to help it solve a problem about new energy vehicle battery technology. The company hopes to find a new technology that can improve battery performance, reduce battery costs, and reduce battery weight. Through its expert network, Champ Consulting found and worked with an expert with extensive experience and knowledge in the field. In the goal setting stage, the two parties determine the specific description of the problem, the requirements and standards of the solution, the duration and remuneration of the cooperation, etc., and write them into the contract. In the target implementation stage, the two sides communicated and fed back many times through telephone, email, video and other means. Experts conducted in-depth analysis and research according to the data and information provided by the enterprise, and put forward a battery technology scheme based on nanomaterials. In the target evaluation stage, the two sides tested and verified the solution, and found that the solution can effectively improve battery performance, reduce battery cost, reduce battery weight, and meet the targets specified in the contract. As a result, the enterprise paid the expert in accordance with the amount agreed in the contract and acquired the intellectual property rights of the programme. In the target improvement stage, the two sides summarized and reflected on the cooperation process and results, and put forward some suggestions for improvement and optimization, such as increasing intermediate checkpoints and strengthening knowledge protection measures.

Case 2: Shangpu Consulting Company provided a group-type external brain service for a clothing brand enterprise, helping it solve a problem about new product design. The company hopes to find some new design solutions that can meet the trend of the season, attract young consumers and show the characteristics of the brand. Through its creative platform, Shangpu Consulting launched a creative competition to designers around the world, and provided them with background information on questions, design requirements and standards, bonus settings, etc. In the goal setting stage, the two sides determined the theme, rules, time limit, etc. of the competition and published them on the platform. In the stage of goal implementation, the two sides had many interactions and communication through the platform. The designer carried out creative thinking and design according to the information and requirements provided by the enterprise, and submitted a number of design schemes. In the target evaluation stage, the two sides reviewed and scored the design plans, and found that several plans could well meet the seasonal fashion trend, attract young consumers, show brand characteristics, and meet the standards set in the competition. Therefore, the company paid the designer a bonus in accordance with the amount agreed in the competition and obtained the intellectual property rights of these schemes. In the target improvement stage, the two sides summarized and reflected on the competition process and results, and put forward some suggestions for improvement and optimization, such as increasing user participation and strengthening design guidance.

Through the above two cases, it can be seen that Shangpu Consulting Company has applied the external brain service supervision and evaluation framework of target management theory, which effectively ensures the quality and effect of external brain service, and also provides customers with efficient, high-quality and flexible solutions.

This paper summarizes:

External brain service is a new innovation model, which can help enterprises improve their innovation ability and competitiveness, but there are also some risks and challenges. Therefore, when enterprises adopt the external brain service, they need to carry out effective supervision and evaluation to ensure that the external brain service can achieve the expected goals and effects. This paper summarizes the definition, characteristics, classification, advantages and risks of external brain service, and then puts forward a framework of external brain service supervision and evaluation based on the theory of target management, and explains and analyzes the case of external brain service provided by Shangpu Consulting Company. This paper has a certain reference value and enlightenment significance for enterprises how to effectively use the external brain service.