Preparing yourself for Enterprise 2.0 in 2010

Does this conversation sound familar?

I read an article in the paper that some companies are using things like social networks to improve their workplace.

“Are you interested in finding out if these tools and behavior are at all relevant to you?”

Well, we’re not sure. We not really doing anything about this. Management feels that getting people on facebook all day is probably not going to increase productivity.

“Facebook? Is that what your management thinks is going on in other companies?”

Uh, well, we’re not sure really. We pretty much focus on the stuff that goes on here.

“Is that working for you?  I mean, do people know where to find information on the intranet? is there one place to go to share information with others? do you find that there are people in the organization that have expertise in areas that you need help with, but you just don’t know who they are?  In other words, so you feel like your company has provided for you what you need to get your work done, or do you think things could be better?”

I get my work done, if that’s what you mean.

“I mean, considering how much money your company invests in IT infrastructure do you notice that it’s much easier to find things and collaborate with friends using  free Internet tools than it is at the workplace using really expensive intranet tools.  Does that make your management ever wonder if they are investing in the right kind of intranet infrastructure?”

Well, you make a good point. Our intranet is a mess. We have this portal thing that is hard to use. We just email stuff around all the time and it gets lost in the inbox.   Some IT guy set up a wiki, but no one knows how to use it or why you would want to use it…  I assumed that this is just the way it is and everyone just
deals with it.

If you can relate to this conversation then let me suggest  how you can prepare yourself or your company for next year. Simply put: Get informed. Get a briefing from someone (like me) who comes to your company and facilitates a two-part session that goes like this: In the first 30 minutes or so, find out what is really happening outside the walls of your company with respect to this world of “social computing” within and outside of corporations — specifically in your industry. In the next hour (and perhaps over lunch, in a large conference room with your key decision makers) have an open conversation about how this “social stuff” — and Enterprise 2.0 may or may not be related to your business needs. Focus on what you are doing today that works and where you want to find improvements.

A briefing like this takes less than two hours, its a great opportunity to learn something and get people together, and at the end of it, you’ll have a much better sense about the current state of collaborative and socially-managed work. It’s not a commitment — its just an education. And depending on who you ask and where you are located, this briefing might not even cost you anything.

There is enough hype about “social” that most working professionals I speak to have heard of this phenomenon – but many are still unaware if there is any relevance to their workplace.  Over the past year as an independent analyst, and the year prior as a Forrester analyst, and the few year prior as an Enterprise 2.0 practitioner in a company I have found that the number #1 barrier to Enterprise 2.0 is misunderstanding and misinformation. I meet with a lot of people who present me with all types of work challenges and situations. Many of these issues are solvable. But there is so much misunderstanding and misinformation that the people tasked to solve the problems are simply not aware where to begin. I don’t mean this as a critique. It’s just the way it is.

Many people naturally gravitate to what they know and feel comfortable with. But sometimes they face the need to change. I have encountered some who are incredibly reluctant to change and will pose any unreasonable objection to it. And I also encounter people who boldly and courageously move forward without taking the time to carefully evaluate their plans. They both miss out the key step of getting educated.

Let me strongly suggest that your 2010 resolutions include getting informed.  Many companies find that Enterprise Social Computing (or collaborative intranets, or virtual teams, or whatever you choose to focus on and call it) — has helped them address critical workplace issues — and has done so at relatively low costs.  Your best next move is to get educated about it.  Then you’ll be in a position to know if you should do anything about this.

Reading books and blogs is a fine start, but it’s just a start.  There is enough misinformation and misunderstanding that you should be a bit cautious about believing everything you read without having a conversation with a trustworthy person who can help you interpret things for your context, industry, and company.  If you invite an analyst or consultant to provide you with a briefing, do a bit of homework to make sure you get someone who is reputable and can understand your specific needs.

Tagged as: adoption, analysts, barriers, behaviors, Enterprise 2.0, expert, vendor