Web 2.0: towards collaborative
intelligence in the enterprise
Lee Bryant - lee@headshift.com - Headshift, London

www.headshift.com
headshift
is a social software consulting and
development group who apply
emerging tools and ideas to the real-
world needs of organisations:
consulting & engagement
prototyping and experimentation
development and integration

We are wasting a lot of brain power in large organisations

Our IT systems do not understand how we work
Most knowledge is created and
•
exchanged in the informal space
We work using peripheral vision
•
and intuition within networks

What matters inside large organisations
Better awareness
•
More effective collaboration
•
A culture of participation
•
Better individual decision making
•

A new generation of social tools is emerging…

These tools are now enterprise-ready
Blogging tools Wiki platforms Newsfeeds / RSS
Sui Sui Sui
Combined suites Custom build
• Systems integration
• API connectors
Sui Sui
• Intranet-based
• Blended solutions
• “Situated” software

Key characteristics of social software
• Fast, cheap, iterative delivery
• Networked individualism not centralisation;
self-interest drives growth
• Use network effects for collective benefit
• Combination of ecosystem of tools, data
and services, not ‘one tool to rule them all’

Where enterprise social tools are heading
• Lightweight, social interface onto
corporate systems and info
• Social newsreading and filtering to
create collective intelligence
Feeds and flows, not content objects
•
or knowledge stores
• Business social networking
• More intimate, personalised
information for clients

Social reading, writing and filtering
Social reading, writing and filtering drives relevance
Others can share what you blog, link to or read
•
Collaborative filtering based on social networks, tags,
•
sources and attention data from readers
Over time, information begins to find you, not vice versa
•

Case study: social tools in a leading law firm
• Project began as a 3-month pilot for 3 groups -
20 months later we have around 30 groups
• Blended solution using two products + custom
code + integration with internal systems
• Seen within the firm as a great success that will
inform the next generation of knowledge and
information sharing systems

Group blogging as the centre of gravity

The importance of trusted communities

Newsfeed aggregation

Wiki spaces: Library Services

Wiki spaces: enquiry handling

Social bookmarking & tagging

How we started
We began by exploring:
• group cultures
tasks, goals & needs
•
information landscapes
•
interaction styles
•
existing workflows
•
real-world scenarios
•

Addressing common scenarios

Current success measures
• Increasing number of posts over first year
• High readership on receipt of alerts
• Diversity of readers and contributors
• Meeting initially defined business objectives:
• Self help and shared ownership – less admin
• More member awareness and action
• More pro-active communication
• 30% of the organisation are in one or more groups

Some other use cases for social tools
External communication
Information & knowledge sharing
Issue management
Ad hoc conversations and Q&As
Participation via extranet / website
Competitive intelligence
Recruitment
Employee to employee communication
Thought leadership
Sharing knowledge within groups
Storing and finding information
Internal communications
Working with contractors or partners
Internal issue management
Team collaboration Intranet development/replacement
Leadership communication
Creating and editing documents
Training and personal development
Documenting and organising work
Project collaboration
Marketing and PR
Innovation and R&D Campaign management
Engaging with customers and media
Innovation networks
Monitoring brands and markets
Prediction markets
Promoting a product or service
Rapid prototyping
Social networking
Social newsreading and bookmarking

Thank you! ... Questions ?
lee@headshift.com
http://www.headshift.com
Photos courtesy of Flickr using Creative Commons license
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dplanet/94442623/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arbron/77094898/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/105123875/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kacey/252912749/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markrjones/47761183/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgt_spanky/35811144/
+ screenshot from http://labs.digg.com/swarm