Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstream Enterprise Social Computing

Letting some Light in: Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstream Enterprise Social Computing (cc) Lee Bryant, Headshift, March 2008

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

Social computing in the IT mainstream:

“an architecture of participation”

An introduction to the social ‘stack’ Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’ Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag, vote or comment on useful links and news Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’ Blogs and networks: some items or topics are shared within networks and discussed in blogs Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag, vote or comment on useful links and news Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’ Group collaboration: intimate groups/teams organise knowledge in wikis and group systems Blogs and networks: some items or topics are shared within networks and discussed in blogs Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag, vote or comment on useful links and news Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’ Personal tools: organise your ‘stuff’ by tags; arrange in a portal; manage networks and feeds Group collaboration: intimate groups/teams organise knowledge in wikis and group systems Blogs and networks: some items or topics are shared within networks and discussed in blogs Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag, vote or comment on useful links and news Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS feeds based on subject, person, group or search

Simpler, smarter, cheaper enterprise computing • Enterprise IT is often over-engineered and too clunky for people to use - many internal systems, e.g. Intranets, are better served by lightweight, informal social tools

Better personal productivity • Less email, more feeds and flows • Our social network as an information filter • Better findability of things we use

Network productivity and presence sharing : ‘flow’ • Time is a shared space: presence, signals and feeds • “Network productivity trumps personal productivity” http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2007/06/flow_a_new_cons.html

Better informal collaboration and sharing • Better awareness and peripheral vision • Collaboration should be easy to do • Create your own support networks

Collaboration and networking • project co-ordination with multiple partners • research/feedback from wider stakeholder groups • network building among external users

Open innovation using social networks • Using social networks to surface good ideas • Social filtering and iteration of selected ideas • “wisdom of crowds” applied to internal markets

Internal communications • more interactive engagement with internal users • combination of blog, wiki, podcast, videos, etc • two-way communication, not just broadcast

Recruiting and retaining emerging talent • Young people come into the workplace expecting to participate, not just ‘consume’ • They are no less serious, capable or ambitious than us, but they can be more self-reliant

In-context, continual informal learning • Training and conventional e-learning are good for teaching repetitive tasks, but social tools are better for reflection and on the job learning

Embracing business online social networking • finding expertise, people and networks • social networks as content filters • engaging with new forms of online communication

Getting started...

Start with simple self-powered pilots • Small, intimate groups, not open to all • Low investment, low IT overhead • Grow via invitation - demand-driven

Create conditions for shared meaning • Sharing bookmarks and tags or ‘social objects’ like photos or links is ultra simple but often very useful

Some challenges for traditional IT

Enterprise IT needs to change ... fast • Social tools represent the biggest phase change in IT adoption since e-mail • Problem: IT are still centralising, whilst the internet is about intelligence at the edges

IT Strategy and Policy • Try to put IT in the hands of business users • Support speed, diversity and innovation • Moving from policing to supporting users

Moving from .doc + email to the wiki way: • one space per client or project for collaboration • total audit history for every page with rollback • open, closed or anywhere in between

Iterative approach, agile development • 3 month cycles, not 12-24 • Release early and often • Driven by user feedback

Enterprise Information Architecture • Personal tagging drives folksonomy • Individual action >> collective benefit • ‘Ambient Findability’, not heavy search

Make the most of Information Professionals • They become key nodes in social networks • Knowledge guides, not water carriers • Managing feeds and flows, not objects

Encouraging pioneers... • Let them share the risks and rewards • Relax rules about ‘IT standards’ • Allow low-risk pilot projects

... whilst supporting 2nd wave adopters • Use cases based on real needs • Support lurking and light participation • Create intimacy, not all-in debates

Using the Web as your innovation lab • Exploiting external services and data • Encouraging users to explore • Building connected apps not ghettos

3 myths about social computing

Social Networking is a waste of time? • Recognise that people’s online life is distributed; don’t make them cut it off when they walk through the door • Go to where they congregate to have a conversation

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/kk/23390123 Social media poses new security risks? • Majority of security risks are still human • Bad IT leads to workarounds and more risks • Security needs to evolve as tools evolve

http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20071116.html Sharing is dangerous? • We cannot stem the tide of sharing - it is what the internet is ‘for’ • Teaching responsibility is more effective than trying to block access and ‘police’ usage

The importance of real-world use cases

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

Thanks! lee@headshift.com http://www.headshift.com Except where otherwise stated, photos courtesy of Flickr using Creative Commons license. Thanks to the following photographers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dplanet/94442623/ 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/sgt_spanky/35811144/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/violator3/93589371/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianboulos/36957265/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/23390123/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/86624586@N00/10190970/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddenloop/429289122/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/glutnix/82935786/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottonassar/1149873101/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/2127819/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/wandering_angel/1702213953/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopzilla/1640551643/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2073499871/

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Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstream Enterprise Social Computing

by Lee Bryant on Mar 20, 2008

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Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstream Enterprise Social Computing — Webinar Transcript