Exploring the Value of Enterprise Wikis: A Multiple-Case Study KMIS Conference@Funchal Alexander Stocker and Klaus Tochtermann Know-Center Knowledge Management Institute@TU-Graz, Institute for Information Systems@JOANNEUM Research

Purpose and benefit of my talk Concept, implementation and utilization of enterprise wikis Talk about usage, motivation, benefits and obstacles Present named success factors of three different projects Three cases for comparison and learning

Concept, implementation and utilization of enterprise wikis

Talk about usage, motivation, benefits and obstacles

Present named success factors of three different projects

Three cases for comparison and learning

My agenda Introduction Web 2.0 -> Enterprise 2.0 Study design and research questions Study results Expert interviews Online surveys Conclusion

Introduction

Web 2.0 -> Enterprise 2.0

Study design and research questions

Study results

Expert interviews

Online surveys

Conclusion

Introduction Web 2.0 -> Enterprise 2.0 Social media is very successful on the Web Impacts knowledge sharing and learning Participative environments: users evolve(d) from consumers to prod users Technologies and usage scenarios go hand in hand Enterprises want to adopt social media (Enterprise 2.0)

Social media is very successful on the Web

Impacts knowledge sharing and learning

Participative environments: users evolve(d) from consumers to prod users

Technologies and usage scenarios go hand in hand

Enterprises want to adopt social media (Enterprise 2.0)

Study design Exploring Corporate Wikis in three Enterprises (from micro-electronics, engineering and it-services) Data collection with interviews and online surveys 6 structured interviews with experts (~40 questions) About 150 questionnaires from users (~20 questions) Research goals to fully understand the context , that is how and why benefits have been achieved and which to analyze starting point, implementation phase and perceived value gain

Exploring Corporate Wikis in three Enterprises (from micro-electronics, engineering and it-services)

Data collection with interviews and online surveys

6 structured interviews with experts (~40 questions)

About 150 questionnaires from users (~20 questions)

Research goals

to fully understand the context , that is how and why benefits have been achieved and which

to analyze starting point, implementation phase and perceived value gain

Study design My research questions How do enterprises (does management) adopt wikis to support employees in their daily business? Which motivation drives corporate knowledge workers to utilize a wiki? What values are generated for individuals and the organization when wikis are adopted? Which success factors determine good wiki projects in the enterprise?

My research questions

How do enterprises (does management) adopt wikis to support employees in their daily business?

Which motivation drives corporate knowledge workers to utilize a wiki?

What values are generated for individuals and the organization when wikis are adopted?

Which success factors determine good wiki projects in the enterprise?

Some words on.. case study research A case study is an.. [YIN, 1984] empirical inquiry, that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in its real life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident A Multiple-Case Study approach is (More) fruitful, when aiming at the discovery of novel constructs, and allows Comparison of the results of single cases

A case study is an.. [YIN, 1984]

empirical inquiry,

that investigates a contemporary phenomenon

in its real life context, especially when the

boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident

A Multiple-Case Study approach is

(More) fruitful, when aiming at the discovery of novel constructs, and allows

Comparison of the results of single cases

Three cases of wiki adoption

Results from the interviews Lots of qualitative information in the paper for reading Some (interesting) results from the expert interviews..

Lots of qualitative information in the paper for reading

Some (interesting) results from the expert interviews..

Case structure Context Starting point Wiki introduction Results (after ‘x’ years of wiki usage) Success factors

Context

Starting point

Wiki introduction

Results (after ‘x’ years of wiki usage)

Success factors

Case Alpha Starting point Use a wiki as novel infrastructure for an internal support team , supporting project teams of researchers and developers One support team member per project team Decentralized working environments, limited knowledge transfer Limited face-to-face meetings, heavy email traffic, reinventions of the wheel

Starting point

Use a wiki as novel infrastructure for an internal support team , supporting project teams of researchers and developers

One support team member per project team

Decentralized working environments, limited knowledge transfer

Limited face-to-face meetings, heavy email traffic, reinventions of the wheel

Case Alpha Wiki introduction Support team manager introduced wiki (top-down) Media Wiki (in analogy to Wikipedia) Creation of wiki-articles happened bottom-up, driven by support team No anonymous editing Primary target group: support team Secondary (extended) target group: researchers and developers Manifold actions for awareness and acceptance taken

Wiki introduction

Support team manager introduced wiki (top-down)

Media Wiki (in analogy to Wikipedia)

Creation of wiki-articles happened bottom-up, driven by support team

No anonymous editing

Primary target group: support team

Secondary (extended) target group: researchers and developers

Manifold actions for awareness and acceptance taken

Case Alpha Results (after 1,5 years of wiki adoption) ~500 wiki-articles Periodically updated by ~70 employees, ~15 of them highly involved in editing 130.000 accesses, 10.000 edits of wiki-articles Secondary target group still hesitates to use the wiki Individual benefits: simple and easy to use search, wiki allows quick guidance for emerging problems, access without any special authorizations Organizational benefits: Rise of efficiency and effectiveness in support, good transparency on support knowledge

Results (after 1,5 years of wiki adoption)

~500 wiki-articles

Periodically updated by ~70 employees, ~15 of them highly involved in editing

130.000 accesses, 10.000 edits of wiki-articles

Secondary target group still hesitates to use the wiki

Individual benefits: simple and easy to use search, wiki allows quick guidance for emerging problems, access without any special authorizations

Organizational benefits: Rise of efficiency and effectiveness in support, good transparency on support knowledge

Case Alpha Success factors Sufficient number of articles right from the start -> employees will perceive wiki as a useful source of information Roll-out on a broad user base, acquire some convinced users who will stimulate others ‘ built-in’ simplicity of the wiki is rather a minimum requirement than a success factor

Success factors

Sufficient number of articles right from the start -> employees will perceive wiki as a useful source of information

Roll-out on a broad user base, acquire some convinced users who will stimulate others

‘ built-in’ simplicity of the wiki is rather a minimum requirement than a success factor

Case Beta (summary) Wiki to support technical employees in knowledge documentation and learning in their periodic phases of low workload.. (works fine, high acceptance) .. and serve as knowledge base for administrative staff (lacks acceptance) Success factors Dedicated and very optimistic wiki-core team Corporate culture privileging open communication Management commitment and management attention Integration of wiki users in early phases of project

Wiki to support technical employees in knowledge documentation and learning in their periodic phases of low workload.. (works fine, high acceptance)

.. and serve as knowledge base for administrative staff (lacks acceptance)

Success factors

Dedicated and very optimistic wiki-core team

Corporate culture privileging open communication

Management commitment and management attention

Integration of wiki users in early phases of project

Case Gamma (summary) Wiki to serve as electronic knowledge base for all employees i.e. abbreviations, short terms for products and services, basic information on customers,.. (lower acceptance) Introduced by a team responsible for knowledge management Success factors: Acquire first movers Roll-out with sufficient number of articles Intensive internal marketing Users have to perceive the value of a wiki right from start

Wiki to serve as electronic knowledge base for all employees i.e. abbreviations, short terms for products and services, basic information on customers,.. (lower acceptance)

Introduced by a team responsible for knowledge management

Success factors:

Acquire first movers

Roll-out with sufficient number of articles

Intensive internal marketing

Users have to perceive the value of a wiki right from start

Qualitative Results (comparison) Some aggregated results from the interviews

Some aggregated results from the interviews

Results from the online surveys Some interesting results from the online surveys..

Some interesting results from the online surveys..

Results from the online surveys Reading and writing Only a very small fraction of employees edits articles Minor edits of existing articles and creation of new articles prevail Almost no correction of grammar and spelling, restructuring of articles and commenting articles Is the Wiki (really) a source of business-relevant information? Partially, depends on case and target group But majority of users still prefers channels (email, telephone, ..) to portals (wiki, intranet)

Reading and writing

Only a very small fraction of employees edits articles

Minor edits of existing articles and creation of new articles prevail

Almost no correction of grammar and spelling, restructuring of articles and commenting articles

Is the Wiki (really) a source of business-relevant information?

Partially, depends on case and target group

But majority of users still prefers channels (email, telephone, ..) to portals (wiki, intranet)

Results from the online surveys Motivation to use the wiki ( reading ) Finding business-relevant information Facilitate own work Observe what is happening in the organization Reducing email traffic and face-to-face meetings hardly played a role Private issues hardly played a role

Motivation to use the wiki ( reading )

Finding business-relevant information

Facilitate own work

Observe what is happening in the organization

Reducing email traffic and face-to-face meetings hardly played a role

Private issues hardly played a role

Results from the online surveys Motivation to edit articles ( writing ) Perceived high value in own contribution for colleagues Expected individual benefits from sharing Wanted to stimulate colleagues to actively participate Raising own reputation played minor role

Motivation to edit articles ( writing )

Perceived high value in own contribution for colleagues

Expected individual benefits from sharing

Wanted to stimulate colleagues to actively participate

Raising own reputation played minor role

Results from the online surveys Individual value gain Wiki has in some extent helped to perform business tasks quicker Individuals perceived a facilitation of knowledge work But employees did not feel that they have raised their social or professional states Organizational value gain Perceived improvement of knowledge transfer and a boost in work performance Impact on collaboration

Individual value gain

Wiki has in some extent helped to perform business tasks quicker

Individuals perceived a facilitation of knowledge work

But employees did not feel that they have raised their social or professional states

Organizational value gain

Perceived improvement of knowledge transfer and a boost in work performance

Impact on collaboration

Results from the online surveys Perceived wiki-obstacles Few employees creating articles Few created articles Time consuming search / editing Conflicts between wiki editors regarding content and.. ..transparency on knowledge and knowledge workers were not considered to be major obstacles -> content -> privacy

Perceived wiki-obstacles

Few employees creating articles

Few created articles

Time consuming search / editing

Conflicts between wiki editors regarding content and..

..transparency on knowledge and knowledge workers were not considered to be major obstacles

Conclusion Enterprise 2.0=evolution in knowledge sharing Enterprises begin to adopt the new technologies.. ..but technologies are bound to a change in employee behavior Missing link: Business view and knowledge view Experts highlighted ‘soft’ benefits (e.g. increase transparency on knowledge in their enterprise) – but where are the concrete business-benefits? How to map business goals (e.g. raise efficiency in support) towards wiki goals (e.g. increase quality of wiki articles) is still an open issue

Enterprise 2.0=evolution in knowledge sharing

Enterprises begin to adopt the new technologies..

..but technologies are bound to a change in employee behavior

Missing link: Business view and knowledge view

Experts highlighted ‘soft’ benefits (e.g. increase transparency on knowledge in their enterprise) – but where are the concrete business-benefits?

How to map business goals (e.g. raise efficiency in support) towards wiki goals (e.g. increase quality of wiki articles) is still an open issue

Thanks for your attention! Prof. Klaus Tochtermann Alexander Stocker Know-Center, Graz, Austria Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria Know-Center, Graz, Austria Graz Technical University, Graz, Austria