The Tipping Point – Are You There Yet?
Jun 16, 2009 Implementation, Social Learning SIG
As has been the case so many times in the past, I talked today with a company which has made THE decision. You see, in the past if someone needed a wiki, they gave it to them. If they needed some other internal social technology, they would help out but there wasn’t a strategy. So many companies dabble in this pre-area, trying to figure out if (and how) internal social media is useful. Then, when it becomes apparent that it is and that many people want it, they need a strategy – it is a natural evolution. This is the point this company is at right now.
It is time to jump in with both feet. But where do you start? If you have thousands of employees, how do you determine who should use what and in what capacity?
Implementation:
As was mentioned in this meeting, start with the low hanging fruit. Where are you SURE it will work? Let them go for it. From there it will spread – they become your advocates, your case/success studies to the rest of the organization.
Culture:
This is the most difficult part of the whole thing. Why? Because cultures are made up of people. People are varied and they can change at any time. The software is easy because it is there. It only gets an update every few months at the most and usually it is on a schedule. People, and groups of people, can change at any time and as frequently as they want. For this reason, stick to the basics. Think of this as a change management / performance improvement project, not a social learning project. Use the same principles to guide you. Even if you assess the needs of your audience, this does not guarantee that they will use the better solution. Think ‘habit.’
Some departments will run out of the gate, some will barely crawl, some will reject. You will need to have a plan for all levels. Remember this is social media / learning. Don’t be afraid to be traditionally social and go and talk to them personally. It may take more time at the beginning, but it goes a LONG way.
Adoption:
Make it easy and natural. See my series on adoption. Show the benefits. Evangelize it. Sell it.
Processes:
Replace, replace replace. Find what is broken and fix it using social media. If you don’t replace a process or a mode of communication or some other task, it becomes extra. Everyone is so busy that anything extra will be put on the back burner and forgotten. If they want to add on extra, let them make that decision when they fully understand the value. Until then, as Tim O’Reilly said at DevLearn 09, ‘force it’ (with caution).
Use it:
Most of all, if you are not deep into it yourself, it will be VERY difficult to have the type of conversations you will need to have for a favorable outcome. This is because the objections (and here) they offer will be tough to explain.
Usage:
How will they use it? Why? Should we let them? How transparent should be we – and when and with whom? All good questions which lead to more questions. What is your system of governance and moderation? What does ‘acceptable use’ look like?
To really go into this subject would be quite lengthy (thus the disparate subjects) – I apologize for the quick overview. But if you are at the tipping point this should give you some things to think about.
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