Forming Internal Social Networks To Engage And Innovate

Connecting personnel should be a number one priority for organisations today. Most already possess a portal containing static data - but this falls well short of allowing staff to engage with each other or supplying them with high value workplace tools. So how can internal social and business networks make a difference?

Organisations have been operated the same way for over 100 years. Inside are separated departments, divisions and sections, often with impenetrable walls that have culturally built-up over the years. These internal fortresses have in some cases become home to damaging ambitions, where the individual or division's aims surmount those of the company.

There have been many attempts to find ways to lower these walls, to gain efficiencies and harness the whole workforce - or to at least get them facing in the same direction!

Looking to reduce costs and increase effectiveness, organisations have on occasion invited consulting organisations to re-engineer their structures. But when they leave, often the old habits and internal walls are re-built.

Most organisations can readily list their key problems, such as:

• Retention of staff - particularly Generation Y
  
  
• Harnessing the mental horsepower of the whole staff
  
  
• Finding innovation from within
  
  
• Containing operational costs
  
  
• Retention of knowledge - when the person leaves, so does the intellectual property!
  
  

The starting point to addressing these issues can be found by embracing an internal social and business network.

A social and business network extends over and beyond the internal structures. Its basis for existence is around collaboration, communication and knowledge-sharing of all employees, regardless of location and status (the antithesis of departmental structures).

Employees can use social network tools to create forums, networks, internal web sites, communities of interest, chat, find a friend or post their own blog.

Here are some key elements that should be included in an internal social and business network:

• Knowledge base - Containing the organisation's information located in a series of repositories, such as:
  
  
  • Learning blogs
    
    
  • Factual information
    
    
  • Ask an expert
    
    
  • Frequently asked questions
    
    
  • General information
    
    
• Project and program collaboration - Where employees can participate from outside their current structures. Employees can participate in a published project, allowing the organisation to gather under-utilised capacity and increase cross divisional learning.
  
  
• Discussion forums - On topics across selected categories, to spread and share knowledge. Provide a place for your employee's good ideas and publish them. Turn them into a fun place where these ideas can be rated and expanded upon. Post a problem and see what solutions emerge.
  
  
• Assignments - Allow individuals and teams to collaborate in preparing briefs, documents and papers and then publish them.
  
  

The hidden talent will emerge from within your organisations. Those who are not the most visible and are rarely heard, may well have the answer to an organisation's vexatious issues.

This is a new way for an organisation to think about harnessing the mental horsepower of its employees, to get them involved, interested, excited and to be noticed. There is the potential for huge cost reductions related to efficiency, effectiveness - and ultimately - headcount.

Cameron Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Community. Knowledge Community has developed a web based software solution as the starting point for this ideal. For further information, visit the web site: www.knowledgecommunity.com
First published: 13 August 2008.
Last updated: 13 August 2008.