Web 2.0 features are a fixture in many people’s lives, yet many businesses aren’t making use of them. Managers might be concerned that employees won’t use such tools productively. Or employees may worry that if they use them, their managers will think they are slacking. And in some cases, the workforce just isn’t aware of the benefits that 2.0 features can bring to workplace collaboration and innovation.
So here are my top 3 tips for creating internal advocates for Web 2.0:
Tell it!
According to well-known management consultants Towers Watson a significant improvement in communication effectiveness is associated with a 15% increase in the market value of top-performing companies. And many other statistics out there bear this out: when employees can communicate, collaborate and connect easily, they are more productive, more engaged and work harder towards their company’s success. Those are arguments that business leaders will find very persuasive. Even better? Show them examples from within the organization, where 2.0 has enabled better products or processes.
Show it!
We’re all used to the idea of a more seasoned colleague mentoring someone with less experience. That usually means someone senior with someone junior. But with 2.0 initiatives, very often the people with the least work experience actually have the most know-how, so consider reverse mentoring. Find out who the 2.0 whiz kids are in your organization (ask around, put an ‘call for experts’ on the intranet, place an ad in the company newsletter) and let them help you brainstorm about creating a buzz around the possibilities of 2.0 and get them working with senior managers to drive it all home.
Use it!
Nothing creates an advocate like a positive experience. Given employees the chance to experiment with Web 2.0 features and they’ll soon want to share what they think. Even the most staid intranet can accommodate some interactivity. Can you allow comments on articles? Can you beef up your web traffic metrics by allowing people to ‘Like’ pages? Can you have a spot where employees can submit their own content? The more you make 2.0 features available to employees, the more they’ll come to see it as part of the norm.
Guest blog post by Joanne Thomson – Intranet Content Manager, Global Internal Communications – Elsevier
Want to know more? Come to hear Joanne and 20+ speakers on energising your organisation for performance and change at the Beyond Enterprise 2.0 conference in Amsterdam, 24-25 January 2012.
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