The media's coverage of the enterprise application
ofWeb 2.0has been very effective in
raising expectations and generating hype. But organisations seeking
business benefits should consider howWeb 2.0fits into the bigger picture
by recognising other aspects of change required and the risks
involved.
Delivered correctly,
Web 2.0 technologies can be a driver of change in business
behaviour, increasing business flexibility and responsiveness to
the market. However, miracles cannot be expected from the
technology in isolation.
Change has to be driven within the context of an organisational
programme, transforming culture and behaviours. Tools such as
social networks require cultural change in order to be widely
adopted in the long term, as well as a real commitment to this
change from the business. The new generation of workers has grown
up with the internet and can provide a catalyst for this
change.
Search for "enterprise Web 2.0" on the internet and a number of
business benefits will be touted. Blogs are going to give every
employee a voice.
Wikis will provide common collaboration spaces for projects.
Social networking will connect your employees in thriving
communities, resulting in a revolution in the sharing of
knowledge.
The resulting organisation will be far more agile and flexible,
and will have dispensed with its traditional hierarchy and
knowledge silos. All of this just from installing some
software?
The reality is that no organisation can, or should, expect an
overnight revolution. Projects that take business advantage of new
technologies tend to succeed where business and process change are
given sufficient thought and support, and generally fail where they
are not.
The same applies with
Web 2.0. Although there will be a number of evangelists in any
organisation willing to embrace new tools, there will be a greater
number who will not unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
There are a number of examples of organisations that have
implemented
blogs and wikis - initially with good uptake - only to have the
communities die out through a lack of ongoing support.
Placing Web 2.0 tools in the context of an organisation's
strategy is therefore imperative, as support will be required from
the highest level to make the required behavioural changes
stick.
A clear, realistic vision for how these tools will support
business goals needs to be developed, committed to and supported by
a business case. The implementation of the tools should then be
made in line with other enabling changes in business processes and
behaviour.
For example, if your business objective is to remove barriers to
innovation, some management change is required to implement ideas
gathered through Web 2.0 tools. Otherwise, you have just
implemented a highly flexible suggestions box.
Providing flexibility for individual expression and creativity
through Web 2.0 tools is not without its risks. Effective
moderation of these systems will be necessary, but this should not
be too heavy-handed, as this will discourage adoption.
Having a strong management team, demonstrating success,
communicating well and removing barriers to adoption are all keys
to success, as they are on any technology-enabled business
project.
Selecting the right pilot groups is also critical. It is
important that a pilot is led by someone with the power to drive
participation, and that the project is large enough for the outcome
to demonstrate value.
The first generation to have grown up with the internet is now
entering the workforce, and they bring with them new ways of
thinking about collaboration and working online. These new workers
are used to informal environments such as
Facebook - a world away from traditional knowledge management
systems and hierarchies.
This group can be used in Web 2.0 projects to demonstrate the
value of new ways of working to more experienced employees who are
likely to possess the business knowledge, driving further value and
creating a cycle of improvement.
The new generation does not need encouragement to use Web 2.0
tools. In fact, they will expect such tools to be present already.
The sure-fire way to ensure adoption of these tools in the
enterprise is to do nothing and wait for workers to make use of
external tools.
If there is commitment to change in the organisation, Web 2.0
offers powerful enabling tools, and the internet generation can
offer the initial critical mass of users. But without cultural
change, Web 2.0 in the enterprise will be used only by those who
are already converted, missing out on a potential revolution in
organisational behaviour.