Workplace social media and collaborative tools: Will you ride the wave?

In the same way that intranets multiplied amongst companies in the mid to late 1990s, new social media and collaborative tools are going to do the same over the next few years. Early intranets were essentially glorified electronic noticeboards, displaying news, information and policy documents from the 'company' to the workforce. The latest workplace revolution is about connections, collaboration and sharing amongst co-workers and is therefore far more powerful and significant. As Chris Brogan writes in Trust Agents, 'There's a tidal wave coming, and it's made of people.'

This tidal wave will be driven by social media and collaborative tools like instant messaging and webinars combined with shift to a younger more tech savvy population. In less than two years those born between 1981 and 2000, will outnumber baby boomers in the workplace.

Those companies that fail to ride this wave won'r realise the many benefits and will lose competitive advantage to those that adopt and use these tools correctly. So how can companies take advantage? Here are twelve ideas:

1) Social Media Policy
To set the framework for use of social media tools both in and out of the company it's important to have a stand alone policy. This should be both a 'dos' and a 'donts' document where practical use of social media should be encouraged. There are plenty of existing policies and guides available. Some are called 'guides' but I think policy is more appropriate because the document should lay out rules, many of which aren't optional. Depending on the culture of the organisation, a guide in addition to the policy containing advice and suggestions might also be appropriate. But it's not just a document. Understand the culture and what the company is trying to achieve before putting pen to paper.

2) Firewall

Don't act like one of the 54% of companies who block access to social network and media sites (Source: Robert Half Technology) or the multi national who uses Twitter for marketing but denies its sales people access! As well as all the ideas here there are many benefits to be gained and much value realised by using social networks and media externally for marketing and recruitment. Open the firewall.

3) CEO blog
A blog from the leader of the company is easy and inexpensive to set up, but marks an important shift in direction. Employees will read the views and opinons of a person (rather than just another email from Internal Comms) and will get the opportunity to connect by contributing feedback through comments. This paves the way for dialogue between management and employees; something that is often lacking.

4) Podcasts
As an alternative to the thousands of text only messages and announcements that have been emailed or published on the intranet, record a podcast. There are many opportunities such as a round up of the weekly company, a business area announcements, a special message from a member of the board or as an alternative or bolt on to a CEO blog. You can also podcast voice conferences for those that can't attend. The key advantage is that employees can subscribe and once they've done this they'll automatically be able to listed to the latest update. I'll be writing a guide on the mechanics of podcasting in a future post (yes, I know I've said that before).

5) Video
How many years have you had a text and static image homepage for your intranet? It's time to record a video of your CEO or a member of the Board. I think one word sums up the power and advantages...YouTube.

6) Instant messaging - option 1
Introduce internal instant messaging eg Office Communicator to provide a new network for fast and easy communication. Helps build relationships with those in a different business area or country; breaks down silos. For more advantage please see previous post - Email is not the only way.

7) Instant messaging - option 2
If there are technical or cost barriers to setting up instant messaging withing the firewall, then you can use a free alternative - Twitter. Externally facing yes, but you can set updates to private to ensure business confidentially. Using Twitter in this way will provide the same advantages as Option 1.

8) Webinars
Another communication tool, webinars are great for bringing people together in an interactive meeting. The term webinar implies that it's a top down presentation and whilst this is usually the case you can use the tool for online team meetings and project working. Webinar tools such as GoToWebinar include plenty of communication features such as Q and A and online messaging/chat.

9) Twitter
Whilst Twitter is an external facing tool you can use it internally in several ways. Here's 2. Employees can share best practice with others with similar skills and expertise, which as well as benefiting them as individuals adds value to the company. They can also use Twitter to network with potential clients and suppliers.

10) Yammer
Add Yammer or integrate micro-blogging onto your intranet. In effect, a dedicated version of Twitter for your business. For more on Yammer please read earlier post Making the most of Yammer.

11) Social tagging/bookmarking
A method for employees to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks on and from your intranet. Other internal web resources, tools and internet sites can also be included. Think Digg, Reddit, Delicious and StumbleUpon but inside your firewall. Not as difficult or expensive to implement as you might think, even if not included in your intranet platform.

12) Conference and event reporting
This final idea works for employees inside and organisation by making a connection with the external world. How many times can a colleague make a conference or event that you can't attend? Twitter can be used to report back on conference speeches and events so that colleagues don't miss out. This is a great use of Twitter's real time capabilities and can be used in the same way for webinars too. Reporting often triggers parallel conversations to the event on items of interest - more connections + more conversation = more value.

The twelve points above are just the crest of the wave. There are many ways of using social media and collaborative tools inside an organisation which are only limited by your imagination. Yes, they all require resource or investment but generally costs are low and shouldn't be a barrier to entry.

The question you should ask is: 'What will be the cost of not riding the wave, not using these tools to connect and collaborate?'

Finally, although the technology is exciting - at least to geeky types like me - it's not just about new corporate gadgets. The tools and technology need to be aligned with your business objectives, company culture and internal comms strategy and only then implemented and used in an appropriate way.

If you need more help with understanding the benefits and value or the implementation of these ideas within your business, please get in touch.