Fun or Business?

Corporate implementations of Social Networking  in house seem to raise lots of questions through the planning and development.  As a business analyst I love the questions, I love trying to help figure out the answers with others on the team and love it when the answers and solutions begin to come together.  One question that always surprises me (but almost always gets raised) is “what if our employees don’t use this for just business, but use it for fun?”  These are usually the same people that create policy and recruitment statements like “We are a fun place to work” or “we want our employees to have fun here” but say the “f” word linked to social networking and people get flat upset and try to figure out strategies to keep that from happenning.  I contend that work and fun need to mix.  The places that retain employess and have great moral are fun.  I remember visiting AOL years ago and the place was like camp!  People at that time were loving life and their job.  Google is another example and you could go on and on.  It is funny that if I am laughing about something at dinner last night with a fellow worker and then another joins in the conversation and we take a few minutes out and laugh and someone else shares a story that is okay.  I think our daily lives are a mix of moments like that at work mixed in with alot of hours when we are completing tasks, working on projects, selling something, etc.  And the fun stuff along with the feeling of accomplishment and contribution are the things that will keep us from looking elsewhere or going home in a really bad mood!  Social networking is the same–it is just that we will use it much of the time to find a resource, information or someone that can fill that hole for us on something we are working on.  BUT guess what there will be those moments everyday when we will share on a movie, a funny (not inapporpriate) website or youtube or a laugh over something we saw on the game last night or in the news.  There is a difference in connecting, getting to know one another and acting inappropriately.  The “f” word is not inappropriate; in fact it is much needed just like kids need recess at school.  You have employees you say you respect and trust and you say you want it to be a fun place to work.  So, let’s trust our staff’s judgement to tell the difference between fun and not appropriate for the workplace.  Most will rise to the occasion and for those that don’t—well they were probably acting inappropriately before social networking; now you just know it so handle it as you would any other personel issue.  BUT let your responsible, adult staff have a little fun and really make your place “a fun place to work!”  Happy and FUN collaborating today!

Buffalo Roundup “Collaboration”

We just happenned to have planned a trip to South Dakota that coincided with Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park.  What an amazing thing this is to attend; as a matter of fact we already have our plans made for next year.  I had never heard of this prior to our doing some “research” for our trip.  I can assure you that nothing like this happens in Atlanta, GA!  Cowboys (yeah the real deal) round up the bison into the buffalo corrals where they are tagged, etc.  Round up is the management tool that is used to adjust the herd size annually so that the herd does not out number the resources for them (ie land, etc.) In November 500 or so are auctioned off.  Attending this event reminded me and reaffirmed what collaboration is.  I saw it over and over again!

We sat in traffic before sunrise to attend as did many others.  This event draws 11000 – 15000 people.  BUT no horn honking and impatience here.  Folks just understand that this is part of it.  They stop their cars and engines in long waits and even get out of the car to talk to their fellow traffic jam neighbors.  Patience is key in any collaborative effort!

At the “porta potties” there was no fighting or anxiety either.  Each “potty” had its own line.  If you got in a slow one, well so be it.  That was just your “burden” to bear but no one else had to hear your complaining about that, or receive a push out of line because of it.  We all got to know each other, where we were from, and it was honestly a pleasant wait.  “Getting to know you” is also key in any collaborative effort!

The cowboys and crew cooked breakfast and lunch.  YUMMY!  Pancakes, Sausage, BBQ Bison, Baked Beans and Cookies–WOW was this great.  Lines formed and we got our food. AND we got a smile also.  The folks that work this thing are amazing.  They each do their job in the food line, depend on their team mates to do their part and you recieve great product (food) and great service (smile!).  Team work and trusting each other all a key part of collaboration!

Teamwork and collaboration really came into play watching the cowboys round up 1500 bison.  That was an amazing thing to watch and hear and experience.  Truly team work has never been shown to me in a better way.  Each person, on a horse or pick up orchestrated beautifully their position and their role in rounding up these huge beasts!  AND when some of the bison got fiesty and turned on the cowboys, the cowboys just backed off and did it again. No finger pointing about who let ‘em get away, no discussion on who was going to do the extra tasks, none of that.  They just all kicked in, cooperated, collaborated and when all the bison were corralled and we applauded and yelled they all took the credit equally for a job well done!  Loved that lesson– collaborative efforts and successes are about the entire team!

The participants were collaborative as well.  I was shocked (and still am) to tell you that after all this celebrating, eating and drinking that NO trash was found left behind.  No one had to tell anyone to throw their stuff away and by the way, please hit the trash can.  These folks knew to do that– it is common sense, it is good stewardship and they were totally accountable for the trash they had created so they took care of it.  I was in such disbelief that I actually took pictures of the clean grass to prove it!  In any collaborative effort there has to be a sense of ownership and accountability–you should not have to be told every thing!

The entire event was amazing and I would encourage you to google it and click on the website for more info.  I will be putting my videos up on Youtube as well.  Happy collaborating Cowboys!  YEEHAW!

Collaborative Intelligence

I am revisiting a topic that I wrote on in July regarding Collaborative Intelligence.  Today on WWPYCBW, Michael gives some great thoughts on collaboration and it made me think again on CQ or Collaborative Intelligence.  Realizing that others have something to contribute and that you have information worth sharing and ideas that need exploring with others is collaboration.  Even if you don’t have the latest technology, you can collaborate.  Using the “we don’t have xxxxx tool” so we can’t collaborate is just  a poor excuse.  Collaborating is a human skillset. Sure the tools can help (immensly!) but they cannot help if the culture and the collaborative nature of the humans involved is not present.  Picking up the phone, sending a letter (yep there is still the written note), attending or participating in a panel discussion, meeting for coffee if you are in close proximity, etc. open up the communications channels and open up for the sharing of ideas, feelings and knowledge.  Understanding that your thoughts and ideas get better when you share them and you add to them other’s inputs, is what collaboration is all about.  So whether you are chatting with a collegue, tweaking a document that your team is working on in SharePoint, adding to a wiki for a knowledge base or reading blogs and writing blogs, etc., you are increasing the CQ in your life and in the life of your team.  Happy collaborating today!

Doggie Social Networking

So I am a sucker for social networking and doggies so when I read this article on CNN.com it made me smile.  Doggyspace.com allows dog owners to create profiles, share photos, videos, etc.  What I love about this (besides it being cute) is that it really does encompass what Social Networking is about—fun, community, connecting with like minded people AND it serves well in the seeking out of information.  There are stories around this site regarding dogs with cancer and owners seeking advice and support.  In Social Networking circles sometimes the talk is around “is it for business or is it for fun?”  Doggyspace.com shows us (AGAIN) that social networking is indeed for fun but also for business/information.  All of which causes happy collaboration!

Collaboration Implementation

I am working on a team that is implementing Social Media tools inhouse.  It has made me consider some best practice tips.

• Take advantage of what you’ve got!  So many corps now have collaboration tools in place or purchased.  Take inventory of what you have and leverage the functionality you already have rather than buying another tool.
• Don’t think the tool is going to make it happen!  Find your evangelists and let them help you kick this thing off the ground!
• So many initiatives in corporations are from the “top down.”  Use a grassroots approach.  Bring users in early to get their needs heard and fullfilled.  Ask what needs to happen to make their job easier rather than telling them later how some tool is going to make it easier.  See the difference in those approaches??
• Do pieces at a time.  This is the time to be agile and iterative.  If your company has not collaborated and communicated with these tools before take it a step at a time.  Have a long range plan and implement piece by piece.
• Let the users play with the tools before they are live.  Get them over the “wiki pause” by setting up areas where they can blog and wiki BUT it is not published.  Just get them to do it in what they see as “safe”.
• Get HR on board.  Make sure you know HR’s take– are they going to MAKE people use it and if they don’t knock them down on performance appraisal time? are they going to police it and get people fearful of  sharing anything? Make sure HR is behind the move in this direction and supportive.  A conversation about open and transparent tools is a good one to have BEFORE implementing.
• Some people are using social media tools at home when they are on the internet and do not even know they are using them.  I run into people like this daily.  Survey the employees to see what their social media saavyness is.  At the end of the survey ask for volunteers for your team–you will find your evangelists here!
• Understand how the tools are going to be used.  What is the goal for the business?  Communicate that well and over and over again.
• Figure out your measurements of success.  What are the metrics that you will be using if any.
• Talk about ground rules and governance.   I am not a proponent on a lot of rules around this space, but If you have to have some make them more general.  For example–posts should be clear and concise, posts should not simply repeat someone
• Are their business units within your organization that are using the tools really well?  Get them involved.
• People first! Tools second!

Happy collaborating.

Introducing Social Networking at Work Part III (do we need it?)

When you did the analysis of your business processes you may have found that teams are spread out and/or work different hours.  It might look like the company below:

ABC Corp has 2000 employees, 12% of which work remote–meaning at home.  Since ABC Corp is spread out globally, the teams function as remote teams even though these team members are in an office of ABC Corp; some teams also have members from the 12% who work at home.  When looking at processes it is discovered that:

• The manager feels somewhat out of control; he/she is not sure always when his remote team members are on line.
• At home remote workers feel disconnected at times–they feel they are the “last to know” and do not have the same feeling of connectiveness as those in the office do as far as connecting with other ABC Corp employees–even if those employees work for different business units/projects.  It causes a feeling of insecurity within this group of employees.
• Too much email seems to be a consistent theme–since this seems to be the way people share information on projects they are working on, since they are spread out from each other and in different time zones, they email ALOT!  No one is quite sure what the latest document is.
• Expertise is spread out across the organization.  BUT when a team member hits a road block or challenge there is no way to tap into this expertise and to connect with someone that has knowledge in that area.
• There is no process for many things; each area has created their own.  No knowledgebase to research to inquire if another unit is doing a similar process.  So the “wheel is reinvented” over and over again.
• Trust and communication is an issue.  People feel more open to communicate and then to trust if there is face to face connections than when they know nothing about their team member.  Loyalty?  It barely exists.
• Job turnover is high on these remote teams.  Even with the members that like their job, they are not reaping the benefits of connecting with coworkers, so they seek out other job situations.
• It has been difficult in assigning tasks and tracking progress on those.  It is hard to talk to someone across the globe and during the day employees are left wondering what the status on project tasks are.

These are just a few of the things you may have discovered in doing the analysis on the user end.  Many holes and processes that are not quite working.  I am sure you can think of many more!  Share those in the comments and then let’s collaborate on a solution and buy in to that solution!  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  Happy collaborating.

Bar Camp

I was not fortunate enough to attend SocialMedia BarCamp but have read a couple blogs on the experience.  In Paige Findleman’s blog on Enterprise 2.0  she talks about the feeling of it being very unorganized.  Read her blog for more of her comments. 

It intrigued me because as long as I have been in collaboration and facilitation, there is a sense from many that collaboration can “just happen.”  That is not the case.  To have collaboration happen effectively MUCH has to be done up front.  One of the first keys in getting people to collaborate is communication and trust.  If you blow the trust factor early, the collaboration is blown as well.  As someone who has been facilitating groups to bring them into collaboration and then into consensus I can tell you that planning up front is always 3 to 4 times the amount of time as the event.  The event then looks easy, seamless and like I am not even working!  BUT lots has happenned prior to and lots is happenning during.  A good collaborative effort looks easy but is really well plan, orchastrated and evey possible “road” has been played out in your mind so you can eb ebb and flow as need be.  I love the idea of Bar Camp and hope to participate in a future one, BUT collaboration starts before the people arrive and it starts from the inside and works its way out.  Communication and Trust– then collaboration has a place to flourish!  Happy collaborating!

Introducing Social Networking at Work Part II

Reread the first entry in this series to refresh your mind dated 7/11.

After doing a little ground work you have now begun to evaluate the need.  You have an understanding of some business processes and you have examined the holes in the process.  Understanding the holes in the process(es) are key.  Without a person with a need there is no business case.  If you have determined there are some people with needs you are ready for the next step on the journey. 

1. Document the “as is” processes that are the focus of this
2. Document the ones that work (everyone can learn from these)
3. Document the processes that don’t work; emphasize the holes in the process, the challenges and the barriers.
4. Review the outputs from the facilitated brainstorming sessions. 
5. Rewrite the “broken” processes in a new way using the ideas that were received in the brainstorming session.

You now have a “gap analysis” done – where we are, where we want to be and some ideas on how to get there.  You have some high level, possible solutions for the processes that need improved. 

Next time, I will give you a case study as to how this might look and we will see what we do next!  Until then Happy Collaborating.

Where have all the boomers gone?

That will be corporate America’s theme song shortly down the road.  With more and more boomers leaving the workforce to enjoy their 401k’s and retirements, knowledge is walking out the door as well.  That should be sounding the alarms across all industry.  The answer– get them to share all that stuff before they leave!  Why?  So you can still function after they are gone!  How?  Collaboration and Social Media– these are the tools that are needed inhouse to get that transfer of information going!  At least 1/2 of the internet population now has a social media presence.  That doesn’t mean they all have a My Space account (although many do!), but it does mean that we are getting more and more accustom to sharing our opinions and thoughts on line.  This is a great avenue at work as well.  Setting up a social presence at corporations is a great way to capture not only who is who but what do they know.  Make it searchable and you have an infinite source of knowledge about your company, best practices and tricks of the trade that employees discover over the years.  Don’t run from letting your employees use Facebook at work, but give them some reasons WHY, some guidelines on how to SHARE INFORMATION effectively in this space and EMBRACE IT! AND use your next generation of workers the Netgeners to evangelize it for you!  They know how to tap into it effectively. Happy Collaborating.

Work yourself out of a job

Many of us have had the pleasure of working in an environment that has the “work yourself out of a job” mantra.  Years ago I had that experience and so have others I know.  We did not have blogs or wikis or even the internet then (I am dating myself). BUT what we did have was a spirit of collaboration and sharing.  Fear had not set in and we did not feel like the act of hoarding information made our job secured.  We did not want to hear that we could never leave because no one else would know what to do.  We wanted to prep the next person in behind us so that we could KEEP MOVING FORWARD also.  Hoarding information is a sure fire way to keep yourself stagnit in the workplace.  Collaborating, sharing, training is the way to be known as the “expert”, the ”go to person”,  the “team player” and the person most likely to keep moving on up!  Today we have blogs, wikis, and all kinds of tools that help us to collaborate.  BUT we first have to embrace the feeling of collaboration, the appreciation for what it can to for us and for others before we can ever tackle the tools that are out there.  What comes first the chicken or the egg?  What comes first a spirit of wanting to collaborate or the tool?  I say the spirit of collaboration makes the tool work; it is not the other way around.  Happy Collaborating!