Too many platforms?

Chris raises the question as to whether or not there are too many collaboration platforms out there in his recent post.  I was at an event last week where the social media expert speaking pulled out a database spreadsheet that listed every social network out “there.”  It was over 750 pages and I do not even know how many lines per page.  Granted, many are used one time only or experimental, but even a fraction of the number is overwhelming.  I agree with Chris’ point that many still go back to email to collaborate because it is easy and no thought goes into it.  So many people in businesses still give the response “I have a facebook account and do not even keep that up, how can I mess with this stuff at work?”  Everytime that question is asked of me I realize that the basic question is not answered for this person, which is “how can this help me work better, less and more efficiently?”  Rather than just throwing collaborative tools at people, we need to help them answer this question for themselves first and find the need to use something other than email.  Before you can tell folks to complete their profile and tag stuff we need to give them the WIIFM.  Otherwise it is fragmented and just something else to do.  Thanks for the blog Chris!

Ideas springing forth

Last night I had the opportunity to attend an event where new ideas were presented to a team of corporate executives.  Sure, most of you have been there, done that… but this event had the public, and more specifically women, dive in over the last 90 days and then present their ideas on different offerings to the corporation.  The company is trying to be more direct about marketing to women, so rather than sitting around conference room tables trying to figure out what we want, for the last couple years they have been bringing in groups of women and asking them to brainstorm and then give their take on what is working, not working and present the new ideas that would attract this segment of the market.  I have been involved as a group member (last year) and then as an observer last night.  It is amazing the energy that flies when ideas are springing forth and one idea begets another or an add on to make it even better.  It is also amazing when you see your ideas put into action and watch as the execs take notes, ask questions and commit to you and your ideas. 

It really makes me think once again about the true meaning of collaborating.  These teams of women do not know each other, but they come together for 90 days and figure out how to collaborate with one another and make it worthwhile.  It ends up being a “win/win” for all parties.  The women feel connected and empowered, the company gets another perspective and gains a loyal customer in these women.  Isn’t that what collaboration is?  Coming together to work out the win/win.  It also reminds me that it is not about the technology; many of these women do not use anything more than meetings and email– it is about the willingness to listen, to share and to participate.  Technology is a great avenue for this in so many situations, but we can never forget it is the willingness to collaborate first and foremost.  Happy Collaborating!

My Collaboration Practices

Recently Brett published a post called “My Personal Collaboration Rules”.  I loved the blog, and it made me think about my own collabortion practices and I did a little comparing in the process.

1. Capture Once– I loved that Brett put that first on his rules.  I have said many a time that the technology will not work for you if it doesn’t replace something or make your life easier.  Who wants to touch things twice?  Waste of time it is then!

2.  Touch it once- Brett called it Process Once– my mantra is “Touch it Once”  It does not matter to me if you are talking an email or cleaning a closet–touch it once. 

3. Resist printing– I must admit printing can be my downfall.  As much as I love the options technology affords me, I must confess that I still love paper at times for reading and for taking notes.  I am trying to clean up my act in this arena however; I am printing less and recycling more but I have a ways to go!

4. Don’t use email to collaborate, use it to communicate.  I really do love this one.  Email is great and I am not a proponent (like some) to do away with it.  BUT let’s use it correctly.  I do fall into the trap at times of collaborating with it; but am a believer in not using it this way.  Use IM,  wikis, blogs, shared workspaces, etc.

5. Links yes, attachements no.  Yes, yes, and yes!

6. Store in a searchable repository.  Sharepoint is a great solution for this along with EMC products.

7. Be a sharer not a hoarder- I think this is easier for some than others. BUT  hoarding information is getting you NO WHERE.  Be the go to person and seek out the go to people.  Stop feeling threatened by giving it away!  Give it away and see it explode!  Ideas blossom once they are out there.  You can’t possible know it all so why not give someone an opportunity to expand on your knowledge and you on theirs!

8. Use real time communication- web conferences, im, etc are great for getting stuff done fast!

Now my added practices:

9. Listen – even when you think you have it 100% correct, listen.  You will probably find out that you really weren’t 100% on and the other person has something worthwhile to contribute.  Afterall collaboration is about the meeting of the minds and ideas right?

10. GO for consensus— again the win/win and consensus mentality makes up Collaboration doesn’t it?  Open Source is a great example.  No one person has all the answers and by working on a collaborative decision by consensus you have the best of lots of worlds and no  one is a loser!

11. Offer up assistance and help.  You know what your niche is–offer it up.  When the tide is turned, someone will offer back to you their expertise.

12. Be a door not a wall.  What I mean by this is be a pathway to information rather than the person that is the block (we can’t, we won’t, etc.).  Keep your door open and let others in.
What about you?  How do you collaborate and keep the CQ going?

Happy Collaborating!

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!

Collaboration Ops

I have the opportunity to work with a client on developing some new processes, better processes and uniformed processes for a development team.  It occured to me as we were talking that this is the perfect opportunity for facilitation and collaboration.  The beginning of any collaborative, unified effort is determining:

• who does what
• what are the pain points
• when should it happen
• where do we document this or do this 
• why do we do it this way
• how can it be better 

It is the old who, what, when, where, why and how.  It does not matter if you are looking to write a manual, improve a process, implement SharePoint or a wiki, these questions have to be answered at the beginning of the project and they need to be visited over and over again.  Without knowing the who, what, when, where, why and how, it doesn’t matter how much money, technology or effort you throw at something it will only be like a bandaid on a hemoraging wound.  Creating a real solution, starts with people–people with a need and LISTENING first, then creating a solution!  Happy Collaborating!

Collaborating with others

My husband asked me yesterday if I could do this business on my own or if I am dependent upon others.  The answer is I am dependent upon others–either for an introduction to someone that needs the service, a developer to help put ideas into action, a graphic person to make it “pretty” when requested, members of the corporate team to do the PR to their co workers, etc.  So, my business is helping others collaborate but I cannot do it without collaborating as well.  In this business you truly have to “walk the talk”–you cannot implement collaboration solutions but say you are going to do it solo!  It just doesn’t work! Happy Collaborating!

Is your company using Social Networking?

The more that I meet with clients and network, the more I realize the vastness of the implementation efforts of Social Networking that are out there.  Some have never heard of this (or think they have never heard of it until you probe a little more), some want to but don’t know where to start, some have the tools at their company but no one uses them at all or correctly, some have implemented with a bang and then fizzled and some are in there, doing it and doing it well.  I learn more and more every day on this journey!  Today, I want to ask for your comments and I would love to hear on specific questions…

• Has your company implemented a Social Networking Solution?
• Are the employees using it, shying away from it, testing the waters or going crazy using it?
• What tools and pieces are you using?
• What works and doesn’t work?
• Who are the “evangelizers” of it at your office?
• Do you see any benefit?
• Did anyone ask you what you wanted in the solution or did it just “appear” one day and you were told to use it?
• Is your performance appraisal linked into it– for instance you must have so many posts in a forum, or have your own blog, etc?

Just give me some feedback today.  I know what my opinions are BUT I find it fascinating to hear yours and it always amazes me to hear about the good, the bad and the ugly. It helps me to help you and my clients.  Happy Collaborating!

Collaborating College Style

We moved our youngest to college this past weekend and boy did they have the collaboration thing down pat!  We have moved 4 others to college between my husband and myself and this was truly the smoothest we have ever seen.  No lines at the tables for check in, all the rooms were ready, hand trucks and volunteers to go with them were waiting anxiously to help each and every car that pulled in.  Water for all (and they did NOT run out) and even a meal for the hungry moms, dads and kids for free!  It was amazing and reminded me of what great things can happen when everyone has a role and knows what it is!  Activities were planned for the new college students beginning at 5pm on move in day so that got the hovering moms and dads out of there!  Brillant move as well!  They seemed to have thought of everything.  Some best practices that I feel they had to have adhered to are:

• Lots of good planning; stuff like this doesn’t just happen
• No one person controlled the entire event; delegation is always the best policy
• Everyone respected each other’s roles and were concerned with doing their role the best they could and they TRUSTED others to do the same
• Every scenerio was played out ahead of time so there were no surprises
• They took the human aspect seriously–goodbyes are tough so they filled the aftermath with fun activities for the kids; they planned a parent meeting so parents would get out of the dorm room.  BUT the plan was done with empathy for each person’s feelings. 

When we left I knew it was the right place.

Kudos to Georgia Southwestern for a well planned, smooth move in day!

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.

Telecommuting

In the July 25th print addition of the Atlanta Business Chronicle there was a great article regarding telecommuting.  Michael Dziak, COO of e-Work.com, Inc., was quoted as saying “Teleworking was a novelty in 1990, trendy in 2000 and now becoming very common. In 2015 it’s going to be a standard practice for everybody and if you don’t do this you’ll be in the Dark Ages.” 

Using technology of course is imperative for this—-BUT not just catching  a signal so that you can be on the internet.  The use of IM type tools insures that you are visible to others on your team and you in turn can see who on your team is available.  Do you and your team use this?  What about a virtual workspace to share documents and to collaborate on them?  Do you and your team use this?  How about a social networking tool where you can share what your expertise and experience is so others can seek you out?  If you and I are working on a similar project or initiative, do we know it?  Can we search on it?  As a manager how can you effectively manage folks you do not see sitting in a cube hour after hour? 

How about the trust part?  Communication? Getting to know one another?  Water cooler time and coffee breaks?  These are intregal parts of any team whether you are near or far from each other.  Do you  and your team use the tools mentioned above to connect with each other, build trust and loyalty?

I think whether it is telecommuting, a team that is spread across the globe or a team that sits next to each other, all of these questions are valid and should be acted upon.  Using collaboration tools to not only share knowledge and information but to also talk to one another in a quick efficient way AND also to find out something about each other–our background, interests, etc is all valid no matter what the team situation is.  The fact that a team is spread out geographically brings these issues to the forefront, but many of us have had teams that are close in proximity but still do not collaborate.

Collaborating is an attitude and must be desired to have it work no matter what your technology is.  It starts with a person then moves to the tool.  After that it doesn’t matter where my computer connects, I am connected with YOU!

Happy Collaborating!