The rise of social networks fundamentally changes the way we communicate and collaborate within organizations. Semple explains his experience in this area. The point he makes is recognizable: it is often easier to get in touch with people outside the organization than with your own colleagues. While there are plenty of opportunities to use the power of social networks internally as well.
So, he says, “If you expect people to spend time on the intranet, intranets need to look like the social tools people use outside of work.” And that’s what he did at the BBC. Semple started a bulletin board (for discussion and contact – used by 80% of staff), blogs (used by hundreds of people), and wikis. Patience is key, Semple says: “People adopt social tools for their reasons and not yours.”
He didn't spend too much money on functionality (probably because of his Scottish, and apparently therefore frugal, nature, according to Euan), and kept a close eye on it so that people weren't forced to use it. It had to work by itself, and therefore be in people's interest, be effective.
Find your voice as an organization, and give people freedom
Semple states that intranet has the same effect as internet, but list to data then internally. “ Let it grow virally and non-mandatory” advises Semple. And, very important: social means that information enters your personal zone, just like a conversation in real life , which means that people do not need certain things. In other words: “ d on't pollute my information space with stuff I don't need .”
Tools like Yammer, Twitter and Chatter are great at filtering information for you. It works as a resource: if you have a lot of followers, you can solve problems by just asking a question – and that often works better than looking something up in a manual. “ If you have a lively Twitter or Yammer network, you give your staff access to that capacity” , says Euan. And: in a world where it’s brave to dare to ask questions, you make it possible for people to do so in an easy, comfortable way.