If you have read my previous post on the use of blogs as a management tool, you may have had the same reaction as many others, namely that the sheer volume of content generated will quickly become overwhelming. This logical response is, to some extent, accurate, but also somewhat misleading, depending on how the platform is conceptualised.
The objective of an internal blog is twofold: to facilitate communication and to manage content. The second objective (and to some extent the first) is dependent on the ease with which users can find the information they are seeking. For instance, users who are interested in a specific topic may utilise search tools based on word or tag searches. This forms the initial level of access. However, managers may require a more tailored approach to information, which is where the value of an internal blog platform becomes evident.
It may be beneficial for each team leader to access the platform via a portal that provides information about specific domains. This could include details about the content being written about a particular subject, the keywords being used by individuals in their respective teams, and insights into the topics that are of particular interest to them in relation to their work. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to ascertain their global sentiment. Has a particular subject gained prominence at a specific point in time? If I can discern that a particular topic is of interest to a significant number of individuals, it would be advantageous to understand the underlying reasons for this and to identify instances where this has occurred in the past. Additionally, it would be helpful to identify the individuals with whom there is a particularly strong collaborative relationship.
It should be noted that the list is not exhaustive. In addition to employee blogs, aggregated content must be produced to deliver HR or management indicators.
Therefore, the platform is of little value without the capability of enabling as many specific, parameterised portals as the company requires. For instance, this could include one global portal, one for HR, one for marketing, and one for laboratories. This is the most challenging aspect of the technical project, and there are also significant human considerations that will be discussed in a subsequent post. However, it is a crucial success factor.
I would like to take this opportunity to mention the solution that makes all of that possible. It is called BlueKiwi. I collaborated with them on deploying it, and I am pleased to say that it works well, both technically and in terms of human usage and new social practices.
Related articles:
Using internal blogs as a management tool
Do managers have to spend all their time managing interactions ?
About transparency in decision-making
How to link formal and informal within the enterprise : the “still” company
Enterprise and management 2.0 : is this the beginning or the end
Enterprise 2.0 needs reverse management
