Its not that it took so much time to think about the next 5 : ).  Here we go!

Make it more Democratic

Agreed that the platform is meant for official work. And you’ll set this context by defining the appropriate use cases. However, be slightly open and liberal. Open forums where employees can share more informal stuff, have water cooler conversations. It does not really hamper their productivity. Instead it has shown to trigger new ideas and solutions. If you really think that its going to affect productivity, then think again – it’s not because of the platform and it doesn’t necessarily happen through the platform.

And in our experience so far, employees have been far more responsible on what they say and how they act on their networks.

Show them Success

Nothing is as powerful as peer reviews. Good reviews add to the credibility of the initiative. Success stories tell people how to use the platform and what benefits they can derive. Besides, emulating is far easier than leading. Keep a watch on teams actively using the platform, gain feedback, follow-up on what they’re achieving, where they face trouble. When results are evident, make a splash.

Proliferate

Based on initial experiences, create best practice guides. Use successful teams to coach other teams and departments. That way, you make these teams responsible for others’ success as well. After all, isn’t that what collaboration is all about?

Lead

Nothing is more effective than employees finding their leaders active in their collaboration platform. Its lame if leaders site their age or their busy schedule as reasons for not actively engaged in the platform. That tells their subordinates that their leaders don’t consider the platform important.

Besides several benefits, a social collaboration platform provides a great channel for recognizing your people’s talents and achievements.

Is microblogging now and then sufficient? The author of this post in CEC Insider doesn’t seem to think so.

Be Patient

This will be perhaps the first point if we ordered all these strategies in terms of their importance. Like any new initiative or invention, a collaboration platform takes time to catch on. People will take time to understand the new channel, move away from their ‘very convenient’ emails and adapt to the platform. Andy like any other typical social media, not everyone will contribute, at least immediately. It doesn’t mean that they’re idle. Showing them the benefits will help them switch.

How did you drive adoption for your internal collaboration platform? Do share your views.

Technorati code: 9AWUFMC9X2FE

Jagdish’s previous post on the need for a community manager prompted me to think more on the topic of bringing people to adopt the social media initiative in an organization.

“This is social. It should work by itself. People should flock to the network. After all they all are in FaceBook,” is a very common attitude that I have come across in many organizations. Well, this logic is fundamentally flawed in its premise. As Aaron Weiss points out in his article, there are incentives for people to be in FaceBook. What’s the incentive for employees to be in their company’s collaboration network?

That’s a good question to start with. And there are a few other things that you, as an organization, can do to bring in the social change, for the better.

The following are a few strategies that worked for our customers. They are not in specific order:

Set the Context

It helps if employees understand why they’d use the network and what they’d accomplish by doing so. Leaving the network open and letting people figure out its purpose is not a wrong strategy per se. However, people will make their own meanings of the platform. The management should be open to this possibility and not expect people to stick to its agenda, which it never communicated.

This HBR article on Social Media’s Leadership Challenges succinctly communicates this message – “Successful communities all have compelling and inspiring goals for their existence and their leaders are passionate about these goals.” (The article, by the way, has plenty of good advice to offer.)

In fact, the context and the use cases should have been defined right at the beginning – product evaluations should have happened based what you intend to achieve by using the system. Also define appropriate metrics and success criteria so that it becomes easier for you to find if intended results are being achieved.

Provide Flavors

When defining the use cases, remember to have a variety in the kind of activities that people are going to do in the network and in the content that they’re going to consume. Its more interesting if I can get to know HR-related updates in my platform where I also work with my colleagues on my day-to-day projects.

Get in people from the business, HR, Training and Corporate Communications as stakeholders for the platform. Discuss and finalize what use cases each of these departments is going to bring to the platform. Consistently stick to it.

Create the Buzz

Mail Campaigns, posters, SMS and other announcements are definitely useful, especially when the platform has been introduced by the management. One of our customers organized a live chat on the platform with the CEO. Employees got an opportunity to interact and quiz their super leader. The conversation was not about the new platform, but was more about the company and where its heading. That’s another point to remember – focus on the content, rather than the technology.

Bring in the SJs

Like all jockeys, Social Jockeys can make the crowd jig. SJs are people with high-voltage enthusiasm, who know how to create the buzz, the fun and make people want to participate.

No, they are not essentially community managers – people with administration and moderation roles; though community managers could be SJs as well. SJs are people who are acknowledged by their peers, for their knowledge, expertise and thought leadership. So, yes, they need not be necessarily heads of department and line managers.

The initial team you put together from different departments should essentially be made of SJs.

Don’t Scare Off

Policies & guidelines are important, especially when the organization is trying out a new communication channel. Strict & clear definitions of do’s and don’ts are absolutely essential. But do not stress them often, that too, when users have not got a full hang of the platform. This only sets a context that the platform will be highly monitored and curated. People do not want to participate in (one more) initiative where they have to play by very strict rules.

One of our customers attached the policy document to the launch email.  Another customer just provided a link to the policies link the platform.  Employee responses were definitely different in both cases.

The need for a community manager

While it always ideal that networks evolve and grow with minimum intervention, a role of a community manager cannot be ignored. A community manager who understands the power a social collaboration tool can act as a catalyst, to ensure that the organization derives the desired benefits. I read  good article recently which provides insights into what kind of roles a community manager plays.

Here are some:

• Welcome Wagon
• Gardener
• Referee
• Listener and Moderator
• Member Advocate
• Brand Spokesperson
• Nurturer of Brand Champions
• Someone Who Measures, Analyzes, Adjusts, Rinses, Repeats

For more details checkout the article.