Trust in Enterprise Microblogging and Connecting to the Way People Work

Mary Abraham of the 'Above and Beyond KM' blog has a nice post about 'enterprise microblogging' at BestBuy. She wonders though if the way they implemented it is enough. How do they make sure there is trust to actually start microblogging. She questions:
Unfortunately, the report doesn't explain how the system's designers plan to increase the levels of trust. As I've noted earlier, trust is a critical element without which collaboration is virtually impossible. And, in our KM 2.0 world, collaboration is key. It will be interesting to see what the adoption rate is at Best Buy and whether the quality of the information exchanges meets expectations.
Good point. But isn't the answer: it works in practically the same way as on the internet? You just start following people you like to follow, know or are in your social network and it takes off from there. Nobody would want to follow all 'internal tweats', right?

Her post also makes an interesting point about how microblogging was implemented: they rolled out a microblog plugin for Outlook. Mary says:
There's an important lesson here as we consider how best to integrate new knowledge management technology into existing work flow, calibrate it to user comfort levels, and thereby increase user adoption.
This is very true. I've written about this topic too. Although I'd like to stress that adding a plugin to Outlook is not the same as 'integrating ... into [an] existing work flow". But it's a good start!

By the way, I'd like to point to another nice post about "the art and science of knowledge management" and "creating possibilities". She passes on a great citation from Though the looking glass, a dialogue between Alice and the queen. Go ahead and take a look!

Comments

  1. Mary AbrahamOctober 12, 2008 at 1:12 AM

    Samuel -

    Thanks for the mention. I do think that using web 2.0 tools within the enterprise is materially different than using them on the internet. To begin with, there is no illusion of anonymity within the enterprise so there's a great need for trust before you're willing to communicate via an open channel like microblogging. The results are different as well since there is a real tendency to self-censor. After all, your job may depend on it.

    - Mary

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 21, 2008 at 8:52 PM

    Thanks for the comment! True, there is a difference. But just to pick at one of your points: don't you think that people 'self-censor' on the internet too? I do. I don't tweat everything. As I don't write everything in an email (realizing that it could be forwarded etc).

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