User Adoption Strategies (2 nd Edition) Shifting Second Wave People to New Collaboration Technology Michael Sampson
User Adoption Strategies (2nd Edition)Shifting Second Wave People to New Collaboration Technology
Michael Sampson
UserAdoptionStrategies �2
“Michael’sideasonuseradoptionareaction-oriented:learnbydoing,learnnowandfast.Thereisverylittleabstract‘consultantspeak’abouttheimportanceofcollaboration.AnideaofhisIlikealotis‘FacilitatedGroupRe-Imagining.’It’seasierthanitsounds!Itmeansgettinggroupsorteamstogethertodiscoverhowtheyworktoday,thendefine—withthem—howtheycanworkinthenewcollaborationcontext.Thisletsteamsdefinetheirwayofworkingtogether.Gettinganintactgrouptoagreeonworkinginadifferentwayiscriticaltosuccess.”
JaneMcConnellIntranetandPortalStrategist,NetJMCFrancewww.netjmc.com
“Michaelhasbeena‘collaborationstrategist’for15years—wellbefore‘workplacecollaboration’enteredmainstreambusinessvernacular.Allhisthoroughlyresearched,expertlywritten,andaccessiblebooksandarticlesattesttohisdeepexperienceandabidinginterestineffectiveteamworkandthevarioustechnologiesproducedoverthelastdecadeorsotosupportcollaboration.Inthislatestpublication,Michaelfocusesontheuser—thekeytoachievingsuccessfromcollaborationtechnologies,regardlessoftheproduct.Providingawealthofinsightandguidance,UserAdoptionStrategiesisamust-readforanyoneplanningatechnologyimplementationorseekingpracticalmeansofhelpingusersmakeeffectiveuseoftoday'stechnologiestoimprovetheirworkplacecollaboration.”
LynnWarnekeInformationManagement&SharePointConsultantMelbourne,Australiaau.linkedin.com/in/lwarneke
“Michael’sbookprovidesacomprehensivetoolkitwhichyoucanputtogoodusewhenyouneedtogetpeopletousethenewstuffyouhavedeveloped.Obviouslythebookiscentredaroundonlinetools,butmostoftheapproachesworkequallywellwithmanyotherkindsofprojects—andnotonlythingsonline.Michaelhaswrittenabookforeveryonewhoisworkingwithchangemanagementandadoption.Whetheryou’reanexperiencedchangeagentoryou’recomingtotermswithyourfirstproject,I’msurethatyouwillfindmanyusefultipsandstrategicapproaches,andthatyou’llfindyourselfreachingforthebookagainandagain.”
MartinRisgaardRasmussenApplicationConsultant,GrundfosHoldingA/SDenmarkwww.linkedin.com/in/martinrisgaard
UserAdoptionStrategies �3
“MichaelSampson’sbookUserAdoptionStrategiesisamust-read.Init,hecompellinglyoutlinestheneedforbehaviouralchangeifcollaborationtoolsaregoingtosucceedwithinorganisations,andprovidesasimplefour-stagemodelforplanningthistransformation.Mostimportantly,heoutlines20differentchangestrategiesthatcanbeappliedtogainadoptionofcollaborationtools.Theserangefromquick-and-easyactivitiestomajorenterpriseinitiatives;allareworthconsidering.Thisisamasterwork,andithighlightswhatorganisationsmustdotomakecollaborationtoolswork.”
JamesRobertsonManagingDirector,StepTwoDesignswww.steptwo.com.au
“WhatIenjoyedmostfromthebookisthewayMichaelexplainsthesestrategies.Notonlydoyougettoknowhowtheywork,butalsowhentoapplythem(inwhichsituation),andwhytheyactuallyhelpyou.Allthisiswritteninveryunderstandablelanguagefilledwithlotsofexamples,makingiteasyforyoutograsptheconceptsimmediately.Whilereading,afewtimesIthought‘whydidn'tIthinkaboutthisbefore?’Thesearen’tcomplexframeworksforwhichyouneedtoreadandthinkalotbeforehandtounderstandthem,andneitherdoesittakealotoftimetoapplythem.”
ReneModeryWebProgramManagerAuthor,“Chapter6.ExploringDifferentOptionsforImplementingSharePointSolutions”inTheSharePoint2010Handbook(2011)www.modery.net
“Althoughmostofusworkonthetechnologyendofcollaborativesoftware,wealmostalwaysgetinvolvedinthediscussionssurroundingtheage-oldquestion...‘Whyaren’tpeopleusing<insert-vendor-software-name-here>?’Theeasyknee-jerkanswer(andoneI’veusedanumberoftimesmyself)isthatit’snotthetechnology,it’stheculture.Whiletrueatacertainlevel,there’ssomuchmorebehindgettingpeopletoadoptcollaborativesoftwaresothatitdeliversonthepromisesthatweremade.MichaelSampson,awell-knownexpertonthetopicofcollaboration,divesdeeplyintowhatmakesforsuccessfuluseradoptioninhisbookUserAdoptionStrategies:ShiftingSecondWave
PeopletoNewCollaborationTechnology.ThisshouldbeoneofthefirstbooksthatisreadandstudiedbeforelaunchingyourSharePoint/Connections/etc.rollout.Andsincethebookisvendor-agnostic,itreallydoesn’tmatterwhatplatformyou’rerollingout.Theseproblemsarecommontoallofthem."
ThomasDuffDeveloper,RegenceAuthor,IBMLotusSametime8Essentials:AUser’sGuide,withMarieScottwww.dujert.com
UserAdoptionStrategies �4
UserAdoptionStrategies (2ndEdition)
ShiftingSecondWavePeopletoNewCollaborationTechnology
MichaelSampson
UserAdoptionStrategies �16
Foreword—byNancyWhite,FullCircleAssociates
Collaborationshouldn’tbeanelusivepractice.Werecognisewecanandmustworktogether.Werecognisethattechnologyhaschangedwhatitmeanstoworktogether,bothwhenweareinthesameplaceorscatteredacrosstheglobe.Wehavethebusinessimperatives.Wehavethetechnology.Yetwhydoesitremainsohard?
Letmetellyouastory.
Aresearchorganisationhadasupportteamwhorecognisedearlyonthepossibilitiesoftheuseofsocialmediafortheirscientists.Sotheyinstalledblogandwikisoftware,createdtrainingsessionsandthoughtthatitwouldbeaquickandobviousadoption.ItwasSOcleartothesesmartindividuals.Theirscientistswereclever.Easy.
Notso.Aftersomemissteps,theteamchangedtheirstrategy.Theywerenotscientists.Theyneededthescientiststodefinetherulesofthegame.Insteadoftrainingsessions,theyconvenedconversationsaboutresearch,notaboutsocialmedia.Asrealcollaborationneedssurfaced,theyofferedsuggestionsandexperimentsbetweenthem.Thetechnologyfolkscreatedprototypesforexperimentation,takingapagefromtheverypracticesthescientistsusedonadailybasis.Prototypesweresetup,feedbackofferedandappliedandtoolsandpracticessubsequentlyadjusted.
Whathappened?Practicestoenhancecollaborativeresearchemerged.Theyjusthappenedtousetechnologyaspartoftheprocess.Thescientistsdidscience,not“blogandwiki”classesthattheyfeltwereawasteoftime.
Tofollowup,thetechnologyteamreadjustedtheirrolestostewardingthetechnology—keepinganeyeonhowthescientistswereusingthetools,makingadjustmentsandlookingoutfornewoptions.Theywerecarefulnottodefinetheconversation,insteadlisteningandcontributing.TheylivedthewordsMichaelshareswithusonpage249,"Go!Learn!Adjust!Andthengosomemore!"
Throughtheprocessthese"technologystewards"redefinedtheirroles.Whataboutthescientists?Thinkaboutit.Arescientists“secondwaveadopters?”Inreality,thescientistsarefirstwaveadoptersintheirfieldsofresearch,butsecondwavetechnologyadopters.Ittook
Insteadoftrainingsessions,theyconvenedconversationsaboutresearch,notaboutsocialmedia. Asrealcollaborationneedssurfaced,theyofferedsuggestionsandexperimentsbetweenthem.Thetechnologyfolkscreatedprototypesforexperimentation,takingapagefromtheverypracticesthescientistsusedonadailybasis.
UserAdoptionStrategies �17
seeingthecollaborationfromtheircontexttobringthemonboard,butwithoutmakingthemfeellikesecond-classcitizensandbyrespectingtheirwayofworking.
I'mattractedtotheideaofsecondwaveadopters—thatlargegroupofpeopleEverettRogerswritesaboutinDiffusionofInnovations.Theyarethepeoplewhoareouttheregettingworkdone.Ifweasleadersareaboutcreatingtheconditionsforthatworktohappen,thenthisshouldbeagroupwepayattentiontoandsupport.WhenwedidourresearchabouttechnologyforcommunitiesofpracticeforourbookDigitalHabitats:StewardingTechnologyforCommunities,werecognisedthatpeopleusetechnologycreatively,ofteninwaysthedesignersorITneverexpected.WerealisedthereisarolethatisdifferentfromIT,arolethatrequiresbothknowledgeoftechnologyandknowledgeofthepeople.Inthisdynamicinterplay,wehavetheissueoftechnologyadoption.
Wavesarefunnythings.Thinkofoceanwaves.Theygoupanddown,theycanbegentleorpoundusintothesand.Justwhenwethinkwehavetheirrhythm,thenextwavechangesandsurprisesus.Thekeyisstayingalert,knowinghowtoswim,andbeingreadyfortheunexpected.
MichaelSampsonisabouttotakeyousurfingontheoceanofcollaborationtechnologyadoption.Inclear,practicallanguage,heoffersusinsightsthatcanreducethepainandincreasethebenefitsofcollaborationsoftwareadoption.Comeon,catchthewave!
NancyWhiteFullCircleAssociates,www.fullcirc.comAuthor,DigitalHabitats:StewardingTechnologyforCommunities,withEtienneWengerandJohnD.Smith
Thekeyisstayingalert,knowinghowtoswim,andbeingreadyfortheunexpected.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �18
Chapter1. FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical
Adoptioncanbehard...particularlywithbroad-brushedtoolsthatcandosomuch. 1
ScottJamison,Jornada
Theworldisfilledwithgroovytechnologytosupportpeopleworkingtogether.There’snoshortageofit.DuringthedecadethatItrackedallnewproductandserviceannouncementsinthe“collaboration”space,hardlyadaywentbywithoutatleastoneexistingvendorreleasingnewfeatures,ifnotanewentrantvendormakingasplashontheglobalstage.Mycontentionisthatthetechnologytosupportcollaborationisnolongerthelimitingfactor.Useradoptionis.
Inthischapter,wewill:
1. Considertheevidenceontheimportanceofuseradoption
2. Contemplatethecostandriskofnotdevelopingauseradoptionapproachforyourorganisation.
3. Definetheterm“useradoptionstrategies”anditsderivatives,asusedinthisbook.
4. Learnthedifferencebetweenfirstandsecondwavepeople.
Thetechnologytosupportcollaborationisnolongerthelimitingfactor.Useradoptionis.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �19
The“Why”ofUserAdoptionStrategies
Theuseradoption“problem”isarefrainIhearallovertheworldwhenI’mworkingwithorganisationsoncollaborationstrategy—inSingapore,inAustralia,intheUnitedStates,inEurope,andyes,eveninmyhomecountryofNewZealand.Butit’snotjustwhatI’mhearing.Thereisgrowingagreementamongmultiplegroupsofpeopleinvolvedwithcollaborationtechnology—thevendors,theconsultants,theinternalevangelists,theend-userorganisations—thatanintentionalfocusonuseradoptionisessential.I’dgoasfarassayingthatmanyarecomingtotheviewthatthisisthemaingame.
Thebasicthinkinggoeslikethis:
Itisimportanttochoosetherightcollaborationtechnologyforyourgroup,organisationorcommunity—nottoomuchtoconfusethem,andnottoolittletoannoythem.Forthisyouneedtoknowcertainthings(e.g.howthepeoplewithinthetargetgroupwork),youneedtogetvariousthingsright(e.g.vendorselection,riskmitigation,andtechnologyintegration),andyouneedtohavetherightpeopleinplacetomakeitworkwell(e.g.business-focusedITadministrators).ItalkaboutthisindepthinCollaborationRoadmap.
Therewillbeagroupofpeopleinanyorganisationwhoquicklyandactivelyembracethenewcollaborationtechnology.Thesearepeoplewehavetraditionallycalled“earlyadopters,”butinthisbookarecalled“firstwavers.”Theyarethepeopleforwhomgettingtousethenewtechnologyissufficientrewardtoexperimentandtrythingsout.Theydon’tneedsomeoneelsetoactivelyadvocatehownewtechnologywillhelpthem,maketheirlivesbetter,orbebetterthanthecurrenttechnologiestheyareusingtoday—they’reabletointuititforthemselves.
Thereareonlyafewfirstwaveadopterswithinanygroup,organisationorcommunity.Gettingbeyondthemtothesecondwaveadoptersisessentialtodrivingbetterbusinessperformance.Thisisbecausesecondwavepeoplearecarryingoutvitalbusinessactivities,therearemanymoreofthemnumericallywithinanygroup,organisationorcommunity,andasaconsequencetheyhaveamuchgreaterimpactonbusinessperformance.
Secondwavepeople,however,aredifferentfromfirstwavepeople.Theydon’teasilymaketheintuitiveleapfromwhatthetechnologydoestohowtheycoulduseittodotheirworkbetter;theyneedhelpfromotherstoadoptnewwaysofworking.
Thereisgrowingagreementamongmultiplegroupsofpeopleinvolvedwithcollaborationtechnologythatanintentionalfocusonuseradoptionisessential.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �20
Thisbookisabouthowtohelpsecondwavepeopledothis.
UserAdoptionProblemsinSharePointLand
IhavedonealotofworkwithSharePointduringthepastsixyears,resultingintwoSharePoint-focusedbooks.OneoftheproblemsIhavefrequentlyobservedinvolvesthe“IT-department-led”implementationofSharePoint.Thisisn’taproblemwiththetechnologyofSharePointassuch,butratheraproblemofhowspecificorganisationsapproachtheuseandadoptionofSharePoint.
BythetimeITprofessionalshaveSharePointreadytogoforeveryoneelse,theyhaveforgottenthepainandfrustrationtheyexperiencedwhenlearningSharePoint.Inaddition,whileSharePointis“thejob”forITprofessionals,it’sdefinitelynotthejobforbusinessendusers.Businessendusershaveajobtoaccomplish,andSharePointismerelyameanstoanend.ThesefactorscreatetwoproblemsforITprofessionalswhenworkingwithbusinessusersonSharePointadoption:
1. Theythinkallbusinessusersknowwhattheyknow—SharePointhasbecomesecondnaturetothem,andtheycan’tunderstandthe“bigdeal”usersaremakingaboutchangingtheirworkandembracingSharePoint.
2. Theydon’tshareacommonmotivationorlanguagewiththebusinessusers,andsotalkatcross-purposes.BothsetsofpeoplemaybespeakingEnglish(orFrench,orGerman,orDanish),butforallintentsandpurposes,thereisnocommongroundonwhichaconversationcanbeheld.
Again,thisisn’tatechnologyproblem—itcanhappenregardlessofthespecificcollaborationtechnologyyourorganisationembraces.Theproblemistheapproachtakenbytheorganisation(orpartofit),anditseffectscanbeverydamaging.
OtherpeoplewhoworkwithorganisationsonSharePointhavecommentedonthesamephenomena.Forexample:
LeeReedfrequentlypresentsontheuseradoptionchallengewithSharePointatconferencesandeventsintheUnitedStates. Lee2
says,Oftentimes,SharePointisrolledoutwithgreatfanfareandislaudedasafantasticsolutiontoahugenumberofbusiness
challenges.“We'retransformingourorganisationthroughcollaboration,”themasse-mailnotificationmightsay.Well,yourusershave
An“IT-department-led”implementationofSharePointcreatesproblemswhenworkingwithbusinessusersonadoption.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �21
heardthatbefore,haven'tthey?Usershaveahardtimebelievingsuchpontifications,andtheirskepticismcanquicklyundermineanyeffortstorolloutSharePoint.
KimLundfromMindsharpwroteablogpostinlate2009entitledHowtoIncreaseSharePointEndUserAdoption. Kimwrites,Ifyou3
findthatuseradoptionofSharePointisavoidedorslowerthananticipatedinyourworkingenvironment,youarenotalone.Many
studentsthatIhavetrained,consulted[with],andlistenedtohaveexpressedtheirpainpointsforSharePointadoption.
ClareStonefromPentalogicTechnologywroteawhitepaperonbarrierstoenduseradoptiononSharePointinOctober2009. 4
Clarestartsthewhitepaperwiththisstatement:It’seasytodeployanapplicationlikeSharePointwithinanorganisation;thehard
partisgettingpeopletouseitinawaywhichmakesthemmoreproductive.ManypeopleItalkwithdisagreethatdeployingSharePointis“easy,”butfullyagreethatuseradoptionisthe“hardpart.”
VariousresearchreportsonSharePointduring2011alsohighlightedthesameissue—adoptionisamajorchallenge. 5
UserAdop*onProblemswithCollabora*onTechnology
Iwroteabovethatmanypeoplearecomingtoseethatanintentionalfocusonuseradoptionisessential.Whileit’sdefinitelyaproblemfororganisationswithSharePoint,it’snotexclusivelyaSharePointproblem.Forexample:
Socialtext(www.socialtext.com),anenterprisecollaborationsoftwareandprofessionalservicescompany,releasedawhitepaperonuseradoptionin2009. Intheopeningsection,thewhitepaperstates:Thesuccessorfailureofanysocialsoftwaresolution…[is]
6
adirectresultofitsadoptionrate….Thereareplentyofexamplesoffailedsocial
softwareprojects.Whydidtheyfail?Becausetheywerenotembracedbyusers.
NewsGator(www.newsgator.com),asoftwarecompanyfocusedonenterprisesocialcomputingextensionsforSharePoint,alsoreleasedawhitepaperonuseradoptionin2009. Intheopeningremarks,NewsGatorsays:Thispaperpresents7
amodelforproactiveanalysisthatshouldbeundertakenpriortoorduringthe
earlyphasesofdeployinganenterprisesocialcomputinginitiative.Investingthe
timeandefforttocompletetheanalysisshouldgreatlyincreasetheopportunityforsuccessfuladoptionandactiveongoing
participation.Inotherwords,howyouapproachsocialsoftwareintheenterprisehasabigimpactonadoption.
NewsGator:howyouapproachsocialsoftwareintheenterprisehasabigimpactonadoption.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �22
TheUCViewpublishedanarticleIwroteonuseradoptionandLotusConnectionsinApril2009.Istartedwith,IncreasinguseradoptionisacommonchallengefororganisationsthatintroducecollaborationandsocialsoftwaretoolssuchasIBMLotus
Connections.Administratorsoftenfinditdifficulttoteachbusinessusershownewtoolscanhelpthemintheirwork.Peoplearebusy,
andintoday’seconomicmaelstrom,peoplearescared.Insuchtimes,thesafeapproachistostaywithwhatyouknowgiventhe
inherentproductivityandefficiencyofthisoption.
UserAdop*onProblemswithOtherTechnologies
Vendorsoutsidethecollaborationcamparealsoadvocatingtheimportanceofuseradoption,therebyillustratingthatit’sabroadandgeneralissue.
InaMarch2005whitepaperfromBusinessIntelligence(BI)vendorBusinessObjects,theauthorwrites:AtypicalBIprojecthasareturnoninvestment(ROI)of430%—assumingproperimplementationandorganisation-wideuseradoption.Failuretoachieveuser
adoptionresultsinmisseddeadlinesandcompromisedbusinessperformance.Despitetoday’spressures,proactiveorganisationswith
aneyetobusinessadvantagecanenjoyunprecedentedbenefits.Newthinking
suggeststhatuseradoptionisakeydeterminantofsuccess. 8
Inlate2010,astudyfromIBMandMITcommentedonthedifficultieswithgainingacceptanceofbusinessanalyticsinsideorganisations,andpointedthefingeratuseradoptionissues.Businessanalyticsisatopmostcompanies'apps
wishlists.Thebusinessgoal,ofcourse,istomakesenseoftheenormousamount
ofdataandinformationhousedintheirservers—andstopmakingcritical
decisionsfromthegut.Theproblem,however,isthattheadoptionofanalyticsis
beinghinderednotbytechnologybutbyage-oldpeopleproblems:change
managementandculturalresistance. Theresearchcitedfourmainobstaclesto9
widespreadadoption:lackofunderstandingofhowtouseanalyticstoimprovethebusiness,lackofbandwidthduetocompetingpriorities,lackofskillsinternallyinthelineofbusiness,andanexistingculturethatdoesnotencouragethesharingofinformation.
Thisbookdoesnotcontextualiseuseradoptionwithintheseotherareas,buttheapproachandstrategiesoutlinedinthebookcanbeappliedtomitigatetheproblemsnotedabove.
Lackofunderstandingofhowtouseanalyticstoimprovethebusinessisthetopobstacletowidespreadadoptionofbusinessanalyticstechnology.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �23
What’sGoingOn?
Whyallthisdiscussionandinterestinuseradoptionstrategies?Here’swhatIsee:
Thetechnologyiseasytobuyandinstall.It’seasytogetthelatestandgreatesttechnology;it’sfairlycheap,it’swidelyaccessible,andit’savailablefrommanydifferentvendors.WhenNicholasCarrsaidthatITdoesn’tmatter,partofhisargumentwasthatthewidespreadavailabilityofmaturetechnologytoanypurchasereliminatesopportunitiesforcompetitivedifferentiation.It’snottheITthatmatters—it’swhatyoudowithit.
“Justbecause”isn’tenough.Having“cool”stuffisdirectlyappealingtosomepeople,andunappealingtoothers.EventhelatestandgreatestSharePointorEnterprise2.0technologylacksthepunchrequiredtogeteveryonetoshift“justbecause.”Somethingmore—anintentionalapproachtoencouraginguseradoption—isrequired.
What’stheCostofNotDoingIt?
Haveyouheardthesaying,“Hopeisnotastrategy”?Unfortunately,hopeisthe“strategy”inwhichmanyorganisationsputtheirtrustwhenrollingoutnewcollaborationtechnology.TheITdepartmentbuildsit,makesitavailable,andthen“hopes”thatthetargetpeopleintheorganisationwillmakegooduseofit.Whilehopeisnotanupfrontstrategy,it’safrequentlyembracedsurrogate.
What’sthecostofembracingthissurrogateapproach?Considerthefollowingthreestages:
TheITdepartmentatyourorganisationdecidesanewpieceofcollaborationtechnologywouldbeagoodidea.
TheITdepartmentgoesoutandpurchaseswhattheythinkisneeded,andgetsitinstalled,configured,andreadytogo.
TheCIOsendsoutaone-timeemailtoeveryoneintheorganisation,saying“Thenewkitisavailable;goforit.”
What’sgoingtohappen?In99%ofinstances,abigfatnothing.Therehasbeennocommunicationorexpectationsettingaboutwherethenewtoolshouldbeused,norhowmuch,norwhatit’sdesignedtoreplace.Nostorieshavebeentoldaboutthebenefitspeopleandteamswillreceivebyusingthenewtool—neitherexemplarstoriesfromwithinyourorganisation,norreal-to-lifescenariosthathavebeen
EventhelatestandgreatestSharePointorEnterprise2.0technologylacksthepunchrequiredtogeteveryonetoshift“justbecause.”
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �24
developedtocommunicatecontextandprospect.Andthereisnocultivationofamovementamongthestafftoreinforcethevalidityandpotentialofthenewtool.TheCIO’semailisgoingtofallflat.Endofstory!
Whatarethecostsofthis?
1. Wasteofmoney,time,andeffortfromITindiscovering,learninganddeployingthenewtool.Inalargeorganisation,thiscouldrangefromhundredsofthousandstomillionsofdollarswasted.Inlightoftoday’seconomicrealities,feworganisationshavethefreedomtodothis.
2. FurthererosionofthetrustandpartnershipbetweentheITdepartmentandtherestofthebusiness.Intoomanyorganisations,ITisalreadyseenasthe“businesspreventiondepartment.”Failureincollaborationtechnologyinitiativesrepresentfurtherstrikesagainstthistrustandpartnership.
LowAdop*onisCostly
Onewaytounderstandthecostofnotdoinganyintentionalworkarounduseradoptionistoincludeitinyourfinancialmodels!Doasensitivityanalysisontheimpactoflessthanperfectuseradoption.Inarecentblogpost,JasonWhiteheadwrote:
…mostbusinesscasesassume100%useradoptionandignoretheimpactlowlevelsofadoption
haveonreturnoninvestment(ROI).Asyouknow,benefitsareonlyrealisedifyourpeople
actuallyusethesystemconsistentlyandeffectively.Unlessyoucurrentlyhavefullandeffective
adoptionofyourexistingsystems,itisnaïvetothinkthatyouwillachieve100%adoptionofyour
newsystems.
Toaccountforlessthanperfectuseradoption,youneedtoexaminehowdifferentadoptionlevelsaffectyourbusinesscase.Ifyoufind
thattheprojectedROInolongermakessenseyoucaneitherscraptheprojectordeterminewhatadditionalresourcesandeffortis
requiredtoincreaseadoptiontothepointthatitwilldeliveranacceptableROI. 10
What’sthebenefitofdoingthissensitivityanalysis?Youwillgainaveryclearpictureabouttheimportanceofuseradoptioninalanguagethatseniorexecutivescanunderstand.Thiswillbeofgreatbenefittoyouinadvocatingforthekindofintentionaluseradoptionworkproposedinthisbook. 11
Mostbusinesscasesassume100%useradoptionandignoretheimpactlowlevelsofadoptionhaveonreturnoninvestment.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �25
Lookingatthecostoflowadoptionfromanotherangle,consideranorganisationof1,200employeesembarkingonthecollaborationjourney.Thetechnologycosts$200peremployee,andthedecisionistolicenseitforeveryoneimmediately,andthenrunapilotprogramfor6monthswith400staff.These400staffreceivetrainingandencouragementtousethenewapproach(at$300each).Twelvemonthslater,only200peopleareusingthetechnology,andthenonlyinahalf-heartedway.Ofthe$360,000out-of-pocketexpenditure,$260,000hasbeenwasted.
Figure1-1.PoorAdoptionEqualsWastedExpenditureandaLostOpportunity
�
Thefailuretoadoptnewcollaborationtechnologyandwaysofworkingresultsinwastedexpenditure,missedopportunities,andalowchanceofachievingtheinitialvisionthatdrovetheinvestmentinthefirstplace.Useradoptioniscriticaltosuccess.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �26
Thereisathirdwaythatadoptioniscostlytoo:itcreatesalitteredlandscapeofpoorly-adoptedtools.OneteamusesYammer.AnotherteamusesSharePoint,plusabitofBasecampforworkingwithexternalparties.AthirdteamusesLotusLive.Afourthusesanothertool.Thissituationhasmanynegativeimplications,suchasconfusionamongstaffaboutwhattooltouse,highongoinglicensingfeespayabletovendors,highinternalsupportcostsduetotheburdenofsupportingsomanytools,difficultiesindeliveringtraining,andseverechallengeswhenon-boardinganewemployee.Thereisno“waywedothingsaroundhere,”butratheranincoherentcollectionoftoolsusedbyspecificteamsforspecificpurposes.Complexityreigns.
UserAdoptionStrategies—TheWhat
Inthefirsthalfofthischapter,Isetthebackgroundontheuseradoptionchallengeanditsimportance.Inordertobeclearonwhatwearetalkingaboutwithuseradoptionstrategies,thissectiondefinesthreewaysthisbookusesthephraseanditsderivatives.
Thecollectivephrase“UserAdoptionStrategies”referstoagroupingofindividualstrategiesthatanorganisationcanusetoencouragepeopletostartusinganewcollaborationtechnology.Inthissenseit’stheglobaltermtorefertoallavailablestrategiesforuseradoption.
A“UserAdoptionStrategy”isasingleself-containedwayofencouragingpeopletostartusinganewcollaborationtechnology—forexample,theReal-to-LifeScenariosstrategy,isa“useradoptionstrategy.”WhenIprofileaparticularuseradoptionstrategyinchapters6-9,thestrategyincludesaname,adescription,andinstructionsaboutwhenthestrategycanbestbeappliedwithintheprocessofuseradoptionwork.
A“UserAdoptionApproach”referstotheintentionalplandevelopedbyaspecificorganisationtoencouragetheprocessofuseradoptionbyaspecificgrouporsetofgroups.EitheroneuseradoptionstrategyormultipleuseradoptionstrategieswillbeembracedwithintheUserAdoptionApproach.Theapproachshouldbecontainedinadocumentofsomeform,althoughthedocumentisintendedtoconveyasharedagreementandcommitmentfromagroupofpeoplewithintheorganisationabouttheuseradoptionapproach.
SecondWavePeople
Theterm“secondwave”isusedthroughoutthisbook,and“secondwavepeople”aretheintendedaudienceforyouruseradoptionwork.Theyareyourtargetmarket.Let’sexaminewhatsecondwavepeoplearelike.
A“UserAdoptionStrategy”isasingleself-containedwayofencouragingpeopletostartusinganewcollaborationtechnology.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �27
“Secondwavepeople”or“secondwavers”representthelargestbodyofpeopleinagroup,communityororganisation. Theyaregenerally12
theoneswhohavetousethenewcollaborationtechnologyasit’sgiven,ratherthanhavinganydirectinputintowhatitisandhowitcouldbeused.Theyareverydifferentfrom“firstwavepeople”—theearlyadoptersofanythingnew,theadvocates,thechampions,theenthusiasts.Firstwaversaremoreatpeacewithchange,permissiveofchaos,unfazedbyambiguity,andactuallyderiveenjoymentfromfiguringsomethingout.AsIsaid,theyareverydifferentfromsecondwavepeople!
Herearethedifferencesbetweenfirstandsecondwavepeople,differenceswhichformthefabricwithinwhichtheadviceinthisbookisgiven.Thinkofthesedifferencesas“ideal-typehallmarks.”Notallofthemwillapplytoeveryindividualinthetwowaves,butifyouseemorethantwoinagivenperson,thenit’slikelytheyareasecondwaver.
What-whyreversal.Afirstwavepersonisattractedtothe“what”ofthenewcollaborationtechnology,butmaystruggletoarticulatethe“why”—thefutureorientedpicture—tootherpeople.Theymay“getit”implicitly,butstruggletoputitintowords.Asecondwavepersongetsthe“why”(ifit’sconveyedintermsoftheirwork),butwillneedhelpwiththe“what.”
Differentreferencegroups.Afirstwavepersonseestheiruseofthetoolwithinaself-createdreferencegroup,usuallyoutsideoftheirorganisation.Asecondwavepersonseestheirownwork,andtheuseoftoolscontextualisedwithinaninternalreferencegroup.
Differentrewards.Gettingtousenewtoolsisrewardenoughforfirstwavers,butsecondwavershavetounderstandwhereandhowthenewtoolswillimprovetheircurrentwork.
Speedofadoption.Firstwaverswillquicklyembracenewtools,andwilllearnhowtodosothroughtrial-and-error.Secondwaversneedgreaterexternalhelpandhandholdingtosuccessfullymakethetransitionfromcurrenttoolsandapproachestowork.
Natureofinvolvement.Firstwavershaveahighdegreeofinvolvementindefiningwhatcouldbedone,whatshouldbedone,andhowtodoit.Secondwaversaregenerallyexpectedtofollowalonganddowhatthey’retold.
Dealingwiththeold.Firstwaverswillbequicktocalltheoldstuff"dead"andwillwanttomoveawayfromitasquicklyaspossible.Secondwaverswanttoembracenewthingswithinthecontextofwhattheyalreadyknowandhave.
Gettingtousenewtoolsisrewardenoughforfirstwavers,butsecondwavershavetounderstandwhereandhowthenewtoolswillimprovetheircurrentwork.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �28
Itistheirjobvs.Itcouldbeusedfortheirjob.Firstwavepeopleoftenhaveanorganisationalresponsibilitytotryoutnewthings,andseewhatcouldbeusefultothewayworkgetsdone.It’spartoftheirjobtoexplorethenew.Forsecondwavers,theyactuallyhavea“realjob”todo—that’showtheydescribeit—andthespecifictechnologytoenableinteractionandcollaborationis,atbest,tolerated.
Notethatsecondwaverswon’twearabadgeproclaimingtheirmembershipintheSecondWaveAdopterClub.Recognisingthemrequirespayingattention—lookingoutforthetypesofindicatorsIhavelistedabove.Note,too,thatalthoughthebookisfocusedonpeopleinthesecondwave,theadvicewillalsohelppeopleinthethirdandsubsequentwaves.
Peoplesometimesaskhowfirstwavepeoplecaninfluenceor“preachto”thesecondwavers.Themosteffectivewayisto“livethemessage.”Onceyouhavepeopleinyourorganisationswhoareusingthenewtoolsaspartoftheirday-to-daywork,otherpeoplewillseethat.Ifthenewtoolsandapproachesarerelevanttotheirworkaswell,theywillbe“broughtintothefold.”Clearlythismeansthenewsystemhastowork,ithastoshowbenefitcomparedtocurrentwaysofworking,anditneedstobecomeabsorbedintotheworkingapproachoftheorganisation.Peoplewhoarenotintheearlywavesdon’twanttoinvesttimeandeffortlearninganewsystemthatlacksthecapabilitytodeliveronitspromises.
ThedifferencebetweenfirstandsecondwavepeopleisakeyreasonwhydeploymentsofcollaborationtechnologydrivenbytheITdepartmentusuallyfail.HavingpeopleintheITdepartmentactivelyusingthenewsystemdoesn’tsolvetheuseradoptionproblem.Infact,ifit’sjusttheITdepartmentthatisactivelyusingthenewsystem,itismorelikelytocausetheuseradoptionproblem.ITpeopleare“abnormallyprofiled”incomparisontotherestoftheorganisation,andtherecanbequitealevelofantagonismbetweenITandothergroups.Foruseradoptiontobecomelessofaproblem,youhavetogetbeyondtheITdepartmentthroughengagementwithbusinessteamsandgroups.Formoreonbusinessengagement,seeChapter6inmybookCollaborationRoadmap:You’veGottheTechnology—NowWhat?
“Users”or“StaffMembers”
Aquicknoteontheuseoftheword“user”inthisbook.It’sbeensaidthatdrugaddictsandpeoplewhousecomputersoftwarearetheonlytwogroupsinsocietywhogobythelabel“users.”WhileIdon’thaveaparticularlovefortheuseoftheword“user,”otheralternativessoundworse.Wecouldtalkabout“staffmembers.”Butthenwe’dhave“StaffMemberAdoptionStrategies”—quiteamouthful.Wecould
HavingpeopleintheITdepartmentactivelyusingthenewsystemdoesn’tsolvetheuseradoptionproblem—infact,itismorelikelytocausetheuseradoptionproblem.
Chapter1 FocusingonUserAdoptionisCritical �29
talkmoregenerallyabout“people,”butthenwe’dhave“PeopleAdoptionStrategies.”Thatdoesn’tworkforthesamereason.Let’sbeclearthoughthatthefocusisonpeoplewhoworkinsidetheorganisation—theemployees,thestaffmembers,themanagers,andtheexecutives.Inshort,“useradoption”isthebestphrasewehave.
Summary
Thisintroductorychapterhaslaidthefoundationforthisbook.We’vetalkedthroughwhyanintentionalfocusonuseradoptionisimportant,andhaveconsideredtheevidencethatuseradoptionchallengesarenotlimitedtoanyoneparticulartechnology.It’sabroad-basedproblem.Useradoptiondoesn’thappenbydefault,regardlessofthetechnologyinvolved.
Thischapteralsolookedatthreeotherissues.First,itaddressedthecostofnottakingtheuseradoptionchallengeseriously,andproposedonewayofquantifyingthefinancialimpactoflessthanperfectuseradoption.Second,itdefinedkeytermsthatwillbeusedthroughoutthisbook,suchas“useradoptionstrategies,”“useradoptionstrategy,”and“useradoptionapproach.”Third,itprovidedinsightintothedifferencebetweenfirstwaveandsecondwavepeople,thelatterbeingthekeyfocusofthisbook.
InChapter2weturnourattentiontotheorganisationalcontextinwhichourworkwithuseradoptiontakesplace.
Useradoptiondoesn’thappenbydefault,regardlessofthetechnologyinvolved.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �77
Chapter4. NewWaysofWorking
Businessdataandbusinessprocessesareunifyingforceswithintheenterprise.Byputtingyournewcollaborationtoolsinthecontextofa
businessprocessorobjectivebusinessmeasure,youcandriveadoptionacrosstheentirespectrumofemployees. 34
JoeSchueller,CiscoSystems
Therearehundredsofproductsthatfallunderthephraseof“collaborationtechnology.”Sincewearefocusingonuseradoptionofnewcollaborationtechnologyandapproachesforgreaterbusinessbenefit,itishelpfultohaveanunderstandingofthetypesoftechnologiesthatareavailable,andthatsetthecontextforourwork.Inthischapter,Iwilldiscusscommoncollaborativescenarios—thefundamentalbuildingblocksoftechnology-supportedcollaboration—andhighlightnewtechnologiesforapproachingeachscenario.
Inthischapter,wewill:
Learnaboutcollaborativescenariospeopledoregularly.
Considercurrentwaysofapproachingeachcollaborativescenario,andtheproblemsthatresult.
Lookintonewcollaborationtechnologythatcansupportexistingscenariosinnewways,andtheassociatedbenefits.
Byputtingyournewcollaborationtoolsinthecontextofabusinessprocessorobjectivebusinessmeasure,youcandriveadoptionacrosstheentirespectrumofemployees.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �78
CollaborationScenarios
Variousapproachescanbetakenwhentalkingaboutthetechnologythatisusedtosupportcollaboration.Forexample:
Youcandifferentiatebyproductgroupings—suchreal-timeinteraction(presenceandavailability,instantmessaging,andwebconferencing),calendaring(enterprise,web-based,andmobile),teamworkspaces,andsocialcollaboration(activitystreams,rating,andcommenting).Suchalenscreatesadifferentiationbasedonacceptedindustryproductareas.
Youcandifferentiatebyintent—forteamsthatwouldbecreatingasharedplaceforjointaccess,locationindependence,andreal-timejointeditingandreview,amongothers. Thisapproachlooksacrossdifferentproductgroupstohighlightthespecific35
needsofateam,group,ororganisationfromthetechnology.
YoucandifferentiatebyCollaborationScenario—anapproachthatstartswiththedifferentcollaborativeactivitiespeoplecarryoutasaregularpartoftheirwork,andthenlinksthoseactivitieswithparticulartypesoftechnology.Thetechnologyisonlyconsideredinthecontextofthescenario. 36
Thischaptertakesthethirdapproach.
CommonCollaborationScenarios
AmongthemanyCollaborationScenarios,commononesinclude:
ManagingaTeamProject.Whenteamsworktogetheronaproject—aninitiativewithaparticularoutcome,setmembership,anddefiniteendsignal.
SharingTeamandOrganisationalUpdates.Howdifferentpartsoftheorganisationarekeptup-to-datewithcurrenthappeningsandfutureplans.
FindingExpertise.Whenpeopleneedtolocateotherswhohaveexpertiseorspecialknowledgeinaparticulartopicorfield.
CollaborationScenariosstartswithacollaborativeactivitypeoplecarryoutasaregularpartoftheirwork,notthetechnology.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �79
CollaborativelyAuthoringDocuments.Whentwoormorepeopleworkonadocumenttogether—planning,drafting,writing,editing,andthefinalpolishing.
CollaborativeIdeaManagement.Whenmanypeoplehaveideasonwhatcouldorshouldhappen,andhowthoseideasarebroughttogetherforanalysis.
MakingGroupDecisions.Whenmanypeopleareinvolvedinformingdecisionoptions,evaluatingtheoptions,andmakingadecision.
ManagingMeetings.Whenpeoplemeettodiscussideas,makedecisions,explorepossibilities,andotherwisecommunicate“inthenow.”Thescenarioincludesthepre-meetingplanningactivities,aswellasthepost-meetingfollow-up.
SharingLearningandBestPractices.Whenmanypeoplearedoingsimilarwork,andinnovationsintheworkapproachmadebyonepersoncouldbenefitotherpeopledoingthesamework.
HoldingDiscussions.Whenteamsorgroupsdiscussideas,challenges,problems,andopportunities,withaviewtoexploringtheboundariesofwhat’sknown.
IndividualCoherence.AspecialCollaborationScenariothatconsiderstheimpactofintroducingnewcollaborationtechnologyonanindividual—howtheytrackandcoordinateeverythingtheyhavetodo.
ExaminingCollaborationScenarios
Inthischapter,wearegoingtofocusonsixofthesescenarios:
1. ManagingaTeamProject.
2. SharingTeamandOrganisationalUpdates.
3. FindingExpertise.
4. CollaborativelyAuthoringDocuments.
5. CollaborativeIdeaManagement.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �80
6. MakingGroupDecisions.
Thechapterconcludeswithabrieflookatthreeotherscenarios:holdingmeetings,requestingfeedback,andsharingbestpractices.
ManagingaTeamProject
Emailisthemostcommonlyusedcollaborationtechnologytoday.It’sthemostcommontoolpeopleusetocollaborateonteamprojects—discussingissues,checkingupontimeframes,swappingdocuments.Butemailisnotideallysuitedtomanagingteamprojects,foravarietyofreasons:
DocumentChaos.Whenco-authoringadocument,nooneissureiftheyareworkingonthemostrecentedition,andsomeonehastobringtogetherallthesuggestedchangestocreateanewmastercopy.It’smessy,error-prone,andtakesfartoolong.
VersioningChaos.WhenJimislookingforaparticulardocumentorspreadsheet,howdoesheknowwhetherthecopyonhisdesktop,inthefilefolder,oroneofmultiplecopiesinhisemailinboxisthemostcurrentversion?Basicallyhedoesn’t.It’sawildguess.
CommunicationChaos.Usingemailforconversationsleadstochaos.Althoughmodernemailclientsoffertheabilitytoshowrelatedmessagesinathread,threadingisnotsufficienttogiveaproperandnaturalorderingofemailmessageswhenmanypeopleareconversingonanissueoveramulti-dayormulti-weektimeframe.Messageswillbesentandreceivedoutoforder.Someteammemberswillrespondtoearliermessagesinthethread,notthelatestone.They'renottryingtobemalicious(inmostcases)—they’retryingtocontribute—butsincetheircontributionsarehandledviaemailandnotamoreappropriatetool,theycontributetoconversationconfusion. 37
Whatcanbedone?Manyorganisationsareexperimentingwithcollaborationsitesforteamprojects—MicrosoftSharePoint,LotusQuickr,andCentralDesktop(seeFigure4-1),amongothers.Achangeofcollaborationtechnologyintroduceschangestothewayworkisdone:
• Peopleswitchtothecollaborationsite,andstopusingemailforthecommunication,collaborationandcoordinationworkoftheteamproject.Thebigideawithacollaborationsiteisthatallofthedocuments,conversations,meetings,andtasksrelatedtotheprojectarebroughttogetherinasingleapplication,insteadofbeingseparatedacrossseveraldifferentapplications.
Whileemailisthemostcommonlyusedcollaborationtechnologytoday,itisnotideallysuitedtomanagingteamprojects.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �81
• Documentsarestoredintheteamsite,andnotemailedaround.Allworkonadocument,spreadsheetorpresentationisdoneoutofthecollaborationsite;peopledon’tworkanymorewithlocalcopies.Thatmeansadocumentisopeneddirectlyfromthecollaborationsite,andafterthechangeshavebeenmade,itissaveddirectlybackintothecollaborationsite.
• Communicationanddiscussionhappensinadiscussionareawithinthecollaborationsite,ratherthaninemail.Thiscanbequiteabigchangeforpeople,becausediscussionsnolongercomethroughtotheirBlackBerriesandiPhones.Althoughthediscussioncanbemucheasiertofollow,thereisasingleversionofthetruth,andnoonehastokeeptheirowncopyofthediscussion.
• Thecoordinationaroundtheteamprojecthappenswithinthecollaborationsite.Tasksarecreatedandassignedtopeople.Meetingsarescheduled,andheld.Projecttimelinesareshared,andupdated.
• Peoplecanbeeasilyaddedtoandremovedfromthecollaborationsite,toaccommodatechangingprojectmembership.Newprojectteammemberscanquicklyreviewwhat’sbeenhappeningintheproject,andexaminethecurrentstatusofitsdifferentaspects.
Documentsarestoredintheteamsite,andnotemailedaround.Allworkonadocument,spreadsheetorpresentationisdoneoutofthecollaborationsite;peopledon’tworkanymorewithlocalcopies.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �82
Figure4-1.CentralDesktopforManagingTeamProjects
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CentralDesktop’scloud-basedcollaborationplatform,SocialBridge,connectspeopleandinformationinthecloud,makingitpossibletomanageprojects,sharefiles,combineknowledge,inspireideas,andmore.Seewww.centraldesktop.comformore.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �83
SharingTeamandOrganisationalUpdates
Keepingeveryoneonthesamepage,whetheritbeinateam,adepartmentoracrosstheentireorganisation,isamajorcommunicationsjob.Theactofgettingthemessageoutisjustonesmallpartoftheoverallprocess;ensuringthatpeopleunderstandthemessage,andcanthenchangetoworkinadifferentwayaremuchbiggeraspects.
Themostcommonapproachtosharingupdatesacrossagroupofpeopleisemailblasts.
Aprojectleadersendsoutaweeklyprojectstatusupdateemailtoallteammembers,withthemessageinthebodyoftheemailalongwithanattachmentforthemtoread(probablyanewversionofthedreadedprojectplan).Theprojectleaderknowsthatshe’llhavetodealwithatleastonepersoninthecomingdayswhoisworkingoffthewrongprojectplan.
Adepartmentalmanagerwritesafortnightlyemailtoeveryoneinhisdepartment,explainingseniormanagement’scurrenttoppriorities,andoutliningwherehe’llbeinthecomingweeks.Ininvitingcommentsandfeedback,heknowsthatafewpeoplewillaskthesamequestion,buthe’sbecomeusedtocopying-and-pastingfrompreviousemailssoastosavetime.
Inkeepingwithourfocusonchangingworkpractice,eachoftheseareascanberevampedgivennewcollaborationtechnologies.Forexample,ablogcouldbeusedinbothinstancestofacilitatethesameprocessofcommunicating,butinadifferentway:
• Theprojectleaderwouldpostherweeklyupdateontheteam’sblog,andeveryoneontheteamwouldknowwheretofindthecurrenteditionoftheprojectplan.Inthatrespect,theprojectplanchangesfrombeinga“file”thathastobedownloadedandreviewed,andbecomesawebpageintheteam’scollaborationsitethatisalwaysup-to-datewiththelatestinformation.Thereisnomoresearchingorcallingaroundtofindthecurrentplan.
• Thedepartmentalmanagerchangeshisworkpracticeandnowwritesaregularblogonhisdepartmentalintranetsite.Ratherthanmerelyrestatingwhatmanagementhavebeentalkingabout,heisabletolinktotheblogpostsfromhisseniors,inordertogivehispeopleaccesstothesourcemessage.Heisthenabletoaddhisinterpretationofthemessageforhispeople.Throughthecommentfunctionontheblog,peoplewithinthedepartmentareabletoaskquestionsandprovidetheirfeedbackdirectly,withouthavingtosendprivateemails.Everyoneinthedepartmentisabletoseethequestionsthathavealreadybeenasked,aswellastheresponsesthathavebeengiven.Theycanseekfurtherclarificationonparticulartopicsifsomethingremainsunclear,orputtheirenergyintoaskingadifferentquestion.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �84
Figure4-2.SharingTeamandOrganisationalUpdatesviaaBlog
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Blogsprovideawayofsharingupdateswithinateamorgroup.Peoplecanrequestthatupdatesarepushedtothem(viaasubscription),andareabletoleavecommentsfortheoriginalauthorandotherblogreaderstosee.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �85
Alawfirmusedablogtoreplaceitsmonthlyinsidenewsletter.Onebenefittheyquicklydiscoveredwasthefaster“time-to-market”fornewsletterarticles,whichnolongersataroundforweeksonendbeforebeingreleased.Asecondbenefitwasthatmanagementdevelopedamorenaturalandinformal“voice”forstaffcommunications.
FindingExpertise
Howdoyoufindexpertswithinyourorganisation?Formanyit’sahitandmissendeavor.Youknowsomeone,whoknowssomeone,whoknowssomeone,andeventuallyyougetlinkeduptoaskthequestion.Butsometimesittakestoolong,andthecustomerontheotherendofthephoneisn’tgettingtheanswertheywant.Oritdoessort-ofwork.Yougetthroughtosomeonewhoisapparentlytheexpert,buttheycan’tunderstandwhatyouaretryingtosay.Unfortunatelythisworkpracticeisalltoocommoninorganisationstoday,leadingtolostopportunities,disappointedcustomers,andmuchwastedtime.
Withnewcollaborationtechnologies,locatingexpertscanbedoneinadifferentway—throughadifferentworkpractice.
Peoplehaveaprofilewithinthecollaborationtechnology,wheretheydescribewhattheyseeastheirareasofexpertise—suchasstrategicanalysis,financialprojections,facilitatinggroupdiscussions,orautomotiveindustryanalysis.Otherpeopleareabletobrowsethroughtheprofilesandexpertiseareas,toseewhohasexpertiseandexperienceinaparticulararea.
Whenlookingataprofile,therearelinkstotheperson’scurrentworkprojects,somerecentblogposts,andsomeitemstheyhavepostedindiscussionforums.Beforeyoumakecontact,youareabletoreadthesourcematerialandevaluateforyourselftheirexpertise.
Onceyouhavefoundthepersonyouwanttospeakwith,embeddedpresenceinformationtellsyouiftheyarecurrentlyonlineandavailableforinteraction.Iftheyarenotavailable,throughalinktotheirelectroniccalendar,youcanseewheretheyareandwhentheyexpecttobeback.
Newerexpertiseprofilesystemsalsohighlightareasinwhichtheotherpersonhasacommoninteresttoyou,andlistspeoplethatbothofyouknow.Thepointofthisistoconveytheirtrustworthiness,putthepersoninawidersocialcontext,andtosuggestsometopicstotalkaboutwhenmakingcontactwiththeotherpersonforthefirsttime.
Withnewcollaborationtechnologies,locatingexpertscanbedoneinadifferentway—throughadifferentworkpractice.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �86
Therehasbeenalotofrecentvendoractivityaroundexpertiseprofiles.Forexample,IBMincludesthesecapabilitiesinIBMConnections.
Figure4-3.DiscoveringandEvaluatingExpertsviaProfiles
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IBMConnectionsincludesapersonalprofilepageforeachperson,whichdisplayskeyinformationabouttheirworkandareasofcontribution.Contactinformationisalsodisplayed,tospeedtime-to-contact.Seewww.ibm.com/lotus/connections.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �87
TheprofilepartofIBMConnectionsstartedlifeasaninternalsystematIBMtohelppeoplefindexperts—itwascalledBluePages.Oneoftheenduringchallengeswithexpertiseprofilesisthataskingpeopletomanuallykeeptheirprofileup-to-datedoesn’twork,andsecondly,theexpertsintheorganisationmaynotwanttobefoundbecauseoftheextrarequestsforassistancethey’llreceive.IBMfoundthathavingwaysforexpertstosharetheirknowledgethroughnon-real-timemeansmadetheadoptionchallengemucheasier:
OncewegaveContributorsthechoiceabouthowtosharetheir
knowledgeandexperience,wefoundthattheyweremorelikelyto
contributeusingthesesocialoptions,sincetheyrealisedthattheresult
wouldbefeweremails,IMsandphonecallsaskingfortheirbasic
expertise.OnceSeekersfindanexpertviaProfiles,theyareableto
consumesomeoftheirknowledgeandexpertisewithoutdisruptingthem.
Thenatureoftheremainingemail/IM/phonerequestsfromSeekerswere
abouttheirdeeperexperience,theirknowledgethatwillalwaysremain
tacit.Ineffect,Contributorssharingtheirmore‘basic’expertiseonlineenabledSeekerstoacceleratewhatevercollaborationtheyfurther
requiredfromContributors. 38
OncewegaveContributorsthechoiceabouthowtosharetheirknowledgeandexperience,wefoundthattheyweremorelikelytocontributeusingthesesocialoptions,sincetheyrealisedthattheresultwouldbefeweremails,IMsandphonecallsaskingfortheirbasicexpertise.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �88
CollaborativelyAuthoringDocuments
Preparingadocument—asnapshotintimeastothecurrentthinkingofateamorgroup—isafrequentprocessforinformationworkers.Thestandardworkpracticetodayrevolvesaroundaleadauthordraftingthedocumentontheircomputer,attachingittoanemailmessage,andsendingitouttootherpeopletoreview.Oncetheotherpeoplehavemarkedupthedocumentwiththeircomments,theleadauthorgetsnumerouscopiesbackwhichtheyhavetoreconcileandcollateintoanewauthoritative“master”copy.
Thankstonewcollaborationtechnologies,therearedifferentwaysofcollaborativelyauthoringdocuments.
UsingawikilikeSocialtextorAtlassianConfluence,theleadauthorcanstartwritingusinganonlineweb-baseddocument.Whentheyarereadyforotherstoaddtheirinputandfeedback,theysendalinktothewikipage.Theotherauthorshavetheabilitytochangethetextdirectly(withroll-backcapabilitiesinawiki,theleadauthorcanroll-backtoanearlierversionifrequired),orleavecommentsonthebottomofthepage.
WithatoollikePleaseReview,thedocumentcanbeuploadedtoacentralserverandallthereviewerscanbeinvitedtoseethedocument.AlleditsandchangesarecarefullymaintainedonthePleaseReviewserver,andreviewersareabletoseeeveryoneelse’schanges,thusleadingtoareductionintheduplicationofthesamecomment.Finally,becauseeveryoneisworkingdirectlywithinthemastercopy,albeitinacontrolledway,theintegrationofmultiplecopiesintoanewmastergoesawayforgood.SeeFigure4-4.
Atamorebasiclevel,ratherthanthedocumentbeingsentoutbyemail,theleadauthorcanstorethedocumentinaMicrosoftSharePointteamsite,andwhentheyarereadyforinputandreviewfromothers,canstarta“CollectFeedback”workflowprocess.Thispromptsreviewersforfeedback,andallin-lineeditsandout-of-linecommentsaresavedintoasinglecopystoredinSharePoint.Theleadauthornolongerhastocorrelatemultiplecopies,andreviewerscanseethecommentsandinputofothers.
Inessence,therearemanynewanddifferentwaysofcollaborativelyauthoringdocuments—andthethreeexamplesabovearebynomeansexhaustive. It’sadifferentworkpracticefromwhatmostpeopleareusedto.39
Theleadauthornolongerhastocorrelatemultiplecopies,andreviewerscanseethecommentsandinputofothers.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �89
Changingthewayteamsworkondocumentscanhavesignificantadvantages.WhenIdiscussthecollaborativeauthoringscenarioinaworkshop,weinvariablygetasavingofatleast50%inprocesstimeacrossthetargetcollaborativeteam.Thisisaresultofeliminatingtheneedtomergecommentsintothemasterdocument,makecommentsthatotherpeoplehavealreadystated,andgivingquickeraccesstoeachteammembertoreviewandcommentonthedocument.PleaseTech,thevendorofPleaseReview,saythattheirclientsareseeingsavingsofupto65%.
Figure4-4.DocumentCo-AuthoringwithPleaseReview
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PleaseReviewfromPleaseTechisacollaborativedocumentauthoringandreviewingservice.Itenablesmanypeopletoworkonthesamedocumentsimultaneously.Seewww.pleasetech.com/pleasereview.aspx.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �90
CollaborativeIdeaManagement
Creating,collectingandrankingideasforprocessimprovements,newproductsandservices,andmanyotherareasofbusinessandorganisationallifearegreatwaystomakecontinualinnovationapartofthefabricofhowworkgetsdone. Todoso,youneedsomeway40
ofcollectingtheideasinthefirstplace.Thiscanbedonebyemail,wherepeoplesendtheirideastoaparticularaddress([email protected]),butthentheideasarehidden,notavailableforeveryonetosee,andgenerallygetforgotten.Thisleadstocynicismamongemployeesbecausetheyneverhearbackabouttheirideas,andtheorganisationmissesoutonapotentialtreasuretroveofinsightsandmotivationforimprovingoperations,technology,andcustomerservice.
Newcollaborationtechnologyprovidesamuchbetterapproachtoideamanagement.Ideasaresubmittedinanopenforum,allowingforeveryoneinsidetheorganisationtoseewhatisbeingproposed.Anyemployeecancontributetheirperspectiveonanidea,providingawayformanagerstogaugethemotivationandfeelingbehindspecificideas.
Here’showthisdifferentapproachworks:
Aspacefornewideasiscreated,mostlikelywithsub-spacesfordifferentgroupingsofideas(anideaspaceforaproduct,oneforaparticularclient,anotherforacertainprocess,andsoon).Thisneedstobesetupsopeoplecanseerelatedideastogether,withouthavingtowadethroughideasthatareirrelevanttothem.
Peopleareinvitedtovisittheideaspace,andtypeintheirideas.Theideaspacedisplaysanup-to-datelistofalltheideaswhichhavebeencontributed.
Otherpeopleareabletobrowsethroughtheideasintheideaspace,andreadwhatothershavewritten.Theyhavesomeoptionsforcontributing:theycanaddanewideathemselves,theycancommentonsomeoneelse’sidea(“Ithinkthisisgreat,andwouldreallyhelpSalesmovemoreofthese,”forexample),andtheycanvote.Ideaswithgreaternumbersofvotesmovetothetopofthelist,whilethoseideaswithfewervotesmovetothebottom.
Ideasaresubmittedinanopenforum,allowingforeveryoneinsidetheorganisationtoseewhatisbeingproposed.Anyemployeecancontributetheirperspectiveonanidea,providingawayformanagerstogaugethemotivationandfeelingbehindspecificideas.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �91
Whenit’stimetomakedecisionsaboutwheretoinvestinnewproducts,howtoserveclientsbetter,andhowtoimproveprocesses,theunderlyingcontributionshavebeenmade,andthepersonresponsiblehasagoldmineofthinkingtohelpguidetheirdecisions.
Peoplecansearchforideasonparticulartopics,relatedtoparticularproductsandservices,orwithparticularkeywordsinthetitleordescription.Inveryactivecollaborativeideamanagementsystems,thishelpspeoplequicklyfindideasthatarerelevanttotheirwork.
CollaborativeideamanagementissupportedbycollaborationtechnologyfromElgujiSoftware(seeFigure4-5),NewsGatorinSocialSites,andKindling,amongothers. 41
Whenit’stimetomakedecisionsaboutwheretoinvestinnewproducts,howtoserveclientsbetter,andhowtoimproveprocesses,theunderlyingcontributionshavealreadybeenmade.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �92
Figure4-5.IdeaManagementwithIdeaJam
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IdeaJamfromElgujiSoftwareenableseveryonewithinagroup,teamororganisationtoseewhatideashavebeenproposed,togivemoredetails(viacomments),andtovoteforideas.Seewww.elguji.com.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �93
MakingGroupDecisions
Afinalexampleofchangingworkpracticeishowdecisionsaremadeinagroup.Todayacommonworkpracticeisthatthegroupmeetsonceamonthandreviewsthevariousideasandrequeststheyhavereceived.Somedecisionsaremade,andthemeetingdisbands.Thisapproachleadsto“decisioncrawl,”asittakestoolongfordecisionstobemade.
Thereisadifferentworkpracticeinhowgroupscanmakedecisions.Thisinvolvescreatingacollaborationsitewhereallinputsforthedecisioncanbelocated,combinedwithanewworkpracticewhichseesthedifferentmembersofthedecisiongroupvisitingthecollaborationsiteonaregularbasistoreadandreviewtherequestsorideas.Whensomeonehasapointofviewtoshare,theytypetheirreactiondirectlyintotheappropriateplaceinthecollaborationsite.Wheneveryonehashadsufficienttimetoreviewthematerials,everyoneisaskedtovotefortherequeststheythinkarebest.Mostdecisionsgetmadeoutsideofatraditionalmeetingassuch,leavinganyactualmeetingtimetodebatingparticularlydifficultissues.
Collaborativedecisionmakingcanbeundertakenusingarangeofcollaborationtechnology:
ASAPStreamWorksitecouldbesetupforaparticulardecision.Dependingonthenatureofthedecisionneeded,varioustools—anAgenda,aPro/Contable,aSWOTanalysis,aQuickPoll,andothers—canbeaddedtothesitetoprovidestructureandfocusfortheteammembers.SeeFigure4-6.
AMicrosoftSharePointsitecouldbesetupwithaCustomList,whereeachitemisadecisionrequest.Membersofthedecisiongroupcanrevieweachdecisionrequest,anddiscussandvoteonthevariousmatters.ThisapproachtodecisionmakingisquitepopularamongsomelargeorganisationsusingSharePoint.
GroupSystemsThinkTankisanothercollaborativedecision-makingtool.ThinkTankoffersavarietyofdecision-makingtools—forstructuringideas,forcommentingonideas,andforvotingonideas,amongothers.ThinkTankisalsoavailableasahostedservice,calledThinkSpace.
Thesetoolscanalsobeusedbypeopleduringface-to-faceorvirtualmeetings.Theyprovideawayofstructuringandvisualizingthedecisionbeingdiscussed.DirectReliefInternationalusesSAPStreamWorkinthisway: 42
“Wewerelookingforasolutionthatcouldhelpusdriveprojectsforward,”saidRossComstock,ITdirectoratDirectRelief.“Ithelpsus
quicklygetagroupofpeopletogetherandfocusedonworkingthroughaproblem,evenifthey'reindifferentcountries.Forthatpurpose,
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �94
SharePointwastoogeneral.SAPStreamWorkwasmuchsimpler,withalotoftoolsbuiltintoittodrivedecision-making.WhenIhavea
meetingwithstakeholders,IcanpopintoSAPStreamWorkandillustratewhereweareonaproject.Itoffersasimplewaytotellastory,
andithelpsourcommunicationwithstakeholders.”
Figure4-6.CollaborativeDecisionMakingwithSAPStreamWork
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StreamWorkisanonlinecollaborativedecision-makingservicefromSAP,whichenablespeoplefromoneormoreorganisationstoworktogetherondecisions.Seewww.sapstreamwork.com.
Chapter4 NewWaysofWorking �95
OtherCollaborationScenarios
Thereareothercollaborationscenariosnotcoveredabove,butthatdoesn’tmakethemanylessvalid.Forexample,changeofworkpracticecanbeexploredfor:
Holdingmeetings.Travelisfrequentlyusedasawayofbringingpeopletogetherformeetings,orthemeetingisheldbyphone(one-to-one,oraconferencecall).Newtechnologycanbeusedtoreplaceorenhancebothtypesofmeetings—videoconferencingandTelePresenceinsteadoftravel,andscreensharingasacomplementtophone-basedinteractionsandmeetings.
Requestingfeedback.Askingotherpeoplewhattheythinkaboutaparticularworkitem—areportforaclient,aquotationfromapotentialsupplier,ablogpostfortheoutsideblog—isacommoncollaborativescenario.Emailisfrequentlyusedtodayasthemeansofsharingtheworkitemandseekingfeedback.Inthefuture,thereisanopportunitytousenewtoolswhichofferbettersupportforthisscenario,suchasworkflowroutingsystems,screensharing,andquicksurveys.
Sharingbestpractices.Beingconsistentinservicedeliveryisessentialtowinningthereputationofbeinggreatatwhatyoudo.Itcanbehardenoughforonepersontodelivertothesameconsistentstandardday-after-day,butit’sevenharderwheremanypeopledosimilarjobsfordifferentclientsorsegmentsofthemarket.Howdogoodideasgetdebatedandbroughtintocommonpractice?Today’sapproachisusuallybasedonemaildistributionlistsandtheoddface-to-facemeeting.Newtechnologycansupportsharingbestpracticesusinggroup-editablewebpagesinawiki,withtiestothegroup’scoremethodology.
Summary
Technologyisimportantwhenitcomestosupportingcollaborationbetweenpeople.Thetechnologycreatesopportunitiesfornewwaysofworking,butdemandsanalignmentbetweenwhatthegroupneedstogetdone,andthenuancesoftheworkpractices.Wehavelookedatanumberofcommoncollaborationscenariosinthischapter,andexploredhowcurrentscenarioscanbecarriedoutinnewandbetterwayswithnewcollaborationtechnology.
Wehavecoveredalotofgrounduptothispoint,allaimedatsettingthecontextandgettingourthinkinginlinefortheuseradoptionchallengeahead.Chapter5marksasignificantshiftinfocus.TheFourStagesModelofUserAdoptionisintroduced,followedbyextendeddiscussiononeachstageinchapters6-9.
AbouttheAuthor �293
AbouttheAuthor
MichaelSampsonisaCollaborationStrategist.Headvisesend-userorganisationsaroundtheworldonstrategiesformakingcollaboration
work.HeisthePresidentofTheMichaelSampsonCompanyinNewZealand.
Beyondconsultingengagementswithclientsandin-houseworkshops,Michaelshareshisresearchonstrategiesformakingcollaboration
workthroughmultipleavenues:
• Michael’sblogoncurrenthappeningsinthecollaborationworld,coveringcollaborationthinking,philosophy,approaches,and
technology.Seemichaelsampson.net/currents/.
• Booksonstrategiesformakingcollaborationwork,withafocusonculture,governance,andadoption.CurrenttitlesareSeamlessTeamwork(2008),SharePointRoadmapforCollaboration(2009),andCollaborationRoadmap(2011).ThissecondeditionofUserAdoptionStrategiesisMichael’sfifthbook.Seewww.michaelsampson.net/books/.
• Presentationsatconferencesaroundtheworld,bothin-personandremotely.MichaelhaspresentedatconferencesintheUnited
States,theUnitedKingdom,Netherlands,Belgium,Denmark,Australia,andNewZealand.
MichaelholdsaMasterofCommencewithfirstclasshonoursintelecommunications-basedITfromtheUniversityofCanterburyinNew
Zealand.
Tostayfit,Michaelenjoyscycling,running,andswimming.
MichaellivesinNewZealandwithhiswifeKatrina,andtheirtenchildren—David,Matthew,Philip,Daniel,Timothy,Susanna,Jonathan,
Elizabeth,Joseph,andJoshua.MichaelandKatrinahomeschooltheirchildren.