Intranet Journal
The online resource for intranet professionals
Knowledge Management and Intranets: Putting People First
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Keep it Simple
There are no solutions that work for everyone; however, there are solutions that work well for the vast majority of users in an organization. Experience shows that intranet tools implemented to satisfy small groups of users with highly specialized needs often fail. The added complexity can result in dissatisfaction among the user majority. Systematic simplification and standardization — even "underengineering" — of knowledge-sharing tools can be winning approaches. According to industry surveys, organizations whose intranets have been strategically redesigned to deliver content in a simplified format have seen increases in usage of almost 100 percent.
Management Involvement
Knowledge-sharing initiatives require some level of senior-management support. Existing goodwill from the top has to be nurtured, which can be accomplished by communicating progress and successes. Continuous management commitment and visible involvement is typically a prerequisite for driving a knowledge culture. Long-term success also requires middle-management support. Those who are in contact with and supervise employees on a daily basis ultimately have a much larger impact on work habits than the CEO or other senior leaders.
A strong knowledge culture depends on informative communications, site improvements, and meaningful incentives that encourage employee involvement.
A People-Based Infrastructure
A reliable content-management system requires a people-based infrastructure with clearly assigned responsibilities. The exact design should be tailored to an organization's structure, resources, and needs.
Many global companies have achieved excellent results with dedicated knowledge networks that serve as the foundation for their knowledge-management strategy. Participants can be selected from different levels and departments and across markets and regions. Although they typically do not have to provide full-time support, their role should be clearly defined within their overall job description. They further the development and sharing of knowledge and its application to client services and company initiatives. Their responsibilities include:
To achieve maximum impact in today's business environment, intranets need to go beyond being depositories of static information. They need to enhance teamwork and knowledge sharing by enabling the creation of team suites, location-independent shared spaces, and real-time collaborative tools.
Intranets need to provide dynamic platforms where employees can share thoughts and insights, and collaborate in "communities of practice" — loosely organized groups of professionals within an organization who are dedicated to a specific interest or expertise. Communities of practice can significantly improve employees' ability to solve problems quickly, transfer best practices, and discover fast solutions and strategies that lead to business opportunities.
Employee Communications
Knowledge management needs to be actively marketed within an organization.
The launch or relaunch of an intranet provides a unique opportunity to effectively position the intranet by clearly articulating its goals, key features, and value. However, ongoing post-launch communications are at least as important as the communications for the initial rollout. Regular updates that highlight new content and features are necessary to keep the site top-of mind. Systematically prompting employee feedback — through surveys and built-in response mechanisms — assists in refining the site and gauging employee support.
One strategy to position an intranet at the heart of the organization is to use it as the platform of choice for internal communications on topics such as business development, key messages from senior management, and updates on company initiatives.
In many organizations, targeting communications about new knowledge-management solutions to specific internal audiences has been an effective strategy. Every organization has informal knowledge brokers, thought leaders and teams that are highly motivated to test and champion new approaches. These groups have to be convinced of the offering's importance and value in order to become internal marketers.
Considering the growing evidence for unsuccessful organizational knowledge-management efforts, it is important to emphasize once again that knowledge-management communications must be realistic and candid. Overstated claims create a disconnect between wishful thinking and organizational realities, and can result in a lack of trust and usage erosion.
Coping with Change
Knowledge-management tools are evolving resources that easily adapt to an organization's changing business environment. For example, an intranet can be an especially invaluable asset during a crisis situation by providing employees with up-to-the minute information and leadership messages. It is during these times that the site's most dynamic capabilities can be exhibited. When a large U.S. company filed for bankruptcy protection, Burson-Marsteller developed an employee Web site that enabled the company to quickly and effectively convey key messages and increase its dialogue with internal audiences. The company emerged from the crisis stronger than ever, with employees demonstrating new levels of confidence and trust. Sales in some divisions increased an unprecedented 181 percent over projected goals.
An effective knowledge-sharing system improves productivity, supports a culture of teamwork, facilitates learning through the sharing of best practices and provides easy access to information. This may be straightforward in theory, but making it work is the challenge. Perhaps surprisingly, the main stumbling blocks on the road to success are often not technology-related, but can be found in the areas of communications and change management. We hope that this point of view provides insights and strategies that can make your intranet successful.
Andrew Sarnoff is a senior knowledge specialist at Burson-Marsteller, Inc., with expertise in developing resources and innovative training programs that enhance organizational knowledge-sharing capabilities. He was instrumental in creating the firm's award-winning intranet and global Knowledge Champions Network.
Thomas Wimmer is a director at Burson-Marsteller Inc. and holds worldwide responsibilities for knowledge-sharing systems, processes and initiatives. He has many years of experience as a senior consultant in Burson-Marsteller's Public Affairs and Corporate Communications Practices.