Five arguments why the Social Intranet needs to go mobile

The idea behind the Social Intranet; to allow all employees to create and publish content under their own name and to connect and discuss work related issues, is great. There are real benefits to capitalise on; if employees can start finding new informal ways to seek help from colleagues in solving real problems, your organisation can become much more efficient. And if employees start sharing and spreading knowledge on how to do things, you can battle that silo mentality between departments and stop inventing the wheel over and over again.

But has anyone really made it work? Has anyone really been able to create a Social Intranet where most (or at least some) employees contribute or even benefit from reading their colleagues’ input? Does anyone even read the News Feed on the Intranet? No? Here’s a couple of reasons why:

1. The traditional Intranet is the wrong platform for being social
   Why do you use your company’s Intranet? For a lot of people there is a task to accomplish; find that policy document, get instructions for the new economy system or fill out your time report. Accidentally you might also read the latest news, but only if you aren’t in a hurry. Actually commenting on a news article is often miles away, much less updating your status or posting a request. Why? It wasn’t your intention to do so and…
2. Nobody has time to read news or comment on great ideas while at work
   Everybody is busy! That is the definition of work, that’s why you get paid. If you haven’t specifically been tasked with producing content for the Intranet, there is a good chance you won’t; at least not while sitting at your desk. Even if posting comments or updates on the Intranet is generally encouraged and promoted, people won’t prioritise it over “getting things done”. You need to find a time slot when your employees aren’t working, like on the bus!
3. People (want to) use their mobile phones to communicate
   These days, we all have a smart phone. And we use it all the time, on average 150 times a day! (Source metro.se). A lot of that time is spent reading news or updates from people around you, and replying in different channels. The Social Intranet belongs in the mobile. That’s where communication comes natural to people and that’s how to get access to those precious minutes when people aren’t busy working on something else!
4. Socialising as a part of working must result in real value
   As with anything; if you feel you’ll get something in return, you’ll be willing to invest. With a Social Intranet the value returned is somewhat diffuse, unless we make it tangible. This means physically appointing people throughout the organisation to, on a daily basis, answer questions and produce attractive content valuable to others. Their effort will drive everybody else in the organisation to invest. This is important whether you go mobile or not, but the mobile has one big advantage; it lowers the investment threshold.
5. It needs to be dead simple
   Using the mobile as the primary communications channel makes it easier for people to invest in being social. It is simple to consume information and communicate on a device built for that very purpose. Just make sure access is made simple; no username and password to protect the Intranet, a PIN-code is more appropriate for mobile users with only a minute to spare.

Happy socialising!

/ Johan Stålnacke, johan.stalnacke@xlent.se, +46 70 8778 002