The Reasons Your Organization Should Adopt a Social Intranet

Written by Incentive

Internal communication has never been the easiest of feats. Even if all your employees are on-site, miscommunications happen. It’s like a gigantic game of telephone – what you originally said is not what the employee at the end of the line hears.

Miscommunication is only one pain point found inside the workplace. Others include productivity, efficiency, flexibility and collaboration. Fortunately, there is a solution for that.

It’s called the social intranet. With it, you can start improving the way everyone works. Want proof? Read on…

Internal Communication

Once upon a time, everyone came to the workplace to do—what else?—work. Managers would hold weekly meetings in an attempt to get everyone on the same page. They’d follow up with notes attached in emails or share minutes at the next meeting.

That isn’t the case today. Employees expect to be able to work at any time, any place, and on any device. Some organizations try to adapt to the new way of working by applying traditional methods of communication, i.e., face-to-face meetings and email.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, and internal communications often fragment or splinter as a result. Communication ends up buried in an avalanche of email. The right hand of the organization has no clue what the left hand is doing.

Leading organizations address the issue with a social intranet that enables improved collaboration. It acts as a centralized hub, disseminating information across the organization in a simplified and seamless manner. Internal communication isn’t lost in the inbox; rather it’s front and center in the intranet’s news feed, comments, private and group chats, and wikis and blogs.

Productivity and Efficiency

Productivity and efficiency go hand-in-hand, which is why we’ve combined the two. Businesses want greater productivity, as well as more efficiency. The question is how to get there without increasing operating costs, hiring new employees or over-extending existing talent.

Again, best-in-class companies solve the challenge with technology. A social intranet, for instance, can cut down on the time it takes to find a subject matter expert or to get a reply on a current project. The end result is more projects being completed (productivity) that much faster (efficiency).

Collaboration

Everyone talks about collaboration, but why is it important? We like some of the reasons Natalie Nixon, Principal of Figure 8 Thinking LLC, puts forward:

1. Self-awareness. You become aware of competencies and gaps through working with others. This (a) boosts your confidence and (b) shows where and when you should ask for help.
2. Problem solving. More effective (and efficient!) problem solving happens through combining, rather than siloing, expertise.
3. Creative abrasion. If you want to improve your skill set, nothing works better than collaborating with others. The “friction” found in working with others is good for the head, heart and hands.

They’re great benefits. However, they can be hard to realize without technology. Social intranets allow collaboration and its effects to scale, from the smallest organizations to the largest, and from the traditional 9-to-5 workplace to one with a completely remote workforce.

Corporate Culture

Culture is the result of leadership acting out its mission and values and involving employees in doing the same. Corporate social responsibility is a good example. The leadership starts the movement, and employees get involved through volunteerism.

The challenge with corporate culture is that it isn’t easy to replicate or scale, particularly once an organization begins to grow. Think of the largest team you’ve ever been on. It was difficult to get everyone in alignment, wasn’t it?

That’s what happens inside organizations, too. Without a formalized and replicable corporate culture, companies run the risk of employees who don’t understand the company mission or the role they play in it. They “just work there.” As a result, employee engagement and retention dip.

Social intranets can help overcome this mindset. In fact, some human resources departments are using them to drive employee engagement. How? By clearly and regularly communicating the company’s vision and ensuring everyone is in agreement with it. It’s the only way for corporate culture to work and have a visible impact not only inside but also outside the workplace.

Future of Work

The future of work is now. Businesses that don’t recognize the shift don’t have much of a future ahead. According to GE Look Ahead, today’s typical S&P company survives on the index an average of 18 years, down from 61 in 1958. That’s quite a dip! By 2027, an estimated 75% of the S&P 500 may have been replaced.

The cause? Disruptive technologies like the cloud and mobility. The irony is that the very things causing the commotion are the same ones helping businesses survive and thrive.

Our social intranet is an example. It’s a disruptive product that can be deployed in the cloud or on-prem (no, single tenancy is not dead!). More importantly, it’s a platform that helps companies adapt to cloud computing, improve processes and workflows, and grow their bottom lines.

Are You Ready for a Social Intranet?

Ensuring everyone is on the same page is tough, especially as organizations grow and adapt to the future of work. Make it a little easier with a social intranet. You can use it to solve challenges found with productivity and efficiency, collaboration, internal communications and employee engagement.

When you do, you’ll see improvements across the board. Employees will work smarter, not harder. They’ll be happier and more engaged. And maybe, just maybe, your organization will make the “Best Place to Work” list in 2017.

Download Incentive’s Social Intranet Readiness Checklist

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About Incentive