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BEST PRACTICE IN ENTREPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKING - 2013

BEST PRACTICE IN ENTREPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKING - 2013

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CONTENU - 1/ GUIDELINES FOR USING ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS - P.02

2/ HOW AND WHEN TO USE ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS - P .06

3/ WHO TO FOLLOW AND HOW TO CREATE WORK GROUPS - P.09

4/ HOW AND WHEN TO INTERVENE IN WORK GROUPS - P.12

5/ MANAGING EXCHANGES WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS

AND POSITIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION - P.14

6/ WHAT INTERNAL INFORMATION SHOULD BE SHARED - P.18

7/ OPTIMIZING CORPORATE PROFILES - P.21

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1/ - GUDELINES FOR USING ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORK

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1/ GUIDELINES FOR USING ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS

Using Web 2.0 or social software technologies in organizations to improve productivity, manage

knowledge, share information and cooperate makes them internal social networks.

Like all social networks, there are key rules or guidelines that should be followed when using them:

» TRANSPARENCY. All organization employees need to have access to all the infor-

mation required in order to participate in the decision-making that affects their area and to

be able to fully understand and accept any decisions made. This is why transparency in the

information shared with all members is essential.

» COMMUNICATION. Developing a non-hierarchical communication and exchange

model is essential in any internal social network. The idea is that any employee can put for-

ward ideas, suggestions or comments. A ‘bottom-up’ collaboration and communication

model should be sought as the general internal behavior, where information flows from

bottom levels upwards and there is instant communication in real time.

» GLOBAL SCOPE. The golden rule for an internal platform is that are no limits in time or

space. Members can provide their knowledge in a timeless fashion, so that any member of

the organization, whether present or future, can benefit from that knowledge.

» OPEN TO THE OUTSIDE. Though we refer to ‘internal’ platforms, you shouldn’t lose

sight of the external side. All organizations are focused on opening up, collaborating and

communicating. You need to take advantage of potential wherever it is found, be it within

or beyond the company’s limits.

Transparency

Collaboration

A culture of participation centered on employees

Innovation

Open to the outside

Global scope

Communication 2.0

Immediacy

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» INNOVATION. The Enterprise 2.0 is an enterprise focused on innovation, so it follows

that its internal platform must be open to new challenges and must explore new ways of

doing things. It should encourage a critical, pro-active spirit in employees, leading them to

constantly suggest changes and improvements.

» IMMEDIACY. This is an essential rule in any internal platform in the Enterprise 2.0. If

the purpose of these tools are to optimize time and resources, it goes without saying that

an internal social network must provide immediate access to shared knowledge for all its

members: innovation gives value, something that it can be used by all its members instantly.

» A CULTURE OF PARTICIPATION CENTERED ON EMPLOYEES The opera-

tion of the Enterprise 2.0 largely depends on the types of processes and technology in-

volved, but above all, on the employees’ approach. Using an internal social network should

empower members to develop to their full potential and enable this potential to be shared

with others. As a general rule, its operation should give priority to developing human skills

and qualities for knowledge exchange between employees, sharing authorship in the crea-

tion of ideas, and commenting and discussing different points of view.

» COLLABORATION. As a key rule, the Enterprise 2.0 should make work teams become

more collaborative and encourage external collaboration with surrounding companies and

above all, with customers and providers.

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2/ - HOW AND WHEN TO USE ENTREPRISE SOCIAL NETWORK

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2/ HOW AND WHEN TO USE ENTREPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS

» Both concepts are closely linked with the guidelines mentioned previously about using Enterprise

Social Networks.

» Since these networks are used for performing tasks on a daily basis, their use must become in-

dispensable for the job, i.e. it must form part of the work being done in the organization at all

times. This way, when an employee arrives at their workplace, they will automatically connect to

their Enterprise Social Network and stay ‘connected’ throughout the day, without this affecting

their productivity, rather it encourages them and guides them in their daily tasks.

» One of the purposes of these tools is to keep members of the organization informed of the latest

events. A social network isn’t much use for instantly sharing information if users only connect to

the network now and again. So, if asking when to use it, the answer is constantly.

» Although work profiles within the organization may take on different functions, the rules regard-

ing sharing information and valuable common contents take precedence in all positions, as

members of the Enterprise Social Network must be constantly connected in order to stay up-to-

date on the latest events and at the same time, for the network to serve as a valuable, common

medium for sharing information that can benefit the whole organization. Apart from being con-

stantly connected as if it were an integral part of their work duties, members should participate

in the instant that something happens which could be useful for the organization or one of the

network’s other members.

» As already mentioned, one of the main rules that governs any social network is immediacy,

speed. Often the success of the information lies in the speed with which it is transmitted.

» There may be profiles in the organization that are not as active in providing contents, however

everyone, absolutely everyone in the company are passive subjects, as there is determined in-

formation concerning the company that must be read by everyone. For this reason, all members

must connect regularly to the corporate information ‘feed’ to stay informed of the latest news in

the organization.

» Regarding the ‘how’, it is important to note that, although it’s a social network, the enterprise

‘description’ indicates that its use should be purely professional, i.e. not personal.

» It can’t be seen as a personal chat room where every member tells their own personal experi-

ences. Such details should only be included if they provide a benefit for the organization as a

whole or for some of its members.

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ANYTHING PERSONAL IS OUT OF PLACE IN ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKING IF IT DOESN’T RELATE TO THE ORGANIZATION’S OPERATION OR CONTRIBUTE TO THE ORGANIZATION AS WHOLE.

HOW AND WHEN TO USE ENTREPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS?

» As a channel for constantly receiving information;

» As a channel for giving information, provided that it brings value to the network or some of its members.

» Be sensible and think before posting; comments may have repercussions and the opinions posted there

should always treat other points of view with respect and be constructive.

» Be coherent with the company, its style and with yourself.

» Provide relevant, interesting content and value for everyone and anyone in the organization.

» Read others’ contributions to keep up to date with the latest events.

» Be respectful.

» Participate.

» All the above should be done with immediacy and a spirit to share and enrich the organisation.

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2/ - COMMENT ET QUAND UTILISER LES RESEAUX SOCIAUX INTERNES

3/ - WHO TO FOLLOW AND HOW TO CREATE WORK GROUPS

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3/ HOW TO FOLLOW AND HOW TO CREATE WORK GROUPS

» Just like any other social network, you need to use coherent criteria in managing contacts. Since the network takes place within the business environment, you need to create a net-work of followers associated with your professional development.

» The most important aspect when choosing which people to follow and creating work groups is to analyze what you really want to share with others.

» You may need to follow certain people in the organization because they are the sources of the corporate news, like for example, the CEO, chairman or the head of the organization or specific departments, to stay informed, but that doesn’t mean you need to include them in your work groups. It just means that they are people whose activity and personal newsfeed you need to follow.

» First, analyze the concept of interaction as a key factor in following someone.

IF YOU START TO FOLLOW SOMEONE YOU DON’T PLAN ON INTERACTING WITH, YOU’RE DOING AN INEFFICIENT TASK IN MANAGING YOUR FOLLOWERS.

» Always have clear, objective reasons for following someone: to receive corporate information, share

experiences on a specific area of the organization, share direct working activity with that person...

Any professional reasons are valid motives for following someone.

» Once you’ve determined the reason for following a person, you need to analyze whether the

motives for following someone are the same for other people. This is the principle for creating work

groups: groups for communicating and exchanging information with members of the organization

with whom you share common interests. In a work group, information shared reaches all members

of the group any time anyone shares anything with the rest.

» It is a wise principle in managing time and resources efficiently, as well as in avoiding saturating

your followers with information or messages that do not affect them, as you can send an exclusive

message to a determined group of people, rather than to all your followers.

» What you achieve is that the information flows to those who are really interested in receiving it and

you strengthen your professional relationship with members of the group.

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» What you achieve is that the information flows to those who are really interested in receiving it and

you strengthen your professional relationship with members of the group.

» What’s more, if you decide to share certain information in document format, the sensible thing

would be to share it with the network users that are really involved in it and ensure that this

information is not published to all followers, only to those that need to know it.

» Immediacy, collaboration, knowledge sharing.... all are key criteria that should be applied when

creating specific work groups.

» Hence, communication becomes the fundamental connection binding group members, as the

different contributions from the members will enable important synergies to be generated within

that group, which in turn will enable better efficiency and professional growth, qualities that will

also enable members to acquire skills that can be transmitted to other work groups or to all

followers.

» In short, there are two fundamental factors when following someone and creating work groups:

» Reasons for interacting with a follower (even it is just to read).

» Common, relevant interests among group members, creating

and strengthening the working relationship.

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4/ - HOW AND WHEN TO GROUP INTERVENE IN WORK GROUPS

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4/ HOW AND WHEN TO INTERVENE IN WORK GROUPS

» Once you have decided on which people to include in your work groups in the Enterprise Social

Network, you need to respond to the question of how and when to interact with them.

» Remember that the reasoning behind creating a group lies with one or more objective motives for

belonging to such a group, meaning that when there’s some news or something happens related to

your group or topic, it needs to be shared, resulting in a reason for interacting with the group.

A WORK GROUP IS DESIGNED FOR SHARING KNOWLEDGE AMONG ITS MEMBERS, MEANING THAT ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS A SPECIFIC GROUP SHOULD BE MADE COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO ALL.

» What’s more, you need to remember that groups are made up of people; in other words, its internal

operation needs social and human behavior.

» Regarding how to interact in work groups, priority should be given to work groups:

» As a channel for informing others and passing on information;

» As a channel for sharing the documents needed for the tasks assigned to the group;

» As a channel for brainstorming and forming opinions, encouraging critical thinking and looking for differ-

ent points of view to achieve better results and decisions.

» Teamwork, generating talent and continuous improvement are the main goals in group interaction.

» The social element must be present through:

» Politeness in dealing with people, greetings (where appropriate);

» Creating the right working environment;

» Respecting others’ opinions..

» Regarding when to interact in work groups, you need to associate this concept with the ‘how’.

» Interaction is required when some information, news or new contribution on the group’s topic

arises. Groups are created so that the speed in transmitting the information is such that, when

something happens, the right thing is to share it with the group as quickly as possible.

» There are three circumstances that give rise to both how and when to interact:

» Any information or contribution that could affect the organization in general,

but that should only be transmitted to the members of the group;

» Any concrete or direct information or contribution on/to the group’s topic;

» Any personal information on group members or other people that could af-

fect the operation of the organization and/or group.

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5/ - MANAGING EXCHANGES WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND POSITIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION

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5/ MANAGING EXCHANGES WITH OTHER

DEPARTMENTS AND POSITIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION

» The best way to learn how to use Enterprise Social Networks and create dynamic exchanges is by

watching the behavior of the most pro-active employees and imitate their best practices.

BOTH MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES SHOULD INTERVENE WITHOUT FEAR OR EMBARRASSMENT; ALL MEMBERS OF THE NETWORK CAN LEARN FROM OTHERS AND PROVIDE USEFUL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE REST.

» Otherwise, their inability or lack of knowledge could leave them exposed at any time.

» It is important for senior management at the top of the organization’s hierarchy to communicate

the goals sought in implementing the network first and to regularly share the steps made and

milestones achieved. These individuals need to set the example. They need to change their

paradigms and learn that Enterprise Social Networking encourages a more open and enriching

style of communication and simplifies information exchange.

» An Enterprise Social Network promotes and helps to improve relations and communication

exchange between colleagues, even between people from different areas or departments.

» With relations between colleagues from different areas or departments, closer relationships are

encouraged, enabling some personal topics to be touched on and shared with less formality

(marriages, births, etc.), welcoming new colleagues that have just joined the organization or

presenting new employees to other department members, etc.

» Before trying to create a ‘relationship’ with colleagues from other departments, it may help to read

their corporate profile to discover a little more about them.

» Within the network, you need to detect who are the opinion leaders, those individuals that can

influence and create movement regardless of their position, and to interact with as many as them as

possible by making contributions and even, participating in brainstorming.

» If two or more departments share projects or customers, it might be a good idea to create work

groups for common positions that do not involve the rest of the department, so that they can work

as a single team.

» If you need to comment or provide confidential information on customers, suppliers or partners,

you first need to analyze who will read that information (not all the network members need to have

access to confidential information) and assess whether that information should be made public,

whether it should be shared in work groups only, or even, whether it should only be sent to a few

people in a private message.

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» When posting contents that are directed towards department managers or senior positions, you

should make sure that you are not wasting anybody’s time, publishing only the contents that are

relevant and helping reading by writing direct, concise messages, indicating whether they are facts

or opinions and providing the appropriate sources. In Enterprise Social Networking, senior

management and positions of responsibility need to forget the usual ‘lack of time’ excuse and spend

a little time each day following everything posted.

» For Enterprise Social Networks, those positions that have a secretary or that have delegated

communication aspects to third parties need to manage their participation, responses, comments

and messages themselves; everyone must be themselves on the network, regardless of the position

they hold.

» According to the position...

» As leader of the department or organization: promote new initiatives

that help and train the rest of the team.

» As a member of the team: put forward your initiatives to others

» As a member of the organization: ask for, provide and receive feedback

on any relevant aspects, be they inter- or intra-departmental.

» Sharing information with other departments helps to correct faults, reduce errors and enables us to

learn from our mistakes.

» Regarding organizations’ technology departments, they have much that they can contribute to all

members and can provide valuable assistance. Effort should be made to involve them as much as

possible and make them another member in the network, not just a department for technical

troubleshooting.

AN ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORK IS A VIRTUAL SPACE THAT ENABLES ALL MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION, REGARDLESS OF THEIR HIERARCHICAL POSITION, SPECIALTY AND EXPERIENCE, TO PROVIDE THEIR OPINIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, FEEDBACK, ETC. ENCOURAGING PRO-ACTIVENESS AND WHERE EVERYONE LISTENS TO EVERYONE ELSE, OPERATING AS A SINGLE TEAM.

» Summarizing this point, in an Enterprise Social Network, you should:

» Communicate the goals sought in implementing the network;

» Act without fear or embarrassment;

» Identify members of any department that are experts in their field;

» Identify yourself as an expert in the area where you can contribute;

» Encourage members to get to know each other and provide information on their

corporate profile;

» Detect opinion leaders;

» Create inter-departmental work groups;

» Analyze and assess with whom you want to share confidential information;

» Post relevant contents;

» Spend a little time each day in keeping up-to-date with everything happening;

» Manage your own communication and participation in the network;

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» Promote and put forward initiatives;

» Ask, provide and receive feedback;

» Use the network to detect and correct faults and learn from the mistakes made;

» Involve technology departments.

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6/ - WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE SHARED

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6/ WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE SHARED

» In Enterprise Social Networking, one of the main goals is to slow down the loss of expertise in the

organization and speed up access to that know-how.

» Inter-company social tools enable fluid communication of corporate knowledge, sharing, keeping

and making it easier to recover and access this knowledge for the whole organization.

» The information processed and shared in an internal social network is:

» Ideas. All members of the organization with access to the social network

can share new ideas, opinions, and suggestions regarding the organization, its

products and services etc. with all members.

» Projects. A common place for sharing both new and on-going projects and

any results of those projects completed.

» Achievements and successes. Any successful experience deserves to

be shared with the rest of the company. Those achievements shared by the

person responsible help others to achieve their own goals, as they act as a

reference.

» External information. Links to articles and news items, studies, blog

posts, speeches and any other public information associated with the organi-

zation, its products and services, the competition, references from other are-

as...

» Internal documentation. All the organization’s documentation. Both

documents used to resolve situations and those that help in decision-making

or that provide other members with more in-depth knowledge.

» Useful information. Both internal technical information and any other

information that can be used to help a customer or a supplier through one of

the network’s members.

» Difficulties. If you share the difficulties you come across, you will not only

find others in the same situation, but you will find those individuals who have

the knowledge and skills to help you with your problem and will create a val-

uable reference for similar situations in the future.

» Corporate newsfeed and changes in the organization. Organ-

izational changes can be communicated to all members through the network,

and even feedback be obtained, as well as news on the company.

» Internal meetings. You can organize and invite participants to these

events as well as provide information on what is happening and what was

discussed after they are over.

» Critical moments or situations. These show the organization’s willing-

ness for transparency towards all members of the network and the company.

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» Additions. In Enterprise Social Networking, when you read someone else’s

contributions and you have information that could enrich their contribution,

you should add it.

» Training. Information that we have to hand or find and training material or

documents can help everyone or some of the members in the network.

» Recognitions. Recognize or congratulate someone in the organization for

having achieved their goal or doing a job well done.

» What’s more, as far as possible, you should use Web 2.0 syntax and protocols when sharing

information. These protocols involve correct writing, avoid using uppercase or SMS spelling, abstain

from using offensive language, transmit the message directly, simply and efficiently, accompanying

each message with relevant links to the associated information and topics or keywords that

characterize the content and serve to identify it or recover it later, if desired, using the # symbol

(hash tag model or prototype tag in the Twitter social network.)

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7/ - OPTIMIZING CORPORATE PROFILES

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7/ OPTIMIZING CORPORATE PROFILES

» Your professional profile is the first thing your colleagues, superiors, senior management in your

company (whether they know you or not), recruitment managers (internal or external), partners,

customers, etc. will read about you, so you need to have a good corporate profile and spend the

time required so that it captures the attention of the people reading it.

» It must be a summary of your expertise, skills and professional career. It acts as your own personal

showcase within the company and for customers and other external contacts.

» Your profile on an Enterprise Social Network will serve, among others, to work out ‘who is who’ in

the organization. What’s more, it will provide visibility about each employee’s experience and

expertise in order to encourage and promote their professional history where necessary.

» The profile should highlight the skills, competences, abilities, achievements and training you have

received. To optimize it, you should:

» Forget about creating a mini CV. It’s not a CV that you are showing, rather a

summary of your working life, which should convey the main facts about your

experience, as well as what you can contribute.

» Use inverse chronological order, both in the training received and in your profes-

sional background. Indicate your most recent experiences going back to the old-

est, but with concise, specific information.

» Always use clear, short and precise sentences. You should indicate everything

you want to communicate in a single paragraph and use definitions that every-

one can understand.

» Use keywords. Words that help to identify you, those words that a possible re-

cruiter, superior or potential client would use to find someone like you.

» Don’t confuse professionalism with being boring. You can give it a touch of hu-

mor or originality as appropriate.

» Be honest. If you sell skills, experience and abilities that are better than the ones

you possess, when you have to prove yourself and are unable to demonstrate

them, you’ll lose all credibility.

» Position yourself. When talking about your specialties, you have the chance to

show yourself in the way you want others to see you. You need to prioritize what

you want them to see in you, choose the attribute you want them to notice and

highlight it.

» Keep your profile up-to-the-minute and complete. Your profile must be always

recent and complete. Each time your situation undergoes a professional change

or you gain new experience, you should update your profile.

» Always be you. It is important to present yourself in your profile in the same way

if you were presenting yourself face-to-face to the person.

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» Be easily identifiable. Use both your given name and the name by which every-

one knows you in work, even if it’s a nickname.

» Upload a photo. You should include a photo that is as recent as possible, avoiding

group photos or those where your face isn’t clearly seen.

» Indicate your skills and strengths. All those qualities that you can contribute as a

value, for example: pro-activeness, mobility, good team-worker, goal-orientated, etc.

» Summarize your professional achievements. Those that go with your work posi-

tion and that you could contribute within the organization.

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