The implementation of a social intranet

1. The implementation of a social
intranet
Steve Perry
Knowledge and Information Management Adviser
22 June 2010

2. Challenges
 Needed to move away from the static intranet to a more collaborative,
participative and dynamic environment
 Content was out-of-date, difficult to find and complex to maintain
 High resource/time costs due to repetitive, labour intensive processes with
long review cycles and limited number of editors
 Low user satisfaction and usage
Stephen Perry Knowledge Advisory Services – steveperryemail@gmail.com - +44 (0) 7710 559 649 2

3. Example – Private Equity Group
Stephen Perry Knowledge Advisory Services – steveperryemail@gmail.com - +44 (0) 7710 559 649 3

4. Example uses
 Creating a document
Groups quickly create Wiki spaces for pitches, thought leadership or know-
how
Globally dispersed teams are directed to the Wiki to make their
contributions
Central team then collates the information and builds the document from all
the material in one space
 US Partners discussion forum
Wiki space allows the US Partners to discuss, debate and agree the key
issues facing the business
Stephen Perry Knowledge Advisory Services – steveperryemail@gmail.com - +44 (0) 7710 559 649 4

5. Lessons learnt
 What would we have done differently?
Built a coalition
Initiated more two-way communication between users and the central team
Identified more business processes which would benefit from the Wiki
Agreed earlier how to measure and monitor usage
Planned the content migration in more detail
 What worked well?
Tight/loose approach
Clear business need and part of the firm’s strategy
Did not over-promise
Focus on usability and user centric design
Communication of good practice
Stephen Perry Knowledge Advisory Services – steveperryemail@gmail.com - +44 (0) 7710 559 649 5

6. Overall result
 Increased intranet use and participation
 Cost-effective capture, maintenance and delivery of firm and client-related
information
 Better informed staff with access to timely and relevant legal intelligence
 Improved collaboration and knowledge sharing between globally dispersed teams
 Huge demand for new content areas
 Users have now adopted the intranet as their own
Stephen Perry Knowledge Advisory Services – steveperryemail@gmail.com - +44 (0) 7710 559 649 6