Where to focus online networking in the Enterprise?

According to a colleague, there are probably three categories for online communities:
1) Facilitated groups
2) Existing real-world groups
3) Ad-hoc, non-facilitated groups

(Actually two since #2 is a sub-set of #1.) So the question becomes, where best to focus online networking efforts as organizations attempt to migrate social networking into the Enterprise?

Two approaches could be as follows.

1. Ad-hoc, non-facilitated groups
One approach is to deploy a platform for networking with discussion forums, and see where a need organically takes hold. There is a mindset in the Web 2.0 camp that says "you don't have to identify communities, they will identify themselves if provided the appropriate platform." The question here is what will be the topic of those communities and how effective will they be are innvoation and collaboration that will be truly meaningful the the organization. Letting people to connect and then seeing where it goes of course could be a good way to initially introduce the technology.

2. Facilitated groups (including extending existing real-world groups and existing informal networks)
A second approach is to establish a taxonomy by which to organize online networking forums. The taxonomy could be focused on specific products, clients or processes with the goal of cutting across existing organizational structures. One way to help pre-define where some of these targeted networks should focus is to identify the informal networks that already exist in your organization. For example, an informal network might be a a go-to-person or group that is called for specific expertise. Or a person that is organizational positioned to be aware of cross divisional opportunities. (It have been shown that more information today flows through informal networks in organizations than formal organizational structures.)

From the informal networks that already exist, the next step would be to determine which connections can benefit most and provide the most value to the firm by being enabled and formalized.

Lastly, and most important, success will depend on identifying facilitators or network leaders to help guide topics and monitor content. This is much of the same lesson I learned when observing huindreds of collaborative forums being deployed in the early days of Lotus Notes at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The ones that succeeded had strong purpose, leaders and support, fostered or leveraged an existing trusted community, and generated value creation for both members and the firm at large.

Potential areas where online networking in the Enterprise should focus includes:
Generating revenue
- Improving cross-selling
- Product innovation
- One Firm Approach to Clients
Boosting productivity
- Improving the allocation of resources
- Eliminating inefficiencies
Career Development
- Mentoring
- Mobility
- Diversity networks

Overall, there is clearly a place for both ad-hoc, emergent networks, and more structured targeted ones. For me, I would rather see an organization have 3 or 4 really well targeted onlie networking that can measurably impact operating efficiences, cost savings or revenue generation versus hundreds of networking groups; with many focused on less impactful business topics such places to eat or the latest sports news. May be here is one of those fundamental differences between Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0. In Web 2.0 it's currently all about connecting - with the purpose and vale of such connections yet to be seen or measured. In the Enterprise, driving efficiencies and revenue should be the primary objective - which unfortunately may require a bit more structure and targeting of how online networking technology is deployed and where and how it is topically focused.


From the McKinsey Quarterly article "Mapping the value of employee collaboration":
"Targeted action is dramatically more effective than promoting connectivity indiscriminately, which typically burdens already-overloaded employees and yields network diseconomies. A more informed network perspective helps companies to identify the few critical points where improved connectivity creates economic value by cutting through business unit and functional silos, physical distance, organizational hierarchies, and a scarcity of expertise."