When social means business: the potential of social computing tools to support collaborative work as...

When social means business: the potential of social computing tools to support collaborative work as part of

the organisational information infrastructure

Dr Hazel HallReader in Social InformaticsCentre for Social Informatics

School of ComputingEdinburgh Napier University

http://www.ukeig.org.uk/index.html

Room demographicsWho uses what for purposes of collaborative work?

Blogs? Wikis? Social networking? Instant messaging? Microblogging?


Purposes of the TFPL-Napier studyEstablish main opportunities and risks of social

computing tools within organisations for collaborative work purposes, as perceived by information and knowledge management professionals

Meet general interest of TFPL’s client base Inform TFPL’s training and consultancy portfolio Serve as pilot for larger, externally-funded piece of work


Focus on social computing toolsEstablish main opportunities and risks of social


Licensed collaborative work platforms, e.g. SharePoint (Microsoft), Lotus Notes and Quickplace (IBM), E-rooms (Documentum)

“Mature” social software applications, e.g. instant messaging, blogs, wikis

Newer Web 2.0 applications, e.g. social networking, microblogging


Focus on collaborative work purposesEstablish main opportunities and risks of social


Focus to date Freely available social software for personal use Academic studies that treat “older” applications in non-corporate

environments, e.g. educational settings Few studies on internal social computing environments Lack of extant literature on newer tools, e.g. social networking and

microblogging applications


Focus on perceptions of I&KM communityEstablish main opportunities and risks of social


Rather than: Journalists, e.g. concern over vulnerable groups Educational researchers, e.g. goal of enhancement of classroom

environment Public relations professionals, e.g. efforts to improve corporate

communications


Research focus 1: scale of implementationOrganisational uptake of social computing

Levels of adoption Degree of access to tools

In general By tool By tool function

Attitudes of IM/KM staff to social computing In general By tool


Research foci 2 & 3: opportunity & riskAnticipated & actual, feared & realised (literature review)

Themes Opportunities RisksProductivity Improved productivity

through increased collaboration

Time-wasting

Practices Enhanced IM practice Erosion of IM practice, e.g. archiving & accessing exchanges, compromised security

Behaviours Positive cultural change Antisocial behaviour, e.g. bullying


Research activities: 12 weeks 2008

Weeks 1-2 Weeks 3-8 Weeks 8-12 Weeks 10-12Literature reviewing

Design of data collection tools and data collection

Data analysis Writing up

Preface to study

Web-based surveyFocus groupsInterviews

Quantitative – ExcelQualitative - manual

14,500 word report


Focus group held at IDOX/TFPL offices in London (23/07/08)

Hazel Hall and Shooresh Golzari based at Napier in Edinburgh

Focus group held at IDOX offices in Glasgow (31/07/08)

Melanie Goody and Belinda Blaswick based at TFPL in London

Respondents to web-based survey (07-14/07/08) and participants in telephone interviews (28/07 -01/08/08) based across the UK


Data subjectsPopulation

TFPL contacts Direct, e.g. clients, attendees at SharePoint Summits Indirect, e.g. through the Scottish Information Network

Invitation to participate Face-to-face at TFPL Connect meeting June 2008 Survey and focus groups: by e-mail invitation

Possible to attend focus group, but not complete survey Interviews: volunteers left contact details on survey


Study contributionsData set Data derived from Number of

contributions1 Web-based survey 57

2 London focus group 13

3 Glasgow focus group 12

4 Interviews 14

96*

*It was possible to make more than one contribution to the research, e.g. all who were interviewed completed the survey (96-14=82); similarly it was possible to complete the survey anonymously and attend a focus group.

Survey majority from public sector organisations.

Organisation size = median 725 employees.


Data collected, recorded & analysedSet Data collected Recording and analysis

1 Tool uptake within organisation; governance of tools; attitudes to opportunity and risk; challenges; demographic data

Excel for analysis of quantitative data.Qualitative data coded up and analysed manually.

2&3 Participant reactions to, and discussions of, preliminary results of web-based survey.

Recorded as Word files and content integrated into report under main themes as derived from analysis of survey data. Also posted to TFPL blog, e.g. http://blog.tfpl.com/tfpl/2008/07/index.html

3 Participant experience of implementation: as executed, planned or not yet undertaken

Recorded as Word files and content integrated into report under main themes as derived from analysis of survey data.


Uptake of social computing for collaborative workRange in levels of adoption

Non-provision

Sophisticated implementations with integrated “consumer” & licensed applications


Uptake of social computing for collaborative workRange in levels of adoption

Non-provision

Sophisticated implementations with integrated “consumer” & licensed applications

Sense that the study came “too early”

High number of “don’t know” and “neutral” responses to survey questions

Two thirds of respondents who provided additional free text comments at end of survey noted that the impacts of social computing were yet to be felt

Interviewees were cautious in drawing firm conclusions


Access and encouragement


Access and encouragementPublic sectorHigher levels of access and encouragement

Private sectorGreater levels of actual usage

Restricted useReported by 24% survey respondents

Change management investment concernsEven/especially in cases of high financial outlay


Enthusiasm amongst IM and KM staffLevels of enthusiasm for social computing for

collaborative work amongst IM and KM staff = high Increases collaboration and improves productivity in general

Facilitates knowledge and information sharing Connects individuals and groups Widens communication channels

Enhances IM practice More obvious and better organisation of resources Consolidation of material and reduction of silos 24 hour access

Induces positive cultural change, e.g. widened employee choice retention


The biggest risk?


The biggest risk?Failure to capitalise on opportunities offered by social

computing tools due to poor implementation management Respondents familiar with this risk from earlier experiences, e.g.

intranet developments from mid-90s onwards This risk is not considered in the literature

Like most things it’s about cultural change. A tool (however clever) can be used well/badly. Therefore usual considerations apply around what purpose does it serve, selling it to the business, understanding business benefits/risks, giving staff skills to use [it/them] properly, providing standards and guidance around use, encouraging good practice.


Less prominent risksIM problems

Information sprawl (but not overload); archiving; means of accessing archives; (version control and information quality)

Compromised security (Legal infringement and disrepute theoretically valid, though not

realised in practice); some leakage of confidential information

Lowered productivity Coping with IM problems; failure to adopt social computing tools “If employees are going to waste time, they do not need social

computing tools to do it”

(Anti-social behaviour)


Top tools for IM and KM professionalsRank Tool Opportunities Risks posed

1 Wikis Information sharing

IM practice

Productivity

Information quality in terms of wiki accuracy;

Leakage of confidential data

2 Blogs Connecting individuals & groups, e.g. unite separated team members

Widening communication channels to large audiences, e.g. promotion of work, opening up of conversations, feedback

Disrepute

Leakage of confidential data


Tool availability & usefulnessAvailability UsefulnessWikis Wikis

Blogging Blogging

Social networking Instant messaging

Instant messaging Social networking

Microblogging Microblogging


Tool availability, usefulness & usageAvailability UsefulnessWikis Wikis

Blogging Blogging




UsageSocial networking

Instant messaging

Wikis

Blogging

Microblogging



Blogging Blogging





Instant messaging

Wikis

Blogging

Microblogging



Blogging Blogging





Instant messaging

Wikis

Blogging

Microblogging



Blogging Blogging





Instant messaging

Wikis

Blogging

Microblogging

Ready availability of a tool does not guarantee popularity Under-exploitation of most valuable tools? Microblogging is barely on the radar, yet consider its features…


MicrobloggingElements of social networking

End user determines source of information flow based on “social network” that he/she builds

Elements of instant messaging Interactions are brief and to the point, real time, “familiar” format

Elements of wiki Public nature of conversations encourages collaborative building of

new knowledge

Elements of blogging Microblog, with easy linking to other resources


MicrobloggingElements of social networking

End user determines source of information flow based on “social network” that he/she builds

Elements of instant messaging Interactions are brief and to the point, real time, “familiar” format

Elements of wiki Public nature of conversations encourages collaborative building of

new knowledge

Elements of blogging Microblog, with easy linking to other resources

Plus elements of conversation, providing:

1. Meta-knowledge2. Problem reformulation3. Validation4. Legitimisation


5 stages of Twitter acceptance

I think Twitter sounds stupid. Why would anyone care what other people are doing right now?

Denial

http://www.slideshare.net/minxuan/how-twitter-changed-my-life-presentation




OK, I don’t really get why people love it, but I guess I should at least create an account.Denial

Presence





OK, I don’t really get why people love it, but I guess I should at least create an account.

I’m on Twitter and use it for pasting links to my blog posts and pointing people to my press releases.

Denial

Presence

Dumping







I don’t always post useful stuff, but I do use Twitter to have authentic 1x1 conversations.

Denial

Presence

Dumping

Conversinghttp://www.slideshare.net/minxuan/how-twitter-changed-my-life-presentation






I don’t always post useful stuff, but I do use Twitter to have authentic 1x1 conversations.

Denial

Presence

Dumping

Conversinghttp://www.slideshare.net/minxuan/how-twitter-changed-my-life-presentation

I’m using Twitter to publish useful information that people read, and to converse 1x1 authentically.

Microblogging


Back to the biggest risk: “wrong” implementationChallenge of understanding changes in the environment

where social may mean business Organisational level

Lack of investment/partial investment/restricted access Lack of investment in change management

Personal level “Don’t know”/ “neutral”/caution Consider your own forays into social computing

Work/social conversation Accounts and identities

Microblogging issue today parallels e-mail 15-20 years ago?


… and parallels with the telephoneIllustrated with this clip from Topsy Turvy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z9cpzz6Cp0


Implications for information and knowledge management professionals

Explore the value of social computing Sell “right” message on value to the organisation Play an active role in implementation planning

Choice of tools Management of roll-out Design of governance guidelines

Become mediators in social computing business environments Explore microblogging


More Gilbert & SullivanScottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre explore

Facebook: our final conference treathttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7RrHXNyONc

With thanks to Kev Sutherland


When social means business: the potential of social computing tools to support collaborative work as part of

the organisational information infrastructure

Dr Hazel HallReader in Social InformaticsCentre for Social Informatics

School of ComputingEdinburgh Napier University


Date post:	21-Oct-2014
Category:	Education
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