How can IC networking platforms improve knowledge sharing?

There’s so many. Slack. WhatsApp. MS Teams. There’s also collaboration tools like MS Planner and Trello. Those are just a few key apps I’ve used in organisations to improve Internal Communications. Each has its pros and cons.

It’s about democratizing information and dialogue across silos real and artificial — business lines, offices, geographies. It goes beyond the 10 questions you can answer in a quarterly town hall. You’re enabling two-way dialogue while supporting the leaders to set the tone on the platform to ensure the dialogue stays on point.

These platforms are vital in today’s organizations. They offer you the ability to communicate to multiple groups in ways they want to receive information. They allow you the ability to make information accessible to all - whether they are remote or internal employees. They also foster the feeling of collaboration and help to bridge silos in the workplace.

I think the main way that these apps can be very beneficial is to mitigate knowledge hoarding. I have seen knowledge and information hoarding in many organisations, and this normally occurs where emails are not forwarded or people are not copied into emails that they should be. The benefit of software for internal communications such as WhatsApp, Slack, MS teams, is that it is very obvious to all if someone has been left off a group.

Have you noticed that every time you talk with one of your co-workers, you learn something new? It can be a work update, a personal update, an incident, or a skill set. Now that has been a one-on-one discussion. Imagine the same conversation between one and many of the co-workers! Everybody will be able to learn something new from that one person - that is the best thing about IC platforms. They help build knowledge of the team like nothing else.

It would help if you chose something cost-effective and user-friendly. IC platforms are good to have for businesses. I remember using the Workplace by Facebook in one organization. It was a great platform, but people resisted using another Facebook app for work. Now, you will see WhatsApp, Teams, or a dedicated Microsite as the most common IC platforms. It would help if you chose something people are habituated to. Otherwise, it will take a long time and even fail like the Workplace.

I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong way except just make a decision. What I have seen is indecision within organisations. Pick one. Use it. It’s pretty simple.

To further enhance the implementation and promotion of your IC networking platform, consider the following strategies: Tailored Onboarding: Customize onboarding for different user skill levels, ensuring all employees can effectively use the platform. Executive Endorsement: Secure senior leadership involvement to emphasize the platform's importance. Content Curation: Appoint content moderators for organization and accessibility. Community Management: Assign community managers to facilitate engagement and discussions. Feedback Channels: Create dedicated channels for user feedback and improvements.

You must have clear guidance (set of rules) for IC platforms. Otherwise, people will flood it with irrelevant content and annoy others. The platform must also have an admin or moderator, preferably the IC guy, to make things fun and get control over the platform as well.

I think this is relevant five years ago. In today’s society, nowadays in organisations, you should not have to share or sell benefits of these platforms to organisations.

I think keep feedback very easy to access. And have a dedicated team on board who can analyse and action this feedback. I don’t think there’s any need to overcomplicate things when it comes to evaluation of internal communication channels. They have changed so rapidly in the past five years, evaluation has barely been able to keep up.

You may measure the level of engagement in the posts or announcements. Not every post will get the same response; you must be patient. Sort out the important messages and make them stand out among others. The IC guys have a significant role in making things interesting.

Access to information is part of an effective internal communication strategy. Access is also a way to communicate with your team. Consider - where information is available - who can access it - what is available to the whole organization versus has limited access to certain team members Questions to ask - is information readily available to do your job? - do you receive information in a timely manner? - how often is access to information limiting your ability to contribute to a project?