Making sense of 'Enterprise 2.0' or 'Web 2.0 in corporate environment'

After few months of research I am finding easier to understand the benefits of this new concept for me, not only involving the tools, but also re-engineering processes and cultural change.

Fantastic post (again, thanks JP) sharing thoughts not only against banning Facebook in corporate settings, but also those ideas can be expanded to the future of other tools like IM or mashups. JP says: "Banning Facebook is the equivalent of banning coffee shops and water coolers and loos." And it's difficult not to agree on that. Those who disagree may easily look at some one like themselves banning external telephone calls inside the company some dozens of years ago.

• I would add to help the PEOPLE decide where they are the next thought:
  

It IS clear that allowing IM or blogging to people in the company can be risky, so we know that large companies never trust in 100% of their employees.
In this case, I'D PREFER TO GIVE more value to the 9x% of employees who are committed with their job and let emerge those few over the other being irresponsible with their actions THAN TO RETAIN the technological evolution of my collaboration tools and keep those few hidden behind emails and emails or meetings that never end.

• Having understood which must be the strategic approach let's walk one step down: THE PROCESSES

I normally refer three main ideas to keep in mind when I try to explain which are consisting these new processes of. Three simple rules to transfer to employees when trying to communicate the magic secret of the 'Web 2.0' world.

1. Information must be shared by default not by 'making it shareable'.
   
• The same can be applied to the content creation. The document's edition will not be controlled by default unless those (like policies or rights) that must be controlled by declared experts.
• Think of your colleagues all the time and they will do it for you.
• Links in a post (or a document) make life easier. Let your colleagues read the main body content in a few minutes and link through the text the extra information that they might need.
• Bookmark and tag as you think everyone else will find it
• Be honest with yourself. Blog about your interests, bookmark what you will really use, correct/criticize something if you think it's wrong and complain if you think the things could be made easier for you to communicate.
  
2. The communication channels must be selected according to certain rules.
• Let's have a look to the graph below
• As we see, several different communication channels can be presented for communicate/share the same content. The challenge is to teach the users to select the right channel DEPENDING ON THE CONTENT AND THE MATURITY OF THE CONTENT. eMails are one-to-one (sometimes one-to-few) so that is good to maybe propose someone else an idea that you had in mind or to disagree in first term with anybody else's. Immediately that must be exposed in a Forum where the publisher has not more power to take the discussion further over the others. Everyone will dispose same opportunities to agree, shape or disagree. Some times it has happen that from the eMail it was dumped into a Wiki page. The problem that we might encounter is constant disagreement on the same corners without opportunity for discussion so that delays the overall process of maturing. The mean solution is to develop the Wiki within a Discussion Forum environment attached to it (like Wikipedia offers with its "talk" page). Finally Blogs, which still allow some comments but in minor details, and Announcements, to formalize and communicate to the rest of the community the final conclusions. (In next posts I will be giving details about this idea).

Most of the discussions on 'Enterprise 2.0' will keep open forever as it happens with Knowledge Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture or Change Management. And it's good because reflexion stimulates innovation! So don't wait until unique true solution arrives to your ears because THAT WILL NOT EVER HAPPEN.