Category: How We Think

The Right Amount of Social

At HyveWorks we talk about adding ‘the right amount of social’ to your organization.  This idea speaks to our belief that social collaboration tools should address current workflow and process.  They should be simple, easy to use and strategically integrated to meet your needs.

Many Enterprises are struggling to understand what aspects of Enterprise 2.0 are relevant to them.  How do they apply social collaboration in a way that enhances the Enterprise?  They are worried about losing control, introducing time-wasting technology and adding another layer of expensive technology that is difficult to adopt, use and maintain.

At the end of the day, Enterprise 2.0’s biggest challenge isn’t technological, it’s human.  The best technology in the world won’t help if it’s not used.  And the key to adoption is providing value to the user; and not adding more to do (or more to distract).  The only way to truly address this issue is to look at work from the bottom up.

Where is information getting stuck?  In the case of one client we are working with, information was getting ‘stuck’ because information flow was dependent on key individuals distributing updates in a timely manner.  Instant Messaging and email worked well for their one-on-one conversations, but it wasn’t working as a team tool.

Or, where is communication falling short?  In the case of another client, they needed social collaboration integrated into one aspect of a current Application Life Stage Management System.  The ability to do this solves a real problem for them.

Often, adding another layer of complex social infrastructure and functionality is the last thing companies need.  Companies don’t necessarily need to invest in all-encompassing, top down platforms to add social to their organizations.  It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing conversation or investment.

To address these concerns, HyveWorks offers a highly configurable, modular solution that is simple to deploy and use; integrated into current workflow; and has two levels of security, Hosted or on-premise Enterprise. The more integrated and ‘contextual’ the collaboration tool, the more useful and relevant it is for its users and the higher the return for the organization.

Tags: Contextual Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0, social collaboration