Institutionalizing Enterprise2.0

In my post on adoption models, I suggested that there are 3 types: standard (hierarchical), single initiation point (SIP) and multiple initiation point (MIP).

In considering institutionalization of enterprise2.0 ( that is, getting successful deployment and use across all corporate activities, not just small groups) ask yourself this question. If one believes that you can lead from the bottom (ala emergence/SIP), then why is it the many people suggest that "getting management support" is a key to success to an emergent model?

You may also be interested in my paper "Moving From a Need to Know to a Need to Flow: Information Flow in Hierarchical Companies.

Comments

[Yao]

Kvein,

I think there contexts where SIP and MIP play different roles. For idea generation and innovation diffusion, SIP is better as there is very little predefined for ideas and converstation about ideas to happen. For process execution, MIP might better as it can keep all relevant infromation and people in context for tasks at hand. If you have strong search and tagging across MIP, the difference tends to deminish.

The history of web tell us that we usually start with MIP and each of the information islands get increasing connected overtime. Then some kind of super structures (meta-structure) will emerge...

[Kevin Shea]

Yao

I agree that different models should be applied to different situations, different companies. There are companies whose business goals and culture are based on innovation, such as biotech, others who are commodity oriented, such as metal fabricators, and still others that are more government like.

I believe that each company must evaluate the execution model and decide which is most appropriate for them. That is, link the model to the type of business. And, in some, it could be that a hybrid may be best. I think we agree that one size doesn’t fit all.

If the connections, interaction and interfaces are known at the initiation of a project, then it is my opinion that those connections should be accounted for in any framework, as part of the system design. Then, one can either encourage interaction or wait for users to determine the need. Some connections are more well know than others since they are integral to work processes. However, the new technologies offer potential to create new or reinvigorate old connections, and these should be encouraged.

I have written in the past and hold to my opinion that the business value of emergent collaboration and Enterprise2.0 is in providing means to improve and optimize interaction and interfaces (the connections)

Kevin