The Way of the Wiki
No one yet knows how the trend toward social networking is going to turn out, because no one person is really in charge. That’s the point. What “emerges” out of such systems are collaborative creations that are changing the world via online communities such as the hugely popular, youth-oriented MySpace.com and information repositories such as the heavily trafficked online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
Some observers argue that the new tools are going to change the workplace as well. “The next wave in office productivity, represented by wikis (editable websites), blogs and other social networking technologies, is here,” reports the Financial Times. “Experts say these tools will transform the way work is done by encouraging new types of collaboration” (Nairn, 2006).
Take wiki technology, for example. This collaborative software enables users to author, edit, and interlink content from their Internet browsers. Projects and communications that are currently handled through e-mail, the use of “track changes” in word processing programs, and software such as Lotus Notes can, to a large degree, be combined in a wiki.
About 30% of companies with 100 or more employees use wikis, estimates Peter O’Kelly, a research director at the Burton Group, an IT consulting firm. Industry observers expect IBM and Microsoft to incorporate wikis into enterprise products by the end of 2006, and O’Kelly thinks there will be “explosive growth” in wiki usage (Ackerman, 2006). The Gartner Group, an IT research company, predicts wikis will become mainstream in half of businesses by the year 2009 (Conlin, 2005). But other experts are more circumspect, noting that there’s still a “geek” factor associated with wikis and that many people aren’t yet comfortable with the technology. And supervisors might worry that wikis will divert employees’ attention away from their “real work” (Goodnoe, 2006).
Still, wikis have a strong appeal to some. A company wiki can be a clear step up from simply passing documents around or posting them in a folder on an intranet because it can easily combine and track all sorts of information and media, presenting them in a narrative that ties them together and provides context. Edits can be made directly from users’ browsers, and the collaborative format encourages everyone to participate but also makes it simple to restore earlier versions.
Knowledge management is an oft-cited corporate use for wikis. For instance, the Financial Times recommends the use of wikis for setting meeting agendas in a “participative and non-threatening” way (Nairn, 2006). Wikis can also embed e-mails or link to any sort of document (spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, PDFs, etc.) capable of being viewed in a Web browser (Goodnoe, 2006).
E.learning Age reports, “A geographically distributed team could use a wiki as a way of keeping in touch, sharing ideas and developing a project.” Wikis can help teams reduce the “reply-all” phenomenon, in which team members are inundated with so many group mailings that they have a tough time keeping track of proposals and agreements. By putting everything on one Web page, team thoughts and actions can be clarified (Naish, 2006).
Any function that requires collaboration or could benefit from the input of several people into one document can be addressed through a wiki. Suppose, for example, that HR has been asked to design an employee survey. Designing the survey may involve getting input on issues and questions from affected managers and testing the survey before implementing it. A wiki might be a good way to brainstorm about the topics to be covered, group-edit the text and layout, solicit feedback from the test group and then allow the test group to suggest changes and request clarification where needed.
Training is another area in which wikis might be useful. Online educational materials can be provided through a wiki, which can be enriched by video clips and other multimedia presentations. A wiki could also provide a group space for trainees to take and display their class notes. This could deepen mastery of the material, permit individuals with expertise in the subject matter to provide additional information, and allow the instructor to see what areas of the training provoke the most discussion or need clarification.
Employers should keep in mind that wikis are a social medium, designed to support people working together, but they can operate with other communication media. For example, when a team-building activity day is planned, it can be announced via e-mail and the company newsletter, but those might include a link to a team-day wiki (Soderberg, 2006). Employees can also use wikis to design activities and review the exercises afterward, thus extending the team-building to before and after the event.
As with any new workforce technology, however, there are bound to be problems. “Although employees access wikis through familiar Web browsers, what they find can be confusing or intimidating,” reports InformationWeek (Goodnoe, 2006). The ultimate success of this and other social networking technologies in the workforce will be determined by the degree to which workers “buy into” them and use them in a professional, productive and creative manner.
For a Financial Times article called “Social Networking Becomes Work,” please click here.
An InformationWeek article called “Wikis in the Workplace” can be found here.
For more on a wiki-related article published in the Mercury News, click here.
For a BusinessWeek article called “E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago,” click here.
For a Wikipedia introduction to wikis, click here.
Documents used in the preparation of this TrendWatcher include the following:
Ackerman, Elise. “Under-the-Radar Wiki Web Sites Aid Collaboration, Improving Efficiency and Cutting Down on E-Mail.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, July 24, 2006.
Conlin, Michelle. “E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago.” BusinessWeek, November 28, 2005.
Goodnoe, Ezra. “Wiki While You Work.” Information Week. ProQuest. February 27, 2006.
Nairn, Geoff. “Social Networking Becomes Work.” Financial Times. ProQuest. April 12, 2006.
Naish, Richard. “A Sense of Responsibility.”E.learning Age. ProQuest. May 2006.
Soderberg, Sonja. “Encouraging Wiki Readers to Become Contributors.” ITtoolbox Team Blog. June 27, 2006.
Some observers argue that the new tools are going to change the workplace as well. “The next wave in office productivity, represented by wikis (editable websites), blogs and other social networking technologies, is here,” reports the Financial Times. “Experts say these tools will transform the way work is done by encouraging new types of collaboration” (Nairn, 2006).
Take wiki technology, for example. This collaborative software enables users to author, edit, and interlink content from their Internet browsers. Projects and communications that are currently handled through e-mail, the use of “track changes” in word processing programs, and software such as Lotus Notes can, to a large degree, be combined in a wiki.
About 30% of companies with 100 or more employees use wikis, estimates Peter O’Kelly, a research director at the Burton Group, an IT consulting firm. Industry observers expect IBM and Microsoft to incorporate wikis into enterprise products by the end of 2006, and O’Kelly thinks there will be “explosive growth” in wiki usage (Ackerman, 2006). The Gartner Group, an IT research company, predicts wikis will become mainstream in half of businesses by the year 2009 (Conlin, 2005). But other experts are more circumspect, noting that there’s still a “geek” factor associated with wikis and that many people aren’t yet comfortable with the technology. And supervisors might worry that wikis will divert employees’ attention away from their “real work” (Goodnoe, 2006).
Still, wikis have a strong appeal to some. A company wiki can be a clear step up from simply passing documents around or posting them in a folder on an intranet because it can easily combine and track all sorts of information and media, presenting them in a narrative that ties them together and provides context. Edits can be made directly from users’ browsers, and the collaborative format encourages everyone to participate but also makes it simple to restore earlier versions.
Knowledge management is an oft-cited corporate use for wikis. For instance, the Financial Times recommends the use of wikis for setting meeting agendas in a “participative and non-threatening” way (Nairn, 2006). Wikis can also embed e-mails or link to any sort of document (spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, PDFs, etc.) capable of being viewed in a Web browser (Goodnoe, 2006).
E.learning Age reports, “A geographically distributed team could use a wiki as a way of keeping in touch, sharing ideas and developing a project.” Wikis can help teams reduce the “reply-all” phenomenon, in which team members are inundated with so many group mailings that they have a tough time keeping track of proposals and agreements. By putting everything on one Web page, team thoughts and actions can be clarified (Naish, 2006).
Any function that requires collaboration or could benefit from the input of several people into one document can be addressed through a wiki. Suppose, for example, that HR has been asked to design an employee survey. Designing the survey may involve getting input on issues and questions from affected managers and testing the survey before implementing it. A wiki might be a good way to brainstorm about the topics to be covered, group-edit the text and layout, solicit feedback from the test group and then allow the test group to suggest changes and request clarification where needed.
Training is another area in which wikis might be useful. Online educational materials can be provided through a wiki, which can be enriched by video clips and other multimedia presentations. A wiki could also provide a group space for trainees to take and display their class notes. This could deepen mastery of the material, permit individuals with expertise in the subject matter to provide additional information, and allow the instructor to see what areas of the training provoke the most discussion or need clarification.
Employers should keep in mind that wikis are a social medium, designed to support people working together, but they can operate with other communication media. For example, when a team-building activity day is planned, it can be announced via e-mail and the company newsletter, but those might include a link to a team-day wiki (Soderberg, 2006). Employees can also use wikis to design activities and review the exercises afterward, thus extending the team-building to before and after the event.
As with any new workforce technology, however, there are bound to be problems. “Although employees access wikis through familiar Web browsers, what they find can be confusing or intimidating,” reports InformationWeek (Goodnoe, 2006). The ultimate success of this and other social networking technologies in the workforce will be determined by the degree to which workers “buy into” them and use them in a professional, productive and creative manner.
For a Financial Times article called “Social Networking Becomes Work,” please click here.
An InformationWeek article called “Wikis in the Workplace” can be found here.
For more on a wiki-related article published in the Mercury News, click here.
For a BusinessWeek article called “E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago,” click here.
For a Wikipedia introduction to wikis, click here.
Documents used in the preparation of this TrendWatcher include the following:
Ackerman, Elise. “Under-the-Radar Wiki Web Sites Aid Collaboration, Improving Efficiency and Cutting Down on E-Mail.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, July 24, 2006.
Conlin, Michelle. “E-Mail Is So Five Minutes Ago.” BusinessWeek, November 28, 2005.
Goodnoe, Ezra. “Wiki While You Work.” Information Week. ProQuest. February 27, 2006.
Nairn, Geoff. “Social Networking Becomes Work.” Financial Times. ProQuest. April 12, 2006.
Naish, Richard. “A Sense of Responsibility.”E.learning Age. ProQuest. May 2006.
Soderberg, Sonja. “Encouraging Wiki Readers to Become Contributors.” ITtoolbox Team Blog. June 27, 2006.