Launching a collaborative platform is neither a project objective nor an end in itself. It is a means of facilitating a transition and a transformation of work patterns to adapt to an increasingly complex environment.
Thus, the choice of launching a collaborative platform is most often a decision taken at the top level of the organization and aims at attaining greater agility, a stronger capacity for innovation, cohesion and a higher sense of belonging… Ideally, the entrepreneur will instill this vision. This can be published as a welcome message on the social network, at the launch of the project or at the launch of the deployment phase following the initial pilot phase.
If the head office is not the initiator of the project, we recommend that you identify a sponsor who can bring legitimacy to the project. This legitimacy is essential because it creates the necessary security framework for good user participation.
However, your message shouldn’t focus exclusively on the benefits of the collaborative platform to the organization. We encourage you to communicate on the tangible (and ideally, short-term) benefits that employees have a right to expect from such a project.
Here are some benefits you can promote:
- Less time spent searching for information
- Less time spent at the mercy of your mailbox (filing, archiving, being solicited…)
- It’s easier to share documents, manage different versions
- Less time spent in meetings (improved sharing/synchronization)
- A more transparent organization, conductive to a better understanding of what is happening inside as well as outside
- A greater proximity to peers
- A greater sense of belonging
- A richer collaborative work experience with a more advanced tool
Actions to be implemented:
- Discuss the writing of the welcome message with the managing director or sponsor
- Transmit this message on the various internal communication media of the organization
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This article is part of a series focusing on to the best practices to be adopted for the launch and implementation of a collaborative platform or private social network within a company or organization.
