Mainstreaming E2.0 Step 2

"The consumers do not understand the value of the innovation"

Enterprise 2.0 Example:

I come from a non IT, scientific background (the core business area of my organisation), and I know all too well that us scientists are busy people, as I imagine most people are.

We don't have time to mess around with the new technologies spilling out of our IT departments (especially considering some of the rubbish enterprise 2.0 solutions that we are forced to deal with!!). Furthermore I think we have all gotten pretty good at finding reasons so that we don't have to get involved in these projects.

So when I go to speak to my colleagues about RSS, I take the time to explain all the pros and cons of the technology, and I always get a "that's really interesting" response. Loosely translated I think they are telling me - "yup I get what you are talking about, but it sounds like a lot of effort for little gain" - which is why very few of these colleagues then go away and start using RSS. I definitely think that part of this is to do with them being busy - but I also I think that E2.0 technologies need to be seen to be believed.  For example some might think that a blog is a rather self indulgent waste of time until they find something that they connect with and they find interesting - once they see the value in blogging - often there is no stopping them (I include myself in this).

 

Solution?

I think that with Enterprise 2.0 technologies the chicken most definitely must come before the egg. I was speaking to a colleague of mine recently, and he said that he has just got into RSS - I was pleased- but also a bit surprised - I asked him how he got into it..and he replied that he had been into it for a while, but it had really taken off in his department because one of their senior managers had just started to write a blog and they all needed a way of keeping up with it. They were introduced to RSS, saw the instant benefit and that was all they needed to get hooked on it and start exploring and discovering the true value for themselves. Therefore I think that the solution to helping people understand the value of the innovation is to exemplify to the business why the innovation has value with an example tailored to the particular business area - remembering that one size doesn't fit all and that people will use these tools in ways that suit them and that can't be predicted ahead of time by people that don't know or understand their business area.

 

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