Building Your Social Intranet – Step 2 Defining the Goal

How do you build your social intranet? In my previous posts I shared my slides with you and a definition of social intranet. I also wrote about why I think listening is the first step on your way to a social intranet.

My step 2 is defining the goal of your social intranet. Of course, most of you would say. It’s quite logical to have a goal before you set up an intranet. For this reason I thought I might skip this step. But I’m keeping it in the list anyway. In my experience this step is left out or it has been defined without really listening to the organisation. The goal is implicit instead of explicit. Leaving this step out results in an intranet that is completely isolated from the business (and thus most employees). Defining an intranet goal without really listening to the organization leads to an intranet with vague and broad goals. Like: Improve efficiency of employees. Or: Improve internal communications. These goals are not wrong but hardly have any relatedness to the core of most businesses. And therefore they are hard to sell to decision makers (and employees).

So, define how your intranet is truly going to improve the organization as a whole. How are you truly going to help employees contribute to the business goals. Relating business goals and the organizational mission to the intranet goal is a good starting point.

Furthermore, if you’ve listened well (in step 1) the goals of the intranet will fly at you. And if they don’t, maybe you don’t need an intranet after all.

What the goal of your (social) intranet? Is it communicated regularly? How was the social intranet goal defined? Were you asked how the intranet can improve your work?