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The Wiki-Connected Workforce
The most valuable asset many companies have is their workforce. They attract the best knowledge workers with higher salaries, amenities, and flexible working conditions, and expect them to travel and excel in front of customers. But there is one more thing they expect - contribution to the group knowledge base so everyone can share.
The key to encourage sharing of knowledge is to remove barriers and demonstrate value. Most content management and collaboration systems are somewhat difficult to use and access, especially for remote users, so they end up with low levels of participation. Happily, the Internet has a demonstrated successful solution to the problem of group-created shared knowledge: The wiki!
Hello, Wiki
Wikipedia is the most familiar example, a global encyclopedia created and maintained entirely by volunteer users. Anyone viewing an article is free to edit it, and users can also add new pages. In this way, Wikipedia has been able to harness the vast knowledge of literally millions of people, each contributing a tiny amount to an encyclopedic whole.
Under the covers, the wiki software provides critical support without being intrusive. It maintains a revision history, so other visitors can track and even revert unwanted changes. It also simplifies the creation of links between articles so users don’t have to copy or type long addresses. The presentation of information is simplified as well, with easy markup replacing complex HTML code for formatting. Finally, the wiki software manages the organization of articles, creating an index, search, and categorization scheme as articles and links are added.
The Business End
When businesspeople think about wikis, they often jump to conclusions based on their experience with Wikipedia, however:
- They may assume that wikis have to be anonymous, even though most wikis encourage or require users to create named accounts.
- They could also jump to the conclusion that anything added to a business wiki would be open to the whole internet, though it is simple to control access to some or all of the pages of a wiki.
- Finally, they might think a wiki is not suitable for rich content like tables, multimedia files, and documents, even though Wikipedia’s companion Commons contains a massive multimedia database.
Business wikis do not have to be anything like Wikipedia or the other wikis scattered throughout the Internet. They normally include user accounts and passwords to control access, and may be placed behind VPNs on corporate intranets for added security. Some even disguise their wiki underpinnings, appearing to the casual user as standard web sites. And wikis manage documents and multimedia files as objects, maintaining revision histories and simplifying linking and updates just like a content management system.
Leverage Openness
Business wikis exist primarily to leverage the same effects that built Wikipedia: Low barriers to contribution, simple markup, easy access, solid content control, and flexible organization and linking. And the nature of a wiki suits knowledge-based workforces since there is always a single latest revision of the whole that incorporates all of the latest thinking.
Although the Mediawiki software used by Wikipedia is free and open source, there are many other wiki packages to choose from. Some are more suited to businesses, with links to corporate authentication and access control systems and integration with email and calendaring software. These are also offered as pay-as-you-go managed services with corporate support contracts and services to get the whole thing started.
Regardless of which software is used, a corporate wiki can yield tremendous benefits, enabling collaboration and contribution of knowledge.
Clear Communication Channels
Nomads, by definition, have a limited contact role from within a business group. They provide a critical and timely service to a company, group, or team. However, their integration into the team can be difficult without:
- Common expectations
What are they supposed to contribute? A specific goal and known expecatations are critical to ensuring good rapport and results. Goals can be established through email, video conferences, telephone conferences with common documentation, or any combination of the above. - Clear timelines for Deliverables
Because of their “remote” status, it is critical that nomads deliver to the team on time and under budget. Business confidence in their capabilities, personal relationships formed through text and voice communications, and team-building are all tied to delivering “top-of-the-line” deliverables that meet specifications. - Common communication channels
Both old-style (message boards, email, newsgroups) and new-style (internet video, web meetings, common community boards such as whiteboards and writing environments) can be used to provide this commonality. The key to success in this area is to define one for communications, one for deliverables, and a last one for just-in-time (JIT) communications. Both parties, team and nomad, need to know what to use and how to use it.
Nomads are different from vendors in that they are inside the team, rather than an adjunct to the team. With clear communications and an understanding of what should be delivered, they can greatly increase the productivity of a business group.
Email, Skype And Phone
Digital nomads have several distinct methods of communication with remote colleagues and partners:
- Email is best for organizing complex ideas and communicating them to one or more parties, such as a strategy outline. Email is also ideal for sharing documents as attachments.
- Skype IM is great for quick exchanges at random intervals throughout the workday, such as sending a URL.
- Phone (or Skype Call) is best for brainstorming ideas and engaging in real-time dialogue, such as a strategy meeting. Skype Call is also great for conference calls among several parties.
- SMS is good for brief exchanges when away from a computer, such as at a luncheon.
- Wikis (such as PB Wiki, which I like) are great for long-term brainstorms and managing task lists. These are also useful to keep a group informed on evolving plans. Most offer a handy ‘alert’ function that emails everyone on the list when any changes have been made.
One of the challenges I have faced with email is that sometimes good ideas get buried among old email and lots of junk mail. A good solution to this problem was to use the wiki for ongoing strategizing, as well as product testing and reporting.
Mobile phone usage costs money, so Skype has been great as a free alternative for voice calls. I would recommend using a hands-free headset to reduce feedback/ echoes. International calls on Skype cost some money, but very little compared to international telephony.
Stay In Touch
One of the biggest challenges a digital nomad faces is keeping in touch with coworkers, team members or partners, when the group is not in the same physical space most of the time. These days, many rely on tools like instant messaging, wikis, collaborative workspaces, email and other tools to keep everyone on the same page. What are some tips and tricks that you’ve found for keeping a group of digital nomads working together well? What were some of the downsides and challenges? How were those overcome or minimized?
The rules for keeping in touch with coworkers, IMHO, are the same as running your own business. I had my own business for five years, and was a digital nomad for more than three years.
1. Remember, TO THE MIDDLE! Don’t be too close to coworkers (there are exceptions, but very rarely), and don’t be remote. If you are too close, it will nearly always degenerate to an “us versus them” situation, as your coworkers (or you) experience/imagine some “situation”. DON’T BE INVOLVED! And, even if you don’t like the person, don’t be remote - you may have to work with them at some time, and you don’t need tension in the relationship.
2. Email, IM, wiki, whatever. You want people to know you exist. If possible, learn and remember “little things”, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Leave out vacations and other overly time-consuming matters, except for a “hope you had a good time!”. With any contact, develop the ability to end the conversation on a positive note when it is taking too much time.
3. MAKE A POINT to meet at the office or at a “neutral” common point - NOT the home, or other “personal” space; work is not for socializing (once again, it degenerates into an “us versus them” problem.
4. Most of all, remember that you are at the disadvantage of not being fully visible. Don’t resent it, you would act the same way in “their” situation, but take it into account, and try a little harder.
Why use a Hammer When You Need a Saw?
Keeping a dispersed workforce on the same page relies on multiple tools. There is an array of technology available to businesses, however if its not the right tool for the job then, rather than enhancing productivity and communication, it frustrates and impairs the effectiveness of a dispersed workforce.
It is imperative that managers and employees identify what they are seeking to accomplish, and defining the best method for achieving that end. The first step in this process is identifying clear goals and targets for the employee, identifying milestones, deliverables, and time lines. In this process, different steps or aspects of the work are going to require different methods to keep employees on the same page.
There are many tools available, and each has it’s own strengths and weaknesses depending on the task being attempted. Too many times e-mail is seen as the way to communicate with a distributed workforce. Too much time is spent reading long chains and multiple responses to an e-mail, or trying to sort out a draft of a document that has been circulating. A hammer is a great tool for pounding nails, but useless to cut a board. Its about using the right tool for the job. Start with the task you need to accomplish and match the tool to the task.
Resource questions, brief updates or short answers are well suited to e-mail, as is a notice that doesn’t require feedback you want to get to field staff immediately. E-mail should be intentional communication rather than generalized information. It should have a clear purpose and be directed at the recipient. However, despite its usefullness, e-mail is not well suited to conversations.
Short conversations between two people can be had using text messaging, while longer ones are suited to direct communication using cell phones or video conferencing. With groups, video conferencing can be useful, especially when topics are more amorphous. Another alternative is message boards where information can be posted and responded to. The structure of message boards allows employees to follow a clear flow of the conversation and responses. Where as e-mail allows immediate connection, message boards allow people to go to the information when they have the time to dedicate to it and provide thoughtful feedback. Separating the use of e-mail and message boards in this way allows employees to triage what needs their immediate attention, and this is a way for us to help them do this.
Group project work may benefit from the use of message boards for discussion on the project, but having this as part of a shared workspace can be invaluable. This workspace may include working documents, shared calendars, goal and target monitoring, and message and bulletin boards. These virtual spaces can keep project teams on the same page by keeping all the materials in one place which avoids duplication and loss of important information, reduces the load on e-mail, and can serve as a way for teams to stay connected.
Staying on the same page does not always mean direct communication between two or more people. At times, communication is being able to share the same information, such as when evaluating or tracking productivity. Having already defined what productivity looks like, you are able to identify how to measure it. If productivity means sales or billable hours, then being able to generate a report of these may be important. Reviewing that report as a team may be in a meeting, but just being able to access and view accurate mectrics helps people stay on the same page regarding achieving identified targets and goals that are quantifiable.
Ultimately, keeping teams on the same page is challenging at the best of times, even when they’re not digital nomads. It starts with having a shared understanding of project goals, milestones and targets. By evaluating what we need to accomplish from our communication allows us to choose the right method for that communication. Being intentional about how we are sharing information allows us to sort information better and achieve better outcomes more efficiently.
Collective Presence Helps Nomads Do The Right Things
Presence is a stream of signals you give off. You’ve seen simple availability presence signals in instant messaging: I’m online, I’m offline, Do Not Disturb. Some of us lifestream what we’re doing during the day: I’m in this meeting, I’m catching up on email, I’m making soup. We also give off contextual presence signals: I’m available for lunch on Tuesday if you’re a recruiter, my dream date, or someone I know.
Disclosure like this feels strange. At first. And then something unusual happens. We get used to it. It starts to feel familiar. Like being in an open plan office where you overhear smalltalk, see people come and go. Or having a break room where you catch up with people a little bit here and there.
And then presence becomes useful.
People use our signals. Strangers decide if they should introduce themselves. Colleagues decide when they should interrupt, and for what. And that makes your life better, because the people around you are making better choices about when and how to engage with you.
We use many tools to broadcast our presence. Twitter, blogs, public calendars, job sites, project status systems, IM mood messages. Even simple things like IM and email. So long as the people in your world can easily see and update, which tools don’t matter too much.
Because presence is a social interaction. You share yours. You consume others’. And through this, you get to know each other in ways that may be more intimate and current than if you were in the same physical office.
Collective presence is what it sounds like. A stream or a place where you can see what a group of people are doing. Where you aggregate your group’s presence signals.
Collective presence is a mix of informal, unstructured, casual talk and structured messages. The Europeans in our team are coming online now. The programmers are working through a pre-release checklist. Someone’s dealing with a problem today.
Members of a team experience this collective presence through group chats, like IRC’s or Skype’s persistent chat rooms, or a listserve. At Skype Journal, we augment group chats with RSS aggregators and other software that pull in team member blogs, twitter updates, public calendars, public bookmarks, new photos and illustrations. So all through the day we keep in touch.
So I have a few lessons to share.
First, social media and presence tools sustain bonds that help a team know and trust each other.
Second, collective presence cultivates situational awareness. So people make better choices about what is important, what is urgent and what needs resources.
Third, collective presence means you are not alone. When those feelings of isolation kick in, it’s easy to drop into the group chat and see what everyone has been up to.
The essence of productivity is choosing the right things to do and doing them. Collective presence makes remote team productivity easier and more immediate.
My toolkit:
- Skype public chats, Skype contact groups
- iGoogle and Google Reader (aggregating news and blog feeds)
- twitter, TwitterBar (so I can post from Firefox), TweetDeck (aggregating tweets), Twype (putting my latest twitter into my Skype mood),
- Yahoo!’s flickr (images), delicious (bookmarks), upcoming (events)
- Google Groups for email lists
Community Is Everything
This insight is a personal passion of mine because I’ve been a Digital Nomad (Road Warrior variety) for years, and I’ve also spent a good chunk of my career leading multi-media communications solution development.
A well structured Unified Communications (UC) toolset is a big help and a good starting point. This includes integrated IM, presence, file xfer, voice/video telephony, and whiteboarding. The integration of the independent functions adds value over a collection of independent applications and an enterprise-grade UC solution is likely a lot more secure than public apps like Yahoo Messenger or Skype. But none of this is really insightful as the big players like Cisco and Microsoft have been pushing these ideas at businesses for years now. It’s important to recognize that UC solutions, email, Wikis, etc. are just tools. These tools ‘enable’ the connection between employees, but they do little to create the connection or develop it.
It’s been my experience that the secret to keeping Digital Nomads connected with coworkers is to replace the concept of Unified ‘Communications’ with one of Unified ‘Community’. Communications implies information flow. Community implies a group of people with shared interests and a sense of belonging. That is what the traditional office environment has and that is what you want to extend to include the Digital Nomads connecting from the online worlds.
There are some really great tools that have recently become available that make the challenge of creating a Unified Community a lot easier. Customized social networks are fantastic for this purpose. They provide for sharing of information across the group, they’re designed for active dialog and debate, and they allow users to maintain their personalities in an online environment (very important). In addition, online social networks support a structure to prevent chaos and can be very easily setup to reflect the organization. Think manager = moderator. I think we’ve used social networks as large online playgrounds up until now and hardly anyone has caught on to how powerful a concept it is when applied to a business context. Think about it - every Facebook or MySpace member is, to some degree, a Digital Nomad. And look at the sense of community and ‘connection’ that these networks have achieved!
Another more recent tool worth mentioning is Twitter. Twitter can be a distraction and a waste of time. But with a little process-design effort, it can be a useful addition to the online workplace. Not as an email replacement and not for intellectual dialog, but for simple and quick real time updates, i.e., Tweets like “Before I forget…”, “Meeting cancelled…”, “Flight delayed…” The advantage is that you don’t have to think about who to send these messages to each time. Any of your coworkers who need to know will already be following your tweets.
Bottom line: To keep Digital Nomads connected with coworkers, focus on extending the workplace *community* to the online world. Use MySpace and Facebook as working examples. Any challenge you come up with has likely already been solved in these environments. You just need to look for the solution and apply it to your workplace context.
Thinking Outside Of The Technology Box
We have offices in 3 different geographic regions. Our principals alternate every 2-3 days between each of them. In addition our sales and tech staff are frequently on the road traveling.
I like many of the technological suggestions included here, we also use VOIP, a variety of instant message tools, a company tikiwiki website, the forums included therein, and Google calendar. The only other technological tool I would suggest is that we record our video conferenced meetings and training sessions.
We store these recordings on our website to allow people that were unable to attend, or people that were not even employees at the time to be able to catch up on the give and take in the discussion that has formed our standards and practices.
It is critical for everyone in the organization to not only understand what we are doing but what forces and facts went in to the decision to do things a particular way.
I think another of the things we do differently that helps us operate as a cohesive unit, is at least three times a year we take a couple days off as a group and get together with the employees and families to celebrate and have fun.
Obviously there are a lot of business discussions that go on during these events but this is not the focus, there is a significant cost for the travel and lodging, but we feel that it really helps us connect as a group.
We are an ESOP company and we work hard to make sure that everyone is doing the work that they want to and that we are providing all of the tools that we each need to succeed.
