The Way To Enterprise 2.0 ...

I came across a very interesting blog by Gil Yehuda ... and how i came across this is quite interesting by itself. Speaks about the way discovery works ... Started with a log by Greg Lloyd which you can read here. Greg talks about the blog by Gil Yehuda which you can read here.

This is a rather interesting piece Gil has written. He has summarized some of the basic ideas, and the trends about E2.0 quite well. One aspect which i wanted to write about was the idea he puts forward:

Other indicators of maturity in the Enterprise 2.0 market is the focus on the workplace dynamics, not the tools themselves.

I have been reading a lot of posts about the technology aspects of E2.0. However, and this is the important part, that the whole idea of E2.0 is about the form of the organization, rather than anything else. E2.0 cannot be the end goal of an organization. The goal of an organization has been superbly defined by Eliyahu Goldratt in his book, The Goal. And i wouldnt say that the goal of an organization has changed from since The Goal as written. Or since any period of time. So, to assume that E2.0 is the end in itself is like saying that cooking food is theend in itself, instead of feeding someone. Once we conclude that E2.0 is about a new form for organizations, which is enabled by technology, we can then begin to see the real picture about the concept.

Another aspect which Gil elucidates quite well is the levels of conversation that go on in the organziation. And this is another aspect which i have been thinking about. The initial adoption for web 2.0 tools is coming from individuals who are using these tools outside the organization, whether it be to get in touch with friends, to stay in touch with topics of interest to them, or to stay on top of new information regarding their work, or topics of interest to them. And this is where the push for web 2.0 within the organization is coming from. People are seeing the impact this technology can make within the organization, and these people, as employees, are pushing for greater adoption of these tools.

At this point, it might be important to say that this is not just about productivity. This is also about the participatory nature of these tools, which is precisely what enables these tools to bring about change, through harnessing the possibilities arising from this level of participation. Which is what makes me believe that the success of any web 2.0 adoption program is as good as its adoption. And this logic can be extended to formal KM initiatives, too.

The interactions i have with different organizations makes me think, though, that rather than the "phase 1 enterprise 2.0" that Gil talks about, the push for change is coming from the lower levels that he is talking about. To begin with, i find more and more, project teams showing more eagerness to adopting web 2.0 tools. This may be to do with the fact that when it comes to collaboration across project teams, or across organizational silos, the existing barriers to these communications are strong enough to resist those. Which means that the change is happening at levels smaller than what a lot might expect, but it is happening, nevertheless.