About a year ago, I attended a global kick-off for a large project that I was helping to lead and it was a rare opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the US as well as the UK. I freaking LOVED it and it truly was like a reunion as we got to finally see the each other in person.
I mean, you always know it’s a real person on the phone or in IM, but being able to visualize them as you throw darts is much more gratifying.
Anytime you work in a large, global company, one of the biggest challenges is how to create an inclusive work environment where your employees feel like they are connected not only to the company itself, but with colleagues whom they will most likely never met face-to-face, yet work with on a daily basis.
In my daily job, I’m challenged with improving our corporate intranet to communicate our corporate values, provide a self-service environment, and also implement inclusive interactivity to ensure repeat visits. GULP.
I personally would want to implement a corporate environment that was a hybrid between LinkedIn, which is not so much a “playground,” but a professional networking environment, and something that offered FB-like components to provide a sense of “water cooler” interaction.
IBM set a nice example by creating an intranet for its 300,000+ employees that allows them to connect with one another yet also drives corporate values of performance.
Ragan.com has a great article on how IBM worked to achieve this. Check it out: How IBM took a page from Facebook | Article | Social Media.
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