The Networked organisation

Jan DamsgaardDept. of Informatics

Copenhagen Business School

OrganizationalIntranetThe Internet

Extranet

Firewall

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Agenda What is an Intranet? The networked organization Intranet use modes How to align organizational needs and the intranet? Four stages and three crises in Intranet implementation Two intranets The deceptive ease of intranet implementation Intranet knowledge management Que Vadis?

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Organizational Organizational DatabasesDatabases

Discussion Discussion groups, Email, groups, Email, news, FTPnews, FTP

An “Internet” within the organization

User with User with BrowserBrowser

IntranetIntranetWeb ServerWeb Server

““Legacy” systemsLegacy” systems

““Static” Static” InformationInformation

Corporate Home pageCorporate Home page

D ep t 1 D ep t 2 D ep t 3

C orp ora te H om e

Search EngineSearch Engine ?

Different Different computing computing platformsplatforms

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The networked organization

OrganizationalIntranetThe Internet

Extranet

Firewall

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Traits of the networked organization

Exterior traits– Volatile – Global

Interior traits– Organic and dynamic– Project organized and inter-disciplinary– Knowledge intensive and well-educated work force

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Empirical foundation Research interest since 1996 Supervised (all empirical based or hands on)

– 1 Ph.D. Thesis– 7 Master Theses– A dozen undergraduate student projects

Longitudinal qualitative field studies of Danish and South African companies

Part of Danish research project (Design of MM) Industry network with bimonthly meetings for two

years (50+ participants) Invited speaker at several national industry conferences

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Intranet uses modes

Use mode– (P)ublishing

– (T)ransacting

– (I)nteracting

– (S)earching

– (R)ecording

Examples– Newsletters and documents

– Electronic forms, interface to existing information systems

– Collaborative work spaces, discussion groups

– Search engines, indexes

– Knowledge management

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How to align organizational needs and the Intranet?

Information and PR department versus IT department The voluntariness of Intranet adoption The “blur” between users and developers The dependence on network externalities The Chicken or Egg problem (critical mass) All or nothing technology, but also a fragile

technology

Deg

ree

ofIn

stitu

tiona

lisat

ion

Initiation

Stagnation

Contagion Control Integration

Sponsor grabsintranet

Critical massreached

IntranetcontrolledSaturation

Stage

Noorder

Nocriticalmass

Nosponsor

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The Seven S’sElement Description

(Pascale & Athos 1981, p.82)Meaning in an intranet context

Strategy Plan or course of action leading to theallocation of a firm’s scarce resources, overtime, to reach identified goals.

The intranet strategy that deals with how thesuperordinate goals in terms of the intranet areto be achieved.

Structure Characterisation of the organisation chart (i.e.functional, decentralised, etc.)

Describes where the responsibility for theintranet resides in the organisation.

Systems Proceduralized reports and routinizedprocesses such as meeting formats.

The intranet itself as it is used in theorganisation. This includes its content andfunctionality, its use modes and its relationshipto other organisational processes and systems.

Staff “Demographics” description of importantpersonnel categories within the firm (i.e.,engineers, entrepreneurs, MBAs, etc.).“Staff” is not meant in line-staff terms.

Important role players with regard to theintranet, such as senior managers, technical andorganisational intranet champions, contentproviders, developers and users.

Style Characterisation of how key managers behavein achieving the organisation’s goals; also thecultural style of the organisation.

Describes how key managers behave withregards to the intranet.

Skills Distinctive capabilities of key personnel orthe firm as a whole.

The capabilities of staff who are involved withthe intranet.

SuperordinateGoals

The significant meanings or guiding conceptsthat an organisation imbues in its members.

The guiding concepts regarding the use ofintranet technology in the organisation.

Stages of intranet use and managementElements/

stageInitiation Contagion Control Integration

Strategy “Selling” theintranet concept

“Reach” followed by“range” strategy;Intra-functional orInter-functionalgrowth

Control viastandardisation andformalisation

Continuous optimising

Structure IndependentIndividuals

Informal project team Intranet steering group Dispersed multi-disciplinary entity

Use mode:Publishing;

Use modes:Publishing,Interacting,Searching;

Use modes: Publishing,Interacting, Searching,Transacting;

Use modes: Publishing,Interacting, Searching,Transacting, Recording;

Systems

“This is me andthis is my team”sites;Intranet islands

Intranet “killerapplications”;Multitude of sites;Some outdatedinformation andbroken hyperlinks

Integration with othersystems, workprocesses;Intranet becomes“universal platform”;Access limitations

Centralised anddecentralised solutionscoexist;“Organisationalmemory”

Staff Technologychampions

Technology sponsor;Informal projecttechnology agents

Formal intranetpositions e.g.coordinator; developers,content providers

Decentralised contentand process owners

Style Suspicion Laissez-faire Formal Committed

Skills Technical Marketing;communicating

Project management Knowledgemanagement

Super-ordinate

Goals

Engaging anintranet sponsor

Reaching a criticalmass of users andcontent

Rationalisation andmanagement control

IntranetInstitutionalisation

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Organizational needs and Intranet technology?

Rethink the classical assumptions!– Intranet technology is organic and its implementation emergent– Needs are less explicit/not known at all– Coexisting Intranets within the same organization

Intranet “users”– Users can also be developers– User behavior (grazing, browsing, hunting) – The “faceless” user (the rifle, the shotgun or the repository)

Some new considerations– Creativity <=> Standards– Rich content <=> Maintainability– Ownership (Centralized <=> Decentralized)

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A Tale of two Intranets PlayCo Web PharmaCo IntraWeb Initiative ‘Top-down’ ‘Bottom-up’ & ‘top-down’ Scope Corporate-wide Corporate-wide Focus Inter-departmental

communication Intra- as well as inter-departmental communication

Users Managers and employees at all levels

Managers and employees at all levels

Control and Ownership

Centralized Decentralized

Standards Design guidelines No standards Resources 1 Web coordinator

4 programmers 80 ‘content providers’

1 Web master 20 programmers 140 ‘super users’

Content and services

Streamlined Polished content, fancy design Well-structured

Unruly, very dynamic Mixed quality “Chaotic”

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PlayCO

Business Unit

Content Provider

Corporate information and PR Dept.

Web Coordinator

Corporate IT Dept.

Web Developers

Intranet sponsor

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PharmaCo

Corporate IT Dept.

Business UnitWCC

WebmasterInformation Owner

Web Super User

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The deceptive ease of intranet implementation

Support technology versus transformational technology Making explicit what was earlier implicit

– The Wall at Telkom– Discussion groups at PlayCo– The emergence of internal firewalls at CSIR (tragedy of the commons)

– The chaos at PharmaCo Thus an Intranet seems to amplify and enforce existing

organizational structures, processes and culture and become a thick barrier to change

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Knowledge management Motivation

– KM as a strategic resource– Increased flexibility and readiness to change– Extend and strengthen the relations to partners

and customers Caused by changes in

– The market (global and volatile)– The workforce (changing and demanding)– Collaboration with trusted partners

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Intranet and KM Many organizations justify their investment in intranet

technology with knowledge management Few success stories for intranet based KM Questionable how well intranet fits KM

– But the organizations are using it for that purpose– A need to understand the tehnology better

A attempt to provide a way forward for implementers that wish to avoid the “deceptive ease” of intranet implementation

Framework combines general KM model and our intranet use modes

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Knowledge Worker

Agenter Filter Workflow Søgning Data mining

HTML XML UN/EDIFACTHTTP TCP/IP

BROWSER

Extranet Intranet Internet

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Knowledge worker Different from both the industrial worker and the

information worker Traits of the knowledge worker

– Highly educated, has a career and demanding

– High degree of autonomy, faithful to projects

– Comes from the outside and stays only for short while

Change in strategy– From: How do I keep my employees?

– To: How do I attract the best knowledge base?

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2 Types of Knowledge

Explicit knowledge – can be expressed in words and numbers and

shared in the form of data, scientific formula, specification and manuals

Tacit knowledge– is deeply rooted in an individual’s actions,

skills, and experience as well as in his/hers ideals, values and emotions

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Nonaka and Konno’s (1998) model of knowledge creation processes

Socializsation Externalization

Internalization Combination

TACIT KNOWLEDGE

TA

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EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGEEXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE

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TACIT KNOWLEDGE

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A summary …

Use mode Description

PublishingUsing the technology to publish information (e.g. home pages, newsletters, technical documents, product catalogues, employee directories).

TransactingUsing the technology to transact with functionality on intranet pages and other organisational computer-based information systems e.g. via web forms.

InteractingUsing the technology to interact with other individuals and groups in the organisation (e.g. via discussion groups, collaborative applications).

SearchingUsing the technology to search for organisational information (e.g. via search engines, indexes, search agents).

RecordingUsing the technology to record the computer-based “organisational memory” (such as capturing best practices, business processes, frequently asked questions).

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Socialization Externalization

Internalization Combination

TACIT KNOWLEDGE

TA

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KN

OW

LED

GE

EX

PLIC

IT K

NO

WLE

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XP

LICIT

KN

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EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGEEXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE

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TACIT KNOWLEDGE

Transacting Searching

Publishing

RecordingInteracting

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Sozialization

Connecting knowledgeable individuals

Many-to-many interaction Poor substitute for face-2-face, but

reality for many dispersed settings Extend and sustain existing

relationships Example: The Wall

Publishing

Transacting

Interacting

Searching

Recording

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Combination

Intranet-based searching (flat, indexed, portals, engines, agents)

Integrating existing pockets of knowledge dispersed throughout the organization

Example: to prevent…reinventing the wheel

Publishing

Transacting

Interacting

Searching

Recording

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Internalization

Transaction with intranet-enabled knowledge repositories, systems, databases

Access possible with intranet (often for first time)

You ask without revealing your ignorance Example: Important for new employees

Publishing

Transacting

Interacting

Searching

Recording

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Externalization

Capturing organizational processes as they occur

Like having a tape recorder running in the organization, building up an electronic record

This record can be excavated later (even by others, with hindsight)

Knowledge only apparent ex post Example: post-project, cross analysis

Publishing

Transacting

Interacting

Searching

Recording

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KM Discussion Focus is on knowledge creation, rather than

generalized KM Our processes are archetypical, all applications are a

mixture Malleability of intranet technology Importance of a vocabulary for KM and intranet

managers With combined model possible to map organizational

KM requirements onto the intranet (as opposed to just letting it happen)

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KM conclusion Returning to disappointing early results we argue:

– Many of the results can be attributed to a fixation on publication as primary intranet use mode (at expense of other modes)

– Static views of intranet technology as packaged, given technology, rather than emergent, organic technology appropriated to particular contexts

We expect more fruitful results in contexts that foster KM process with a richer array of the other intranet use modes

Despite the inadequacies of technology, knowledge processes do occur naturally:– Most effective KM technology can be the coffee machine!– Harnessing intranet technology more effectively can foster such naturally

occurring processes We have proposed and illustrated a combined model, it’s value

should be assessed by it practical applicability

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Quo Vadis? What implementers should consider

– Central or decentralized strategy– The Deceptive Ease of implementation– IT or Information and PR department?– The chicken and egg problem– Richness vs. maintainability– Relation to Electronic Commerce, Extranet and

Internet initiatives, and Knowledge Management

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The Virtual Organizationhttp://www.cs.auc.dk/research/IS/PITNIT

Purchasing

Production

Marketing

Design

Production

Design

ERP Extranet

EDI

Internet

Intranet

Purchasing

Network perspective of industrial processes:

A look at the technologies that can be used for different communication links in and between two organisations in the network:

Enlarged

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References Bansler J. P., J. Damsgaard, E. Havn, J. Thommesen, and R. Scheepers (2000).

Corporate Intranet Implementation: Managing emergent technologies and organizational practices. Journal of the Association for Information Systems. 1(10), 40 pages

Damsgaard, Jan and Scheepers, Rens (2000). Managing the Crises in intranet Implementation: a Stage Model. Information Systems Journal. 10(2):131-150.

Damsgaard, Jan and Scheepers, Rens (1999). Power, Influence and Intranet Implementation: A Safari of South African Organizations. Information, Technology and People12(4):333-358.

Damsgaard, Jan and Rens Scheepers (2001). Harnessing Intranet Technology for Organizational Knowledge Creation. Australian Journal of Information Systems, Special Issue on Knowledge Management, pp 4 – 15, December 2001.

Karlsbjerg, Jan & Jan Damsgaard (2001) Make or buy - A taxonomy of intranet implementation strategies. Proceedings of The 9th European Conference on Information Systems, "Global Co-operation in the New Millennium" Bled, Slovenia. Under journal review.