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Delta Knowledge

A blog about Collaboration cultures, Social Networks, Enterprise 2.0 and associated technologies that help organisations respond to complex problems in an efficient and sustainable manner.

The beginnings of a theory of participationNovember 16

After several days of being immersed in my research data I am starting to see patterns appearing around the use of wikis in Small to Medium Enterprises.

One of the repeated findings in my study was the user's awareness that the wiki was only going to be valuable if everybody was participating. They spoke of an awareness that a solo effort was a waste of time and effort.

Below is my first try at mapping the interactions between these concepts and uses the actual labels used by the participants in the study. There is minimal theory in this framework. Each link is based on evidence in the data. I share it because I am interested in feedback, both from practitioners and academics. Not just on the model itself, but also if people have seen similar frameworks published. I'm sure I cannot be the only one seeing these interactions in the wild?


The key for my study seems to hinge around group participation in the wiki. This participation generates both tangible and intangible benefits which can boost trust and encourage further spontaneous participation which was the hallmark of all the successful wiki im

Having a sticky in your wiki!November 5

A few people lately have asked about my Master's research project and I realised that while I talk about it a lot I haven't really posted what I am up to, so for anyone who is interested, I would summarise it this way:

The corporate Wiki seems to be highly suitable given the fluid nature of distributed cognition within the Small to Medium Enterprise environment. The limited and usually grass-roots adoption of Wikis in this sector suggests that the organisation's culture effects why and how they are implemented due to it's strong influence on Knowledge sharing in general.

To prove this hypothesis, my research will study Wiki use in SMEs and build a model of what cultural factors play a part in their uptake and success.

After researching 5 companies in Melborne and Sydney, the thesis is coming together now and I hope to make it available to interested parties early in the new year. I am also looking at publishing it on the Digital Thesis Database or the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses register if you have access.

Enterprise 2.0 & it's effect on Organisational CultureNovember 1

Back in 2007, Tom Davenport posted a critical article on Andrew McAffee's Enterprise 2.0 idea. He put forward the view that while Prof. McAfee is a nice guy, and his ideas are very interesting, they were "not going to become the next big thing", and certainly "won't make organizational hierarchy and politics go away".

In commenting on the article, David Weinberger wrote the following which I think touches on my own thoughts of the article quite nicely:

Tom, technology has never done anything on its own. So, I agree: the tools themselves won't bring about Enterprise 2.0. Tools by themselves can't even assemble a cabinet from Ikea. (On the other hand, can anything assemble a cabinet from Ikea?)
But, our tools when taken up do have an effect on how we interact. Some of the effects are direct -- e.g., wikis enable a type of asynchronous collaborative, negotiated writing not exactly like anything before them -- and some of the effects will undoubtedly be indirect. E.g., once we've used wikis productively, perhaps our attitude toward the nature of authority will change a little. Maybe not; the effects of technology on attitudes and expectations are hard to observe much less predict.
But it's reasonable to think that the technology, when taken up and used, will affect enterprises directly and indirectly...and (I susp

Wiki or Email?October 27

One of the keys to implementing Enterprise 2.0 tools is to select the correct solution to each problem. From a strategic perspective this means reviewing a knowledge or process audit and searching for the appropriate tools to fill each niche.

In the real world though, its a lot more messy and one organic way to migrate people from the old trusted tools like email is to identify new opportunities as they pop up and encourage people to try using a different tool to do the job. These little pilots can grow and start to touch each other in the same way that outlying towns become suburbs in urban growth.

Stewart Mader recently reported on John Tropea's blog post about using a wiki instead of email for a small project. The original post is here and describes the use of a wiki for a small project that started as an email to all stakeholders.

Of note is that John tried to use comments as a way to get conversation (not just information gathering) happening in context on each wiki page. I agree comments are important and so are the page watches that ensure you get emailed whenever somebody else updates a page you are watching.

At Daniels we have t

Quantitative Wiki StudyOctober 13

A few years ago I came across Tim Bartel from the University of Cologne who was also conducting a study on Wikis.

Unlike my qualitative study, Tim's was survey based and looking for big numbers to build a general picture of wiki use, similar to Penny Edward's work.

I was excited to know I wasn't alone, and made a note back then to reference Tim's study when he made it available online, but until I was reminded today I had forgotten. So here is the link (Sorry Tim!)

The study looks at several factors of wiki use including company size and location, wiki age, objective and success as well as what problems were encountered alone the way.

Refs:

• Bartel, T 2006, Wikis in Enterprises: Collaborative Working in Enterprise Environments using Wikis, Department of Personnel Economics and Human Resource Management, University of Cologne, Germany, Cologne, Germany, viewed 22-May-2007, .

• Edwards, P 2007, 'Managing Wikis in Business', Technology Management, MBA thesis, Open University Business School.