I think the greatest barrier to internal collaboration via social software in the workplace is employees not wanting to forfeit the established and comfortable way of doing something. Changing the way things are done in the workplace can be a considerable struggle. Although some would deem the tactic of getting rid of all other alternatives to internal communication and collaboration (i.e. e-mail) authoritarian, as discussed in Enterprise 2.0: Culture is as Culture Does, I think it would certainly make such a barrier null. However, many employees would still be unwilling and uncomfortable in their participation as they would only be participating because they were forced to do so. Unfortunately, I think that this is a possibility no matter what social software is being implemented, no matter how it's implemented, and no matter the constitution of the overarching culture. No matter how open-minded and adventurous the workforce is as a whole there will likely be a dissident in one form or another.
Some might also take issue with their communications seemingly becoming more "public." Perceiving that one's coworkers can see and judge any ill-fated ideas and notions can easily fill one with trepidation. However, having a somewhat inclusive social collaborative resource such as a wiki that is only accessible to those working on a specific project really is not all that different from e-mail threads going back and forth between a select few.
All things considered, though it might be agonizing for some or even all at first it can be assumed that eventually the new way of doing things will soon be the norm and preferred way until something else comes along, of course.
"Some might also take issue with their communications seemingly becoming more "public." Perceiving that one's coworkers can see and judge any ill-fated ideas and notions can easily fill one with trepidation."
ReplyDeleteThis is a very valid point. Using a social collaborative resource may highlight both an employee's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore it's certainly understandable that some staff may be resistant to participating in the use of these kinds of collaborative tools, especially when they may be viewed by a wide organizational audience. Management needs to be sensitive to this possibility and supportive whether asking or dictating that its employees take part in these endeavors.