Andrew McAfee is the chief research scientist of the e-commerce center of Si Long School of Management at MIT, and he is also the author of the recently published book Enterprise 2.0. As early as the spring of 2006, he coined the word "Enterprise 2.0" when describing the application of Web 2.0 tools in enterprises.
McAfee said that tools and websites like Wikipedia, blogs, Twitter and Facebook are not only changing the way enterprises enjoy information, but also changing the functions of employees in these enterprises. Similarly, Enterprise 2.0 is changing the way we work.
In an interview with Computerworld, McAfee talked about the following topics: employees who brought IT into the Web 2.0 world, what prevented some companies from joining, which companies are benefiting from Web 2.0 tools, and what Enterprise 2.0 will look like in the next 10 year.
What does Enterprise 2.0 mean? Simply put, it is to apply the tools and concepts of Web 2.0 to different business environments. Strict definition is an enterprise application on the emerging social software platform.
Are employees clamoring for IT to enter the world of Enterprise 2.0? Employees inside the enterprise are eager to have easier-to-use tools: compared with a large number of convenient tools outside the enterprise, the tools inside the enterprise firewall have caused a devastating blow to employees. Many times, employees use circuitous tactics and use some cloud tools to complete their work. IT departments always have the final say on what to use in the enterprise, but this day will soon end. Compliance considerations are ok, but always saying "no" will definitely make IT departments lose support in the enterprise.
Many managers worry that services like Facebook and Twitter will stifle productivity. Will they stop employees from using these tools? I don't think they will waste our time. Managers may say, "we don't like those large-scale public applications, but we will provide some similar applications that can be used inside the enterprise firewall." It is very short-sighted to bury your head in the sand and ignore these emerging tools.
What benefits should enterprises get from the application of Web 2.0 technology? There are many ways. First, employees can "advertise" their professional skills through Web 2.0 tools. For example, I can tell the company what I am doing, what I know and what I am good at. I no longer fill in the forms in the database mechanically, but describe my work vividly in my blog. Furthermore, it can also be combined with appropriate search technology, so that employees can find people who are suitable for doing things together within the company. You can also use it to gain knowledge and even ask for help, that is, "human flesh search": you post your own questions through it, and they are usually willing to share with you information they think is helpful. This is also a kind of altruism.
Which companies are doing better in using Enterprise 2.0? The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) did something quite interesting not long ago. They looked around for employees and found that all managers were complaining that the BBC's local area network search was frustrating? In fact, improving local area network search can solve the problem, but the BBC has established a forum for internal discussion. Employees can ask questions to people in the forum, and anyone can answer you. For example, if you ask, "Where is this information?" Someone will reply "Here" and immediately post a link or attachment. This way is very conducive to mutual help between employees.
So, are there any other enterprises that have done particularly well in the implementation of Enterprise 2.0? The CIA is using Enterprise 2.0 technology to share personal expertise in the intelligence system. In the past, people in the intelligence bureau could not know whether there were people who were engaged in the same work in different intelligence groups, nor could they find experts in the same field as themselves. Now, they can take the initiative to find valuable colleagues. This is not limited to the CIA, but also includes the FBI and the National Security Agency. In the past, some colleagues may be helpful to your work, but you must get to know him. Now there is finally a reliable way.
What is the biggest mistake made by enterprises in Enterprise 2.0? The biggest mistake is that these enterprises will have all kinds of worries, risks and worries when implementing Enterprise 2.0, and will retreat after knowing difficulties. They can even write a long list of all possible mistakes, for example, employees may climb over the firewall; Someone may harass colleagues; Some people will speak ill of employees and so on. It is easy for enterprises to think that something terrible will happen. But as far as I know, I haven't found these situations in the companies that have implemented Enterprise 2.0. If someone really wants to harass a colleague, there is no need to post harassing information on a blog.
Are Web 2.0 tools changing the way we do business? At present, these applications are not very extensive, and most large companies are well aware of this phenomenon. They are very interested in these tools and actively try to promote them. This is a long and slow process.