The Big Conversation

I flew out this week for Jive Software's first Customer Advisory Board. 

Yes, there were nice meals and a nice hotel, but what really did it for me was the interaction with the folks from Jive as well as other large enterprises doing similar things with their product.

And, as with any stimulating set of discussions, several ideas and concepts crystallized that I'd like to share here.

I Think We're Doing Something Right

Based on what I saw, I felt that we had probably made more progress on using social productivity software internally than just about anyone else there.  As a result, I ended up probably "over-contributing" as part of the team. 

If you were there, and I was talking too much, consider this an apology of sorts.

One thread of the discussion centered around the needs of small group collaboration vs. corporate-wide collaboration.

And I think maybe we've coined a new term here.

Conversational Collaboration Resonates

A few people there had been reading this blog, and mentioned that the term "conversational collaboration" resonated for them.  Like me, they didn't see the problem as necessarily document centric (otherwise, they might have been at another meeting!)

But a lot of them were torn between meeting the needs of small groups, who wanted privacy and control, and larger groups, where a more open and consistent style is called for.

During the discussion, a key insight became very apparent to me: the bigger the conversation, the more business value.

What Problem Are We Trying To Solve Here?

Look, I don't know about your company, but at EMC, if you're a small team, there are all sorts of ways you can collaborate.  You can set up a file share.  You can request an eRoom.  You can even set up SharePoint if you want.  Or do a WebEx thing.  And, of course, there's always email at hand.

If you're part of a small team working on a focused task, there's no shortage of tools and mechanisms to go help you collaborate together.  Sure, there's probably incrementally better tools to go do this sort of thing, but -- honestly speaking -- it's a class of problem that already has solutions at hand.

So, if small groups have small conversations, where do you go to have big conversations?

It finally struck me that we had instinctively homed in on this business problem, probably to our benefit.

Understanding The Big Conversation

In a company of over 35,000 people, it's safe to say a few things. 

There are lots of very smart people who know about a lot of different things, and have a lot of different talents. 

They probably only know -- at best -- maybe a hundred or so people in the company, and what they do. 

And, if you're trying to connect with other people for some reason -- get some help, ask an opinion, share a thought, and so on -- it's really, really hard to connect with the other 34,900 people who work for the company.

So, one aspect of the Big Conversation is just finding other people who might care to help you in some regard.

Another aspect is helping all of us understand big, complex issues.

Like any company, we organize by functional units.  But the real world tosses us problems that don't fit into neat organizational buckets.

One aspect of the Big Conversation is that our corporate social computer can discuss and debate very complex, very squishy topics, and helps everyone understand the broader context, pre-digesting them to a certain degree.  It's not always the case that neat solutions emerge, but it's always useful.

From my experience so far on our internal platform, I can see this happening every day, in a way I've never seen it happen before.  I, for one, am now far smarter about many different aspects of EMC's business than before.  And I'm considered a pretty knowledgeable guy in this regard. 

I'm not the only one who's observed this.

Another aspect of the Big Conversation is that everyone feels a lot more connected to each other, and the company overall.

The HR types will tell you that job satisfaction, productivity, retention, etc. are directly tied to employees feeling connected and directly engaged with the company.

I think we've come up with a better answer than company picnics and corporate newsletters. 

You want to feel connected?  Welcome to the Big Conversation where several thousand people -- who are just as intense as you -- are speaking their mind, debating issues, coming up with ideas, and being engaged in things like they've never seen before -- anywhere.

Finally, having a Big Conversation lets you exercise your brain.  If you're feeling bored, or the work is getting too routine, or maybe you're just going through a lull before the next storm, there's always a lively discussion or two as part of the Big Conversation. 

You pick the time and place, we'll bring the party.

Is Your Company Ready For The Big Conversation?

Let's be honest here -- our ability to do this directly stems from our corporate culture, and the willingess of our excutive team to believe in transparency, engagement, honest discussion, etc.  EMC may be a bit unique in this regard.

But not every company may be ready for a Big Conversation.  They're concerned with loss of control, mob effects, loss of productivity, etc.  They don't want unmanaged and undirected conversations -- they're just too fraught with peril.

I have news for these people.  Those discussions you worry about happen thousands of times every day -- over coffee, after-hours over a beer or two, or in the privacy of offices.  People talk about what's on their mind -- it's human nature.

You're just not part of the conversation, are you?

The Bigger The Better

If you're building a supercomputer, the more processing elements, the better.

If you're building a social computer, the more participants, the better.

So, folks, is it really about the Big Conversation?

Comments

[Rachel Happe]

This is a great post - you've articulated, in a different way, many of the things I've been saying regarding the value of social computing: velocity, adaptability, better decision making, risk avoidance, retention, and training. Thanks for sharing.

[Rich]

It is about the big conversation as much as the smaller ones. And many companies have done Jam Sessions and idea management events - looking to leverage the collective intelligence out there.

In my experience, you do need to "manage" the process a little -- providing a focus for people and somehow be able to review/rate those ideas after the fact to see what's good & what's no so good. It's like picking a theme for the party.

For example, you decide you want to reduce energy costs. You have some directed "ideation" event looking for input from the masses. Kind of like the old suggestion box but in web 2.0 fashion.