The Social Action Fund is a key enabler of the UK government’s Big Society agenda. It will be apportioned in two rounds (of £10m each). Its purpose is to target projects providing long term increases in giving, in either:

• time – volunteering, time-banking
• resources – money, property, fixed assets or equipment

I am very pleased that my good friends at the Anne Frank Trust UK received a well-deserved grant.

Table 1 – Social Action Fund Round 1 Recipients

Ecosystem Thinking

The following snippets are from each recipient’s website. It gives a sense of areas of interest, expertise and commonality.

I have created a (simple) summary of interests / areas of focus (Figure 1) and an hypothesis of what implicit ecosystem this ‘creates’.

Figure 1 – Themes within the ‘ecosystem’ [source: Steve Nimmons]

1. Street Games UK

StreetGames is a sports charity that changes lives and communities. We do it by supporting a network of projects which give sports and volunteering opportunities to young people in disadvantaged communities across the UK. Doorstep sport is StreetGames’ delivery method, whereby we bring sport close to the home in disadvantaged communities at the right time, for the right price, to the right place and in the right style.

2. Hastings Trust

The Hastings Trust, a registered charity, has these aims:
- To enable those who live in, work in or visit Hastings to protect and enhance their environment
- To promote and assist the sustainable economic and cultural development of Hastings and its inhabitants
- To promote and disseminate good practice in conservation and community regeneration locally, regionally, nationally and globally

3. Primetimers

As a social enterprise ourselves, we really understand the problems of other civil society organisations and know that getting the best results depends on you seeing us as a flexible extension of your organisation.

We will work with you on issues as diverse as income generation, mergers and acquisitions, governance, tender responses or change management. We have specialists in HR, finance and marketing and our members have held significant leadership and management roles in some of the UK’s largest companies. Our strong reputation is founded on our ability to deliver practical and innovative support – a fusion of our considerable breadth of business experience with our depth of knowledge about civil society.

4. Catch22 Charity Limited

Catch22 is a local charity with a national reach. We work with young people and others who find themselves in seemingly impossible situations.

Our services help them develop the confidence and skills to find solutions that are right for them- whether it’s getting back into school or training, choosing to stay out of trouble, finding a safe place to live or helping them to live independently after leaving care or custody. As young people become more positive, productive and independent, the whole community benefits.

We believe every young person deserves the chance to get on in life. No matter what.

5. Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations

SCVO is an independent charitable organisation which believes that the lives of Sandwell people will be happier and healthier where the Voluntary and Community Sector works closely with partners to identify and satisfy community needs.

Our Aims:

- Bring together local voluntary and community groups to promote and develop the effectiveness of local voluntary action.

- Raise the quality of and provide a wide range of services, information, advice and support to the voluntary and community sector.

- Act as a channel for local groups to voice their opinions on local, regional and national issues and policy.

- Identify real needs and develop services/initiatives to meet these needs.

- Actively support the development of new and emerging groups and organisations.

- Contribute to bringing about positive change in Sandwell to achieve sustainable economic regeneration.

6. Community Foundation Network

Community Foundation Network (CFN) is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “community philanthropy”.

7. Teach First

Teach First’s mission is to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields.

Educational disadvantage remains one of the most destructive and pervasive problems in the UK – perpetuating inequality and confining thousands of young people up and down the country to a life of unrealised potential.

8. Spice Innovations

Spice is a social enterprise that develops agency time-banking systems for communities and public services that engage and empower the many rather than the few.

Community decline and civic disengagement is not confined to the old mining towns in the South Wales valleys, it’s a national trend. Spice has developed agency time credit applications to engage people in the design and delivery of their public and community services and to support people to take a more active role in their communities. Whether that is with pupils in schools, tenants in housing associations or local people working with their community anchor organisation, these time agency tools increase active engagement, reduce dependency and build community and individual esteem.

9. Cathedral Archer Project Limited

The Cathedral Archer Project (CAP) is a day centre that supports the homeless and vulnerable in Sheffield.  It was founded in 1990 as a breakfast project.  In 2007 CAP moved into purpose built premises in the heart of the city centre at Sheffield Cathedral.

CAP works with the homeless and vulnerable in Sheffield to help them find pathways away from homelessness and exclusion. Homelessness can include sleeping rough, occasional hostel spaces, camping on friends’ floors and sofas, and squatting. The majority of our client base is made up of street drinkers, alcoholics and drug users of varying levels.  Many are not registered with a local GP and rely on the prescribing nurse at CAP for their medical support.

10. National Children’s Bureau

NCB is the leading national charity which supports children, young people and families and those who work with them. Our vision is a society in which children and young people are valued, their rights respected and responsibilities enhanced; our mission, to advance the well-being of children and young people across every aspect of their lives.

We undertake around 60 projects each year to improve the lives of children, especially the most vulnerable. We ensure that children, young people and families are at the heart of all our work.

11. Anne Frank Trust UK

I had the great pleasure of working with the Anne Frank Trust in 2010 to take the Anne Frank + You exhibition to Northern Ireland.

The Anne Frank Trust UK draws on the power of Anne Frank’s life and diary to challenge prejudice and reduce hatred, encouraging people to embrace positive attitudes, responsibility and respect for others. We aim to do this through our educational projects, operating across the country in schools, prisons and communities.

12. Citizenship Foundation – Go-Givers

We are an independent education and participation charity. We encourage and enable people to engage in democratic society.

Founded in 1989, we focus on developing young people’s citizenship skills and their knowledge and understanding of the law, democracy and public life.

Our work involves:

- championing civic participation;

- supporting teachers, schools and colleges in delivering citizenship education;

- working with young people in community-settings on issues that concern them.

13. Environmental Vision

Our programmes provide hands-on support for young people in schools and colleges on issues relating to citizenship education, sustainable development and the local community.

We have a wealth of experience working with groups of young people to facilitate practical projects that have a positive impact on the young people, their schools and the wider community.

We also provide Active Citizenship Workshops for higher education institutions and INSET days for teachers as well as working with businesses and community partners to support young people in building their employability skills and confidence.

14. Beatbullying Limited

Beatbullying is the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity, creating a world where bullying, violence and harassment are unacceptable. Beatbullying empowers people to understand, recognise, and say no to bullying, violence and harassment by giving them the tools to transform their lives and the lives of their peers. Working with families, schools, and communities to understand the problem, campaign for change and provide a sustainable efficient and proven solution.

15. Citizenship Foundation – Giving Nation

We are an independent education and participation charity. We encourage and enable people to engage in democratic society.

Founded in 1989, we focus on developing young people’s citizenship skills and their knowledge and understanding of the law, democracy and public life.

Our work involves:

- championing civic participation;

- supporting teachers, schools and colleges in delivering citizenship education;

- working with young people in community-settings on issues that concern them.

16. The Challenge Network

The Challenge brings young people together from diverse backgrounds and throws them in at the deep end. They take on physical, social and civic challenges that prepare them to design and deliver a project that will make a difference in their community. Along the way they learn key skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication, and are encouraged to develop trust in others, responsibility for themselves, understanding and empathy.

Idea: Social Action Fund Innovation Network

The Social Action Fund is very important and demonstrates commitment from government. Looking back at Figure 1 – there are clearly significant areas of common interest, for example in tolerance (bullying, multiculturalism), education, citizenship, localism, social enterprise, civic engagement. It would be a ‘shame’ if this commonality were not formally recognised and encouraged in the creation of a Social Action Fund Innovation Network. Essentially I see:

1. An opportunity for government to stimulate cross-fertilisation of efforts across what is (at the very least) an implicit social action ecosystem. The 16 charities above could be the vanguard of Social Action Fund collaboration
2. Potential for a ‘smart cluster’ approach – e.g. shared services, shared networks, innovations, idea sharing, mentoring, expertise pooling
3. Potential for the social enterprises created out of Social Action Fund grants to become part of the ecosystem and hence add to its scale
4. Potential for more joint working, cost sharing, and participating in each others projects.

Government or a social enterprise could invest some seed money and expertise to set this up.

There seems to be an opportunity for Spice Innovations and Primetimers to take coordination roles. SCVO and CFN already operate as ‘aggregators’ or ‘hubs’ for others – why not apply the same thinking to tranche 1 and 2 recipients of the Social Action Fund? Could more be achieved ‘together’?

Thanks to my good friend and Open Innovation cohort Francisco De-araujo-roso Pinheiro, for signposting some interesting posts on the 15inno group on LinkedIn from Stefan Lindegaard, and some of the academic work he is guiding with EOI Innovation students.

Please read, ruminate, cogitate and feedback to Stefan (a prolific Open Innovation practitioner and commentator) as to the content of the 15inno articles.

15inno

Tap the brain of Stefan Lindegaard and network with corporate innovators!
http://www.15inno.com/2012/02/23/15innocorporatenetwork/

Open Innovation, Crowdsourcing in the Public Sector – 11 Great Reads
http://www.15inno.com/2012/02/23/publicsectorreads/

Innovation That Works!
http://www.15inno.com/2012/02/22/innovation-that-works/

Statoil and Shell: Fighting for Innovation Partners
http://www.15inno.com/2012/02/20/statoilshell/

Examples of Using Social Media for Innovation
http://www.15inno.com/2012/02/03/smexamples/

5 Ways to Get Better Innovation With Less Money
http://www.15inno.com/2012/01/17/betterinnovationlessmoney/

Communication is Key to Successful Open Innovation
http://www.15inno.com/2012/01/15/communicateopeninnovation/

Francisco’s Work in Open Innovation

Open Innovation and/or User-Lead Innovation (work submitted by Francisco’s EOI Innovation students)

Please review, encourage and support the next wave of Open Innovation thinkers.

1. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/francescomazzeo/2012/02/06/open-innovation-society-participation/

2. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/jonathancabrero/2012/02/12/innovation-growth/

3. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/lauraambros/2012/02/09/open-innovation-and-lead-user-innovation/

4. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/albertorengel/2012/02/12/open-innovation-lead-user/

5. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/carloscerdan/2012/02/12/open-innovation-the-present-and-future-of-innovation/

6. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/dianapatriciasanchez/2012/02/13/open-and-lead-user-innovation/

7. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/pablogonzalezvina/2012/02/14/open-innovation/

8. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/alfonsomedal/2012/02/12/open-innovation-from-why-to-what/

9. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/alfredoperaita/2012/02/10/innovative-world/

10. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/antoniocalixtomoreno/2012/02/13/%E2%80%9Copen-innovation%E2%80%9D/

11. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/elisaroman/2012/02/11/move-fast-break-things-facebook/

12. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/ildikoheim/2012/02/13/innovation-class-the-innovation-for-development-initiative-alias-openlead-user-innovation-for-good/

13. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/pedropernas/2012/02/09/lead-user-innovation-of-innovation-blog/

14. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/piotradamlubiewa/2012/02/07/innovation-what-is-open-innovation/

15. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/rubenpardo/2012/02/11/innovation/

16. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/amayasayas/2012/02/12/open-innovation-and-lead-user-innovation/

17. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/federicocamino/2012/02/12/open-innovation-shifting-to-a-more-efficient-business-model/

18. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/laurenmusiello/2012/02/12/open-innovation/

19. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/marieglueck/2012/02/12/why-companies-have-to-open-their-doors-and-how-to-do-it-innovation/

20. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/cristinagarcia-ochoa/2012/02/11/open-innovation-the-apple-case/

21. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/hokumakarimova/2012/02/07/innovation-opening-doors-to-ideas/

22. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/ricardogarro/2012/02/12/open-innovation-and-user-lead-innovation-opposites/

23. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/javiersolano/2012/02/12/open-innovation-why/

24. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/mariadiez/2012/02/08/open-innovation-and-lead-user-innovation/

25. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/saraelizalde/2012/02/12/open-innovation/

26. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/alvarorodero/2012/02/13/be-opened-lead-them-lead-user-open-innovation/

27. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/elvirasaez/2012/02/11/open-innovation-open-up-your-mind/

28. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/patriciaperez/2012/02/07/innovation-blog-will-open-innovation-became-a-business-mainstream/

29. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/tabithahmkandawire/2012/02/13/innovation-more-benefits-from-open-innovation/

30. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/alexandrunicolaecosor/2012/02/11/open-innovation-lead-user/

31. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/lauranavas/2012/02/04/innovation-through-collaboration/

32. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/syafrinasharif/2012/02/12/open-innovation/

33. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/arturodelfresno/2012/02/12/innovation-trends-evolution-closed-open-and-lead-user-innovation/

34. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/lucapalma/2012/02/06/the-medical-mirror-a-mit-student-innovation/

35. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/davidgarciagonzalez/2012/02/10/open-innovation/

36. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/elenaarboleya/2012/02/12/innovating-for-companies/

37. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/tatianacasquero/2012/02/12/innovation-open-innovation-philips%C2%B4-approach-to-improve-people%E2%80%99s-lives/

38. http://www.eoi.es/blogs/fabiopinto/2012/02/15/innovation-open-innovation-lead-user-innovation/

Figure 1 – Conceptualisation – Pulling it all together

[Source: Steve Nimmons]

If you’ve not yet seen this video from Friends School in Lisburn (FSL), take 8 minutes or so and peruse now.

It could be argued that such ventures are highly indulgent, but I find this interesting, and depict above why this has real merit:

1. The concept / vision needs to be defined, articulated and agreed across multiple stakeholder groups (a great life lesson)
2. Selling the concept to over 1,000 students and staff is non-trivial (stakeholder communications and evangelism in action), as well as dealing with trust and reputation protection complexities (particularly at the governance levels of the school)
3. Planning, scripting, rehearsals, casting and dealing with associated tensions is challenging
4. Choreography and co-ordination – many businesses dream of collaboration at this level, few achieve it
5. Execution of the vision (direction, collaboration, mechanics of filming and arrangement), copyright restrictions etc.
6. Editing and post-production – skills learned in packaging and streamlining the end product
7. Viral marketing and exploitation of multiple distribution channels. Is this now an entirely ‘natural ability’ of the Web Native?
8. Analysis of the results of viral marketing and sentiment (positive, negative and neutral feedback) – exposure to the realities of tough and cynical audiences/markets

The video is only a few weeks old, but what is its ‘legacy’?

• Will the school repeat this exercise (periodically) to refresh the concept and participation?
• Has there been an increase in collaboration in other areas?
• Has there been an increase in ‘school pride’ / morale?
• Has there been any disaffection / fall-out?
• How will the management/governance functions of the school measure benefit, risk and ‘return on investment’?

My view: Kudos to Friends School. The greatest gift of education is teaching people to think. Cynics come and cynics go, “speaking of Michelangelo.”

The Official FSL LipDub Video

[source: YouTube]

Practical advice for managers on how the Web and social media can help them to do their jobs better

[source: Amazon]

I first heard Euan Semple speak about Social Media at a BCS (British Computer Society) ELITE event at BT Tower (in London) back in 2008. What differentiated him from others writing and speaking about the subject?

• Experience: he has a very credible background in collaboration and communications, formerly at the BBC and latterly as an ‘independent consultant’ with blue chips and niche players.
• Hype realism: a recognition of the need to drive real value from social media, delivering business outcomes, not ‘digital noise’.
• Adoption complexity: it takes ‘10 seconds’ to sign up on Twitter, and less again to start using it in an ineffective and potentially damaging way. Forces such as consumerisation and social web have created mind shifts in business. Euan sets out simple, effective, engaging and sensible advice which will inform CxOs, marketers and communications professionals alike.

If you have an interest in the social web and optimisation of communications using social media, this book is a must buy.

Further Info

[source: Amazon]

Today′s managers are faced with an increasing use of the Web and social platforms by their staff, their customers, and their competitors, but most aren′t sure quite what to do about it or how it all relates to them. Organizations Don′t Tweet, People Do provides managers in all sorts of organizations, from governments to multinationals, with practical advice, insight and inspiration on how the Web and social tools can help them to do their jobs better. From strategy to corporate communication, team building to customer relations, this uniquely people–centric guide to social media in the workplace offers managers, at all levels, valuable insights into the networked world as it applies to their challenges as managers, and it outlines practical things they can do to make social media integral to the tone and tenor of their departments or organizational cultures.

• • A long–overdue guide to social media that talks directly to people in the real world in which they work
  • Grounded in the author′s unparalleled experience consulting on social media, it features eye–opening accounts from some of the world′s most successful and powerful organizations
  • Gives managers at all levels and in every type of organization the context and the confidence to make better decisions about the social web and its impact on them

Euan Semple is one of the few people in the world who can turn the complex world of the social web into something we can all understand. And, at the same time, learn how to get the most from it.

Ten years ago, while working in a senior position at the BBC, Euan was one of the first to introduce what have since become known as social media tools into a large, successful organisation. He has subsequently had five years of unparalleled experience working with organisations such as Nokia, The World Bank and NATO.

He is a one-man digital upgrade option for us all to download.

This world is changing fast, but he makes sense of it because he understands that the core basics remain the same: community, learning, and interaction. He is a master story-teller who offers a host of practical tales about how this new world can work for real people in the real world.

The Wicked Problem

Rittel and Webber’s formulation of wicked problems specifies ten characteristics:

10 Characteristics of Wicked Problems

1. There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem. It’s not possible to write a well-defined statement of the problem, as can be done with an ordinary problem.
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule. You can tell when you’ve reached a solution with an ordinary problem. With a wicked problem, the search for solutions never stops.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true or false, but good or bad. Ordinary problems have solutions that can be objectively evaluated as right or wrong. Choosing a solution to a wicked problem is largely a matter of judgment.
4. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem. It’s possible to determine right away if a solution to an ordinary problem is working. But solutions to wicked problems generate unexpected consequences over time, making it difficult to measure their effectiveness.
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a “one-shot” operation; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error, every attempt counts significantly. Solutions to ordinary problems can be easily tried and abandoned. With wicked problems, every implemented solution has consequences that cannot be undone.
6. Wicked problems do not have an exhaustively describable set of potential solutions, nor is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan. Ordinary problems come with a limited set of potential solutions, by contrast.
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique. An ordinary problem belongs to a class of similar problems that are all solved in the same way. A wicked problem is substantially without precedent; experience does not help you address it.
8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem. While an ordinary problem is self-contained, a wicked problem is entwined with other problems. However, those problems don’t have one root cause.
9. The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. A wicked problem involves many stakeholders, who all will have different ideas about what the problem really is and what its causes are.
10. The planner has no right to be wrong. Problem solvers dealing with a wicked issue are held liable for the consequences of any actions they take, because those actions will have such a large impact and are hard to justify.

Classic examples of wicked problems include economic, environmental, and political issues. A problem whose solution requires a great number of people to change their mindsets and behavior is likely to be a wicked problem. Therefore, many standard examples of wicked problems come from the areas of public planning and policy. These include global climate change, natural hazards, healthcare, the AIDS epidemic, pandemic influenza, international drug trafficking, homeland security, nuclear weapons, and nuclear energy and waste.

In recent years, problems in many areas have been identified as exhibiting elements of wickedness – examples range from aspects of design decision making and knowledge management to business strategy. [Source: Wikipedia]

Implications

1. To address the first characteristic of Wicked Problems, it is necessary to collect a wide range of views of the problem space. An Open Innovation, crowd-sourcing or think-tank based approach (which could be internal ideation, or a mixture of the aforementioned) has promise. In the ‘definition formulation stage’ there will be ‘many’ contradictions, agreement and disagreement between stakeholder groups, terminology problems and nuances. Facilitating and filtering outputs from this phase presents interesting challenges. VPEC-T has a place in this, particularly in dealing with the complexity of eclectic values.
2. The second characteristic of Wicked Problems highlights the importance of solution hypotheses and a means by which to prototype representative solutions and measure their utility. An ability to prototype many solution hypotheses in parallel may be achieved with Open Innovation, particularly challenge driven Open Innovation where a competition model is used. Characteristic 5 implies that prototyping is not viable in the context of Wicked Problems. I think this is somewhat misleading. I agree that once commitment is made to a solution it is a ‘one shot’ operation with consequences, but populating a set of initial solution hypotheses and understanding the scope of the Wicked Problem (particularly where it is ‘interspersed’ with ‘traditional problems’) will help get the right definition of the problem and the right level of focus on its key facets.
3. The third characteristic of Wicked Problems will again benefit from the application of Open Innovation and VPEC-T. Open Innovation in the sense of rapid development of solution hypotheses and a mechanism to source improvement ideas from a wide range of participants (including disruptive thinkers from other markets, industries or geographies). VPEC-T comes into play in the filtering process. Open Innovation is useful in the population of the funnel of candidate solutions. VPEC-T is a useful filter to select preferred options which fit best with the Values and Trust dimensions of the company, government or country attempting to solve the Wicked Problem. In certain Wicked Problems, the Values dimension will need to focus on ethics and cultural acceptability and the Policy dimension on relevant laws and restrictions.
4. Wicked Problems will not be solved through application of design patterns. Characteristics 4 and 7 above rule this out. The generation of unexpected consequences in Characteristic 4 indicates potential for the application of Pattern Based Strategy (in terms of signal detection, and making sense of unanticipated events via correlation and causation analysis).
5. Refer to implication 2.
6. Characteristic 6 reinforces that Open Innovation has potential in terms of sourcing solution hypotheses and enriching these hypotheses with a range of opinion. As outlined in Implication 1, facilitation and filtering is important and VPEC-T has an important role to play.
7. As stated in Implication 4, this rules out the application of design patterns, the solution to a Wicked Problem being unique.
8. Characteristic 8 makes Wicked Problems particularly Wicked. A three pronged attack on this characteristic with Open Innovation, VPEC-T and Pattern Based Strategy has value. Open Innovation in the sense of collectively working on how Wicked Problems are entwined with other problems, VPEC-T in terms of filtering and facilitating analysis, and Pattern Based Strategy in terms of correlation and causation analysis.
9. Characteristic 9 is a real sweet spot for VPEC-T, which excels at surfacing the Values and Trust dimensions of Wicked Problem Solving.
10. VPEC-T (and other thinking frameworks) has an important role in dealing with Characteristic 10. The problem solver(s) eventually need to put their reputations on the line, and must therefore have explored the problem space methodically. Certainty and Wicked Problem solving do not go ‘hand in hand’, and systems and strategic thinking methods are useful in driving out as much uncertainty as may be considered reasonable in highly-complex environments.

Further Reading

“Wicked Problems, Righteous Solutions, A Catalogue of Modern Software Engineering Paradigms” by Peter DeGrace and Leslie Hulet Stahl.

[Source: Amazon]

Wiki technology is a foundational component for modern Enterprise Architecture practices. It will speed up many aspects of delivery, aide with communications and cut maintenance costs. Using Wiki to good effect is an excellent antidote to the ‘Ivory Tower’ Enterprise Architecture Anti Pattern. Let’s consider some common problems and how the use of Wiki technology can create opportunities for useful Patterns…

Problem Statements

• Enterprise search rankings often make it difficult to understand quality and provenance of indexed content in Enterprise Systems. Community generated indexes with contextualised links and meta data would improve content re-use.
• Unless the Enterprise has sophisticated Enterprise 2.0 tools, there is usually no or limited mechanism for social linking (i.e. community recommended links).
• Team based ideation is often difficult to implement rapidly.
• Inbox overflow (death by email) stifles collaboration and communications. Wiki and other collaboration tools have excellent potential for reducing email volume.
• ‘My content’ over ‘our content’ is pervasive. Wiki has a part to play in breaking down content ownership barriers and ‘not invented here’ syndrome.

Solution Hypothesis

Apply “What Would the Web Do” thinking using simple Wiki collaboration tooling. This leads to a number of interesting Patterns and potential Anti Patterns…

Patterns

The Index

Using inline links in the Wiki narratives, link to good external and internal content sources. Hence an index of content reviewed and recommended by a community of experts emerges. This is essentially a recommendation engine, with deep hooks into other knowledge management sources such as Enterprise Content Management systems. As the link is contextualised in the body of the narrative, the utility increases. Quite often this results in a much more usable index into Enterprise Content (than vanilla search products – although there is definitely a place for both).

The Self Service Kiosk

Self-service kiosks speed time to resolve external and internal queries. The answer to any query (which might be reasonably repeated) should be captured / codified and analysed. This is a useful approach when scaling up teams and freeing up time to concentrate on ‘higher order functions’ such as invention, thought leadership and market influence.

The Bid Engine

Again, like the Self Service Kiosk this is about capturing boiler plate content, win themes, approaches and any other useful content that can be quickly re-purposed. Self-service models can be Anti Patterns if the content is not understood and applied correctly, so always apply the appropriate guiding hand.

The Incubator

Wiki’s are perfect for content incubation, either individually created or created through collaboration. It is a very fast medium to share ideas, test them, improve them, solicit contributions and from which to then cut MS Office documents (or similar). Use a proper content lifecycle, with incubated and polished content eventually being cut into documentation stored in Enterprise Content Management, and using a Rating function (or equivalent) to store review comments and quality metrics with the documentation. This provides anyone searching with important review history and quality assessments.

The Scrapbook

Wikis are very useful for storing snippets, pictures, quotes and other artefacts for analysis and composition into higher quality collateral. Chopping up documentation and restructuring it in a Wiki as a set of questions and answers can be a really fast way to distil verbose documentation into key areas of concentration.

The Ideation Enabler

Wiki can be used for team ideation. It is very simple to post the skeleton of an idea, or create a seed page with a thought experiment or ‘call for fresh thinking’. There are many excellent ideation tools for this, but in terms of speed for small scale team internal ideation, Wiki is also an excellent approach.

The Social Network

As you research communities of interest across your internal estate (be that corporate Wiki’s, blogs, forums etc.) you unravel part of the enterprise’s social graph. This helps surface new connection opportunities and cross-populate each others work on a larger scale (although as Wikipedia does, this requires moderation processes). A Wiki can be an interesting ‘attractor’ for others to participate in your endeavours (be that internally within an enterprise or externally).

The Organic Connector

Enterprise Wikis tend to be self contained ‘universes’ each with singular purpose (if the Confluence model is followed). There could be a significant improvement, if these ‘hubs’ started to connect to each other and cross link. For example Enterprise Architecture draws heavily on Business Change as a discipline and simply creating hooks out to authoritative content on that (and other) subject(s) creates an ‘organic sprawl’ that knits the best thinking and approaches together. On a large scale this is clearly very complex, but on a small scale this would help define and build on and off-ramps from one specialism within the enterprise to another.

The Safety Net

Hardware failure, disk failure, inbox corruption etc. all happen. Having a discipline to harvest and distribute high-value content into a Wiki structure (and other knowledge management tools) helps insure against critical data loss from hardware failure (or other loss).

The Seamless Handover

Exemplary knowledge management with Wiki as part of an architectural delivery approach also helps insulate against efficiency loss during holiday periods, illness, staff churn or simply roll off/roll on cycles which happen on most engagements. Unleashing a ‘full magazine’ of emails to a replacement colleague is less than ideal. Perhaps worse is the monolithic ‘tar ball’ that will take days if not weeks to unpick and understand.

Anti-Patterns

The following Anti Patterns may also arise and must be actively avoided.

Stale Content

Like any website, if the content is not maintained the utility will decay.

Broken Links

The web is organic and so too are internal structures. Broken links may be hard to repair in large volumes (if for example there was a decision to replace the Enterprise Content Management System and this resulted in a wholesale change in URL structures)

Vandalism

Wiki’s can suffer from vandalism, although this is unlikely on an internal platform. There could of course be Wiki Wars or other anti social editing.

Non authoritative content

Wikipedia works by creation of content that has external authoritative references with (some degree) of content moderation by expert editors. Emergence of non-authoritative content should be neutralised by having assigned knowledge champions / community leadership.

Broken Lifecycle

If nothing was ever promoted from the Wiki incubation process to formal knowledge management, the content would not be accessible through a well-established search channel (i.e. the search function with the Enterprise Content Management System). This could create a disconnection problem between internal knowledge systems.

The Jail Break

Protectively Marked content or any sensitive content should only be added to Wiki spaces that comply with security requirements. There should be no use of a Wiki to Jail Break content. There may be a similar argument for the creation and preservation of Ethical Walls, although this could be provided using dedicated Wiki Spaces and restricting access.

Wiki for Wiki’s Sake

As Enterprise Architects we are acutely aware of the Modelling for Modelling sake Anti Pattern. Similarly there is always a danger of drifting into “Wiki for Wiki’s Sake”, where the point of development of the content is lost, and mushrooms into a bloated unmaintainable mess. Further thinking on best practices for ‘Wiki depth and width’ is advised.

Copyright Confusion

Wikipedia has copyright infringement detection capabilities. Obviously using a wiki as a ‘scrap book’ may lead to copyright infringement if content is reused ‘wholesale’ before it is re-crafted. A little care and attention will avoid this, but it is useful to call out the potential downfall.

Authority Abuse

There are many collaboration Anti Patterns, and for brevity these will not be repeated here. Authority abuse however is a potential issue. This requires sophistication in article moderation, although the ‘casting vote’ or tight stewardship of certain content is probably advisable.

Moderation Overload

Moderation overload could occur in large collaboration communities with frequent content edits. There are ways to control this, scaling the number of trusted moderators, limited access to certain content, or more realistically only moderating edits on content which is considered highly important. Emerging ‘leaf pages’ require little moderation where central pages with well developed content require more protection against ‘bad edits’.

Private Islands

Private Islands spring up where local control is desired, where there is no central co-ordination or where there is limited trust and different opinions (aka ‘Not Invented Here’). Wiki is a flat taxonomy (the taxonomy emerges through links, rather than pre-determined structure). This is beneficial, however there is some logical architecture required to structure Private Islands to ensure best reuse across the entire enterprise.

Copy/Paste Design

Re-using stock content without tailoring is a poor choice in almost all circumstances. Monitoring for copy/paste design behaviours (which are negative) is highly advisable.

Summary

Wiki technologies should be part of the smart Enterprise Architect’s delivery approach. Used well, Wiki fosters collaboration, accelerates multi-author content creation and acts as a superb communications channel. Keep a close eye on the emergence of any Anti Patterns and remember that the human factor of collaboration must not be underestimated.