|
Close Window
Individual blogs
Another implementation of weblogs in the workplace is the creation of
individual blogs for employees, including upper management. Individual blogs
in the workplace may seem strange if you imagine they'll look like some of
the personal blogs found in the Internet. However, they don't have to be
"unprofessional" or overly revealing. In this instance, the focus is on the
content rather than the approach.
Unlike workgroup or project blogs that have multiple contributors, a
single person authors an individual blog. In the workplace, it's the employee
who creates it. The content the employee produces represents the work she
does and her approach to it, a way to share her personality with others, just
as some people decorate their cubes with comics or string up Christmas tree
lights. It is a way for individuals to differentiate themselves within the
organization. It's also a way for the people in an organization to get to
know each other, especially if the company is spread across multiple floors,
or even multiple locations.
Individual blogs get really interesting when they're implemented
throughout the corporate hierarchy. Imagine the internal individual blog of a
charismatic CEO. Instead of (or in addition to) those Friday afternoon pep
talks and the monthly e-mailing of the vision statement, what if the CEO was
constantly communicating with the organization through her weblog? The
informal tone and personal nature would move beyond the image of CEO as
corporate figurehead, and reveal CEO as human being. The same is true for
vice presidents and managers-they're all people working together, and a
personal blog allows them to share their common humanity with one another as
it pertains to the workplace. Doing so creates a workplace that is more
humane.
As a manager, individual weblogs allow you to get to know the people you
work with on another level, and allow you to do so at a convenient time.
Imagine a hypothetical individual weblog for an administrative assistant
named Harold. Harold works in a small department with 15 other people;
because he's the only assistant, he's responsible for a variety of tasks. In
a given day, Harold may post three or four entries to his blog: a picture of
his grandson's birthday party that he's just received; a post announcing that
an espresso machine has been ordered for the department, including a link to
the espresso machine's site where others may find details about the new
machine; a brief write-up about an Excel spreadsheet that he's created for
people to use to order office supplies; and a review of a book he's just read
that really influenced his thinking.
What's happening here? Knowledge transfer - Heather, his friend who's an
administrative assistant in another department, reads about his Excel
spreadsheet idea and decides to implement it for her group, as well. Group
communication means the department knows not only that a new espresso machine
has been ordered, but also has easy access to the product's Web site where it
can find further information to answer any questions without disturbing
Harold. And next time you see Harold, you can ask about his grandson's
birthday party, or that great book he recommends, and enhance your personal
relationship.
Individual blogs give people in the workplace a way to share information
that they think is important-and that information may not always be what "the
boss" thinks is important, or Human Resources, or whoever else makes the
rules. People are hired because they have something to add to the company; an
individual blog provides a creative means for them to do just that.
Close Window
|
