Can you Wiki?

Just finished reviewing and evaluating the Leveraging Technology class Wiki projects. I asked the class to create sample intranet content using the Wiki for our class 'fake' company, Ellis Todd Associates.

I was really very pleased with the project and the quality of the student's efforts. One page had more than 200 revisions. The class created interactive content and not just text and links. We had embedded polls from Zoho Polls, YouTube video, presentations from SlideShare and Meebo Me widgets.

The project hammered home the point for me that HR staffs, no matter how small, or seemingly technologically unprepared, can effectively utilize Wiki for numerous purposes. My students built the foundation for a decent small company intranet in about 6 weeks, with no prior experience, all in their free time.

If you are a small organization wondering if wiki technology is right for you, I think the answer is probably yes. Drop me a note or leave a comment and maybe I (or one of my students) can help.

The Links for August 8, 2008 - Week 10

Each week I post my favorite HR Technology Links for the Week for the class.  Since the class Wiki is being retired soon, I figure I better start cross-posting the Links here.

As usual, most of the links are HR Technology related, some are on other HR topics, and some are just random stuff I found interesting.

1. From 37signals - Backpack product can be used like the wiki for fast, easy intranet-type deployments


2. Yanks do what they always do - try to win this year - Yanks get Pudge


3. Sun Microsystems uses Second Life for a 12 Hour meeting designed on introducing employees from a newly acquired company to Sun - Meeting details


4. Article from E-week that theorizes that IT professionals should focus on Deploying Web 2.0 applications to their users. I still think it is HR that will and should take the lead in this area, but the article makes some decent points


5. Pirates do what they always do - give up and trade their best players away - MLB Trade recap


6. Searching for my lost ring with one of these - Ace250


7. From the McKinsey Quarterly article Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise Note - clicking the link will take you to a registration page, not directly to the document. It is worth a read, if nothing else for this conclusion - "Satisfied respondents say that, in large measure, business units rather than IT departments are driving the selection of Web 2.0 technologies."


8. For those folks interested in Flexible Work and new ways of working check out what is going on at Best Buy


9. Excellent overview of SuccessFactors and the software market for Talent Management from Workforce online

The Links for August 8, 2008 - Week 10

One of the things I do for each week of class is post a list of 'Links for the Week'.  Most are about HR Technology, some are about other HR Topics, and some are just stuff I found interesting that week. 

Since tomorrow is the last class of the quarter, and the class wiki (where I post the links) is going to be 'sunsetted' in a few weeks, I figure I better get some of the best links migrated over here to the Blog.

So, here are (most) of the Links for Week 10.....

1. From 37signals - the  Backpackproduct can be used like the wiki for fast, easy intranet-type deployments


2. Yanks do what they always do - try to win this year - Yanks get Pudge


3. Sun Microsystems uses Second Life for a 12 Hour meeting designed on introducing employees from a newly acquired company to Sun - Meeting details


4. Article from E-week that theorizes that IT professionals should focus on Deploying Web 2.0 applications to their users. I still think it is HR that will and should take the lead in this area, but the article makes some decent points


5. Pirates do what they always do - give up and trade their best players away - MLB Trade recap


6. Searching for my lost ring with one of these


7. From the McKinsey Quarterly article Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise


8. For those folks interested in Flexible Work and new ways of working check out what is going on at Best Buy


9. Excellent overview of SuccessFactors and the software market for Talent Management from Workforce online 

Counting

Some organizations suggest or even mandate a minimum number of training and development hours or days of their employees, usually on an annual basis.  But if these training and development policies are not backed by systems and processes that ensure appropriate alignment with the organization's mission AND the individual employee's development needs based on performance results, career goals and succession plans then mostly what the organization has implemented is a system to ensure accurate counting.

Did Joe take the required number of training hours this year is usually the only question asked. 

Did Joe's training support his development plans?  Did it enhance or improve his performance?  Did it prepare him for his next opportunity?

Those are far more important questions than 'Did Joe count to 10 correctly?'

A kind of treasure hunt

Took some time on a day off this week to hunt for a missing ring that I suspect went missing during a leaf raking/yard cleanup session last fall. The search on about 2 acres of yard was unfortunately unsuccessful.  And that's using one of these -

[caption id="attachment_56" align="alignnone" width="198" caption="Cool metal detector"][/caption]

We did find some other interesting things though, items that would have never been discovered without the Ace250. 

Okay, stretch analogy time.  Think of the giant yard as your organization.  There are obvious features and strengths that you don't need to look very hard to discover.  But how much talent, knowledge, and creativity is out there, just below the surface?  Skills and attributes that would require specialty tools like the Ace250 to discover.

In the HR Technology world there are many types of these tools, corporate social networks from SelectMinds, wikis from PbWiki, all the way to full integrated solutions like the one from Halogen.

Sometimes you have to look harder to find the treasures that are surely there.