Wiki in the Enterprise – A challenging new way of working

Could a wiki be a helpful tool in your organisation? Learn from early adopters how to get optimal value from a wiki deployment, as well as how to avoid the common pitfalls.

Research document by Janus Boye and Dorthe R. Jespersen, 23 pages, April 22nd 2008

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The report

Wikis are increasingly gaining popularity in the enterprise and getting deployed for many different projects, in particular involving team collaboration. Wikis have proven benefits for an enterprise but also introduce complex challenges, in particular for larger deployments as they introduce a new way of working, unfamiliar to many.

So far actual experiences are few and many engage in wiki projects without a clear sense of direction. This research document will help you get your bearings in any wiki deployment.

Based on extensive research and conversations with early adopters of wikis, this report by Janus Boye and Dorthe R. Jespersen takes a strategic focus by presenting a business analysis of challenges and best practices for all sizes of wiki projects, while also providing a reality check with an analysis of how a wiki can be put to helpful use.

Press release

Press release (22. april 2008): Wikis are Gaining Foothold in the Enterprise, but Not Without Challenges

What others are saying about Wiki in the Enterprise

If you are considering using a wiki to support collaboration or information management in your company, and rightly understand that success is not a matter of technology, you should definitely read this report.

- Seth Gottlieb, Enter Content Here

The report presents a balanced perspective on the benefits as well as challenges.

– Apoorv Durga, Random Thoughts on Portals and Content Management

There are many useful nuggets in the research (including a handy project check-list), but what I liked best about the paper is that it clearly contrasts the real value of wikis in a workgroup setting with the thorny challenges that wikis present enterprises once they evolve beyond a single departmental implementation.

– Tony Byrne, CMS Watch

Most importantly, this reports a range of practical and pragmatic recommendations on how to setup and use wikis. These will give teams a valuable leg-up when approaching this new publishing technology.

– James Robertson, Column Two

See also this short article by Toby Ward, Prescient Digital Media: Enterprise intranet wikis

What’s inside

What a wiki can and cannot do for your organisation, including a list of successful use cases
Why organisations are choosing wikis
Strategic benefits – this is where a wiki will really matter
Reality check – typical challenges with wiki projects
14 tangible recommendations for actions
Basic project checklist and basic wiki guidelines
List of major pure play wiki vendors

Excerpt: Key research findings

At the strategic level, wikis challenge organisational culture with their openness, transparency and lack of built-in management control. This can translate into an explosive information growth far beyond the capacity of your organisation to manage that information.

A wiki is far from a replacement for existing information systems and initiatives. Wikis have their place, but they are justifiably a niche, which fills a clear gap not fulfilled by existing tools.

We also found

Wikis can offer strategic benefits when it comes to increasing contribution and ownership, and improving information sharing.
Organisational culture is critical to ensure successful adoption.
Despite being sold on simplicity, wikis are not always easy to use, as usability is hampered by a lack of standards and as the prominent role of links requires a shift in perspective for editors.

Who can benefit

The document is written for the non-technical reader, in particular online managers, project managers, web managers, intranet managers and others considering a wiki, and for those already using a wiki, but looking to avoid the common pitfalls and learn from the experience of others.

Resources

J. Boye interviewed several social media experts as well as more than 30 organisations in North Europe, Asia and North America, including Carlsberg, the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority, DSB (Danish Rail), EUMETSAT, the University of Copenhagen, a Dutch environmental NGO, a large pharmaceutical and several governmental organisations.

J. Boye has used a wiki internally since May 2007, and in December 2007 it was also rolled out to the Community of Practice with 200+ European members.

The research is vendor-independent, and not funded by any third-parties.

Get the report

Buy the report as a downloadable PDF for €135