Chapter 8
Developing a Network Culture through Collaboration Solutions
In This Chapter
Examining the value of communications networks
Identifying uses for social networking in an enterprise
Understanding collective intelligence
Exploring collaboration solutions
Organizations today can leverage the global Internet to develop increasingly sophisticated pools of customers, suppliers, and other consumers. These together form unique societies built on communication streams that bypass geological, political, and linguistic boundaries.
Communication extends to a larger scale than ever, with friends and business elements communicating at near real-time between any two points around the world. The complex social hierarchies that arise in a culture now reach beyond geographical location, presenting new opportunities and challenges for the modern enterprise.
This chapter discusses the value of communication and the uses of collaboration solutions such as groupware and portals. Details of specific methods of communication (e-mail, instant messaging, wiki, and others) are covered in Chapter 9.
Establishing Networks of Trust
Each of us has personal networks of trust, starting out with family and friends and extending outward. We use these networks on a regular basis to do things, such as the following:
Find someone to perform a service, such as babysitting, home repair, or catering
Locate people who have knowledge or items we need
Expand our social circles
We do this because we are naturally ...
