The Corporate Intranet: friend or foe?
There is a good chance that the organization that you work for has a shared cloud workspace (or perhaps one that is still on-premise) where files are kept, and collaboration takes place. This workspace may be structured in such a way that employees can navigate to HR content, information generated by individual business units, IT-specific information, and many other types of “locations” where knowledge is shared, files are kept, and employees engage.
An effective structure is critical
If the corporate intranet is well constructed, then finding and consuming information will be easy – and not take more than a few moments… but if the intranet is disorganized, then employees may be confused about where to find information, and they may spend hours searching for documents, create duplicate versions of information that already exists, or fail to leverage organizational knowledge (simply because they are unaware of it).
The stats speak for themselves
In the M-Files 2019 Intelligent Information Benchmark Report comprising research across 1500 organizations, it was found that 83% of workers have had to recreate a document because they were unable to find it on the corporate network.
86% of employees interviewed expressed that they experienced challenges searching for information.
91% of respondents said their job would be easier if their information landscape was better organized.
41% reported that information was frequently stored in the incorrect folder or system — with 29% asserting information was misplaced or lost.
26% cited challenges determining which system or repository to search, while 28% were unsure whether they had found the current version of a document.
When growth holds you back
Unfortunately, in modern organizations where sites/teams are constantly being created and information repositories are growing organically – it can be quite difficult to manage the growth, and to ensure that information is stored in a place where it can be successfully managed, governed, and leveraged for value.
Oftentimes organizations struggle with team and content sprawl – where the lifecycle of teams and information is not adequately managed – leading to a loss of control by the business, and a disorganized information landscape where the organization’s knowledge cannot be adequately leveraged.
Lost productivity equates to lost revenue, increased cost, decreased customer satisfaction, an inability to capitalize on opportunities, and a loss of “corporate memory” which could be leveraged to make better business decisions.
As such, many organizations are starting to realize the value of creating, governing, and maintaining a well-structured and constantly groomed corporate intranet. The power of a well-maintained information landscape translates into a tangible value which can be felt throughout the organization – making employees more productive, generally more satisfied, and better enabled to make good decisions.
In my next blog, I will be detailing the ins and outs of creating and managing your intranet to extract maximum value and reduce user frustration.
If this is something that is on your organization’s strategic roadmap – contact us for a free workshop to help you plan your Information Blueprint.
Free Workshop: Information Management, Governance, and Compliance
Navigating an Information and Governance Strategy can be complex when you don’t know where to start. IQBG Inc, in conjunction with Mint Group, have brought a unique solution to the market to assist organizations in embracing Smart Compliance through outcome-based Microsoft 365 technology.
