Column Two

Plenty of intranet goals

Written by James Robertson, published November 22, 2002

Categorised under: Conferences & presentations, Intranets

The starting point for our recent Intranet Peers in Government forum was a discussion of possible intranet goals. Here is what the group brainstormed (in no particular order, and fairly unedited):

Provide a reference tool for staff Target information to audience Achieve business improvements Provide best practice examples Establish corporate identity Support geographically isolated staff Communicate information consistently Support business processes Provide a common access point Reduce information overload (e-mails, etc) Provide information self-service Support skills sharing Support networking Reduce workplace costs Reduce information dissemination costs Improve decision making Improve public image Give access to centralised source of information

Reduce e-mail Improve staff knowledge Use as “moral support” for isolated staff Help staff to do their jobs well Help the organisation to learn from past activities Act as an archive Assist cultural change Improve currency and reliability of information Improve trust in information Support staff orientation Support information producers Enhance knowledge management Become a focus for organisational systems Improve information accessibility Improve information management Reduce “silo effect” Improve collaboration

Improve communication Support training Support change management Improve staff “sense of belonging” Provide social environment (fun!) Provide business rules and guidelines Provide portal to wider world Support knowledge sharing Raise awareness of activities Decrease paperwork Increase efficiency Enable feedback Reduce need for support Create a single culture Align with organisational strategy Improve distribution of news

I think that’s a very impressive list, and it shows the diversity of ways that an intranet can be used, beyond the usual “deliver timely and accurate information to staff”.