The world of Mad Men in the advertising industry is glamorous and cut-throat. What would our intranets and digital workplaces look like if they were run by Mad Men? This is what we explore in this month’s main article, packed with models and insights. We also look at conducting research across the entire workforce, not just full-time staff.

This month’s articles

• Lessons from advertising for digital workplaces and intranets
  What would our intranets look like if they were run by Mad Men?
• Conduct intranet research with the whole workforce
  In modern organisations, it’s vital to understand the needs of the entire workforce.

From the vault

• Planning to demonstrate success
  By planning projects carefully from the outset, intranet teams can build a strong business case.
• What do successful intranet managers have in common?
  Successful intranet managers balance their technical skills, business acumen and leadership capabilities, and take a pragmatic approach to their sites.

What we’ve been up to

Brisbane // conducting field research at sewage plants, helping an agency select a CMS, conducting usability testing of new intranet designs, and redesigning the HR section at a financial services firm.

Canberra // helping a large Australian government agency review their delivery of HR information and services.

Melbourne // presenting on intranet strategy at DrupalCon.

Sydney // conducting surveys at a large university and a health agency, providing pre-live support for a building company’s new intranet, and helping a medical research agency select a CMS.

Auckland, NZ // conducting digital workplace field research at a university and a national media firm.

London and Paris // sharing design insights with local intranet and digital workplace teams.

Switzerland // presenting on intranets and knowledge management to UN agencies, and providing expert advice to a global agribusiness.