expertise location in the social media age€¦ · expertise location in the social media age...

Expertise Location in the Social Media Age

APQC’s 2013 Knowledge Management Conference

Presenters:

Darcy Lemons

Lauren Trees

2 ©2013 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

What Will Be Covered?

Results of APQC’s Trends in Expertise Location survey

Strategy and design

Identifying experts and

expertise

Approaches and implementation

Technology

Change management

Measurement

February−March 2013

147 responses

Proven best practices from APQC’s 18 years of KM research


Strategy and Design

No. 1 • Position expertise

location as part of the broader KM strategy

No. 2 • Let user needs drive the

strategy

No. 3 • Assemble a cross-

functional team to help with design


The Results Are In: Strategic Beats Ad Hoc

37%

33%

31%

17%

0%

83%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Some elements are, othersaren't

No

Yes

Is your organization's expertise location approach part of a formal KM strategy?

Very effective atmeetingexpertiselocation goals(N = 12)

Somewhat ornot effective atmeetingexpertiselocation goals(N = 134)


Focus on Speed and Quality

19%

10%

43%

43%

22%

59%

40%

15%

15%

31%

46%

38%

77%

62%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Identify skill/expertise gaps withinthe work force

Identify candidates for openpositions and promotions

Help less experienced employees getup to speed and take on more

complex tasks

Build relationships betweenemployees in different locations or

units

Help project managers create teamswith the right mix of skills and

expertise

Reduce the amount of time requiredto solve key technical or other

challenges

Improve the quality of answers andsolutions available to employees

What are your organization's most important goals related to expertise location?

Very effective atmeeting expertiselocation goals(N=12)

Somewhat or noteffective at meetingexpertise locationgoals (N = 134)


Identifying Experts and Expertise

No. 1 • Allow employees to self-

report skills and expertise

No. 2 • Designate expertise, not

necessarily experts

No. 3 • Analyze employee

activities to identify pockets of knowledge


Self-Reporting Is Popular

3%

2%

11%

12%

12%

24%

33%

46%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other

The system analyzes digital traffic and behavior toinfer expertise

KM group

Employees self-report their expertise (vetted byHR/supervisor)

HR

Communities of practice/networks

Managers

Employees self-report their expertise (no vettingby HR/supervisor)

Who is responsible for determining who has expertise?

N = 147

Other: - Expertise is inferred

from collaborative activity

- No one - People in similar roles

across business areas - Use the framework of

rank/grade, occupational specialty, and individual knowledge


Tools and Approaches

3%

41%

56%

0%

10%

90%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Automatically: Information ispulled from dynamic sources

Manually:Employees/managers areresponsible for updating

profiles

Combination:Employees/managers areresponsible for updating

some fields, but others areupdated automatically

How are employee profiles used for expertise location kept up-to-date?


Somewhat or noteffective atmeetng expertiselocation goals(N=73)


The Best Systems Pull in Data to Supplement Self-Reporting

In creating its People Profiles, MITRE listed and prioritized all the pieces of information that relate to a person’s knowledge and expertise

It then scoured data sources across the organization to pull

in as much data as possible automatically


Focus on Contributions and Behaviors

8%

28%

13%

27%

36%

49%

50%

27%

90%

33%

50%

58%

83%

83%

92%

92%

100%

100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Crowdsource a project from both internaland external resources

Resource a project or team with a certainmix of skills and expertise

Identify resource gaps and make staffingdecisions based on future needs

Find published experts on a specific topic

Find answers to questions on a specifictopic

Find out about a colleague’s skills or expertise

Locate/communicate with colleaguesbased on shared interests or challenges

Identify experts or “go-to people” based on their contributions and behaviors

Look up a contact by name or title

Which of the following tasks can be performed using your organization's tools and approaches for expertise location?

Very effective atmeeting expertiselocation goals (N=12)

Somewhat or noteffective at meetingexpertise locationgoals (N=135)


Approaches and Implementation

No. 1 • Provide choices and allow

users to decide how to participate

No. 2 • Implement in stages,

using pilots to test the processes and technology

No. 3 • Move quickly and assume

a fair amount of risk


Sometimes, More Is More

24%

13%

6%

79%

32%

26%

20%

56%

65%

53%

17%

33%

25%

67%

67%

67%

83%

83%

100%

100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Microblogging

Centralized “ask the expert” service

Social network analysis

Corporate directory/phonebook

Social networking tools

Wikis

Blogs

Searchable employee profiles

Communities of practice/networks

Discussion forums/collaboration sites

What tools and approaches does your organization use to connect employees with experts and expertise?


Somewhat or noteffective atmeeting expertiselocation goals(N=135)


Networks of Excellence Facilitate Expertise Location at ConocoPhillips

100 networks of excellence

Network members nominate peers as experts or “go-to people” in certain areas

Network leaders can push questions and messages to experts


Advanced Analytics and Social Tools

MITRE’s Handshake is a social networking tool to help employees location expertise inside and outside the organization

IBM’s SmallBlue Find: Locate

knowledgeable colleagues in a

network


Tools and Technology

No. 1 • Ensure technology is

compatible with existing systems

No. 2 • Leverage federated search

No. 3 • Automate

recommendations through system inference

No. 4 • Keep costs (relatively) low


What Tools Are Organizations Using?

Please share any vendors or applications you use for expertise location:

Approximately 60 percent using SharePoint


Some Customization May Be Needed

4%

11%

57%

28%

0%

0%

50%

50%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Free or open source software

Off-the-shelf software with nocustomization

Off-the-shelf software with somecustomization

Custom-built software

What type of software supports your organization’s expertise location approach?

Very effective atmeetingexpertise locationgoals (N=12)

Somewhat or noteffective atmeetingexpertise locationgoals (N=109)


Interest in Mobile Is Growing

Yes 27%

No, but this is something we are

looking into 40%

No, and we are not looking into

providing this capability

33%

Does your organization provide access to expertise location tools via mobile devices?

N = 126


Change Management

No. 1 • Include expertise sharing in

job descriptions and allocate time to answer questions

No. 2 • Take employee workflows,

needs, and culture into account

No. 3 • Market the expertise location

system and provide training

No. 4 • Find a high-profile champion


Is Time Specifically Allotted for Employees to Answer Questions or Requests for Expertise?

Yes 14%

No 86%

Somewhat or not effective at meeting expertise location goals

Yes 58%

No 42%

Very effective at meeting expertise location goals

N=12 N=130


Career Advancement and Performance Objectives Are Powerful Motivators

13%

13%

20%

25%

29%

0%

31%

46%

69%

85%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other

Employees who participate receiverewards or recognition (e.g.,

prizes, awards)

Participation is seen as a way todecrease time spent answering ad-

hoc questions

Participation is included in jobdescriptions/performance goals

for target employees

Participation is seen as an avenuetoward increased visibility/career

advancement

What incentives encourage employees to participate and contribute their expertise?

Very effective atmeeting expertiselocation goals (N=12)

Somewhat or noteffective at meetingexpertise locationgoals (N=135)

Other:

- Desire to use new tools - No incentives - Varies by individual


Measurement

No. 1 •Focus your business case

on strategic needs, not direct financial return

No. 2

•Measure acceptance and user behavior as surrogates for user-perceived value


Proving It Works

10%

7%

27%

32%

33%

25%

42%

50%

50%

58%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Time required to findexperts/solve problems

Correlation with businessoutcomes

Adoption andparticipation statistics

Anecdotes and/or successstories

User feedback, surveys,and/or focus groups

What tools and measures does your organization use to evaluate its expertise location approach?


Somewhat or noteffective atmeeting expertiselocation goals(N=135)

Biggest difference is in correlating with business outcomes


Critical Success Factors

Make it fast and easy

Tools should be simple and

intuitive

Ensure people can get what

they need quickly

Robust search, mobile access

Ensure good data

Automate what you can

Validate what you can

Analyze activity data where

possible

Create the right culture

Senior leadership support and involvement

Give experts and others time to

participate

Make participation part of people’s jobs

Questions and Discussion

Darcy Lemons, APQC

+1-713-685-7255

[email protected]

Lauren Trees, APQC

+1-713-685-7220

[email protected]

Contact us!

expertise location in the social media age€¦ · expertise location in the social media age...

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