In this episode of The Workgrid, Rob is joined by Gui Batista, founder of Agora Consulting Group. Gui joins Rob to discuss the importance of digital workplace vision, governance, maintenance, business justification, and the potential pitfalls of application leaders.
Here are the episode highlights:
Given the changes in the workplace model (hybrid etc.) how have expectations shifted in terms of the value the intranet or EX platform delivers?
We’ve seen a massive shift at the macro and the micro level. At my start over a decade ago, the idea of a mobile friendly or mobile app was an afterthought. Departments have now shifted – both for employees and for customers – to cater to whatever device someone is sitting in front of (desktop at HQ, factory workers on mobile). There is a much larger emphasis on reaching stakeholders regardless of where they are and how they work.
In a post-pandemic world these sorts of available anywhere experiences, like access to Google, Microsoft, Slack, HR Systems, and IT Systems, regardless of SSO, MFA, etc. have gone from a “like to have” to “need to have.”
Digital friction is adding up as the pandemic was a catalyst for application procurement – what is the value of the intranet and prevalence of more content and conversation, disruption in the way employees work. What is the core value of the intranet in relation to these products?
The last few years have been the wild west in terms of landscape of tools. Every customer from 500 – 60K are struggling with the same problems. “Where does the use of one tool begin and another start?” “Do we really need all these tools?”
The main strong suit of the intranet is its ability to store and organization information and resources and allow subject matter experts to communicate and collaborate around those resources in a meaningful way.
Other tools like Slack/Teams/HRIS/Confluence all fit around this in a way with their own strengths but the intranet really remains the place for formal resources.
Why do you think digital workplaces fail? What is the difference between those that succeed?
If it could get boiled down to any one thing – it's lack of vision. In the sense that the vision is not defined by a mission or a final state. It’s important to look at what the ultimate problem an organization is trying to solve and where the intranet fit in. I always start by asking these questions:
“What are you trying to solve?” because I want to be able to set expectations.
“Where does the intranet fit in?” because often clients expect the intranet to be the silver bullet... It’s not. The intranet cannot solve all communication and collaboration issues in one swoop, but I want to understand where the expectations are.
In order to succeed, you have to start small. Begin with understanding how your digital workplace suite can solve communication problems, then grow from there.
Customer Example: Mattel
Mattel have invested a lot of time and resources into their digital workplace, including a full-time community manager, to help enable and continue to get internal buy-in on digital workplace tools. As a result, they see at 90% engagement rate, incredible adoption, because they put in resources to maintain success.
Most organizations treat the digital workplace as a program not a project, leaving it behind once a tool or system is implemented.
Everyone is looking for ROI on the intranet. What role do you see analytics and data playing to help your customers in conversations really understand where they are today and where they will be post launch?
The question really is “How do we tell the C-suite what’s working (or not working) and convince them to sign the check?”
Analytics and data show where we are and where we can be in the future. It used to be bare bones analytics – sessions, time on site, etc. - these squishy engagement metrics. Over time we have more metrics where we can show real value, with things like people asking questions and getting answers. When we start to see less questions getting asked, we know more work is getting done.
There is still some lag on expertise around metrics, translating data into an ROI story and capturing trends. It tends to be an afterthought when implementing intranets but can be a real driver in organizational success.
Companies need to develop programs around their digital workplace. How do you get application owners to stick to vision and program strategy?
The best thing to do is show them how successful they can be with a solid governance strategy in place. There is no manual out there on how to do this effectively, but certainly lots of thought leadership and approaches. Nothing compares to having individuals to lean on, first-hand experience is invaluable.
What sets Agora consulting group apart?
When I started Agora Consulting Group, I had already spent time in a variety of roles. What sets us apart is that experience across vendors and roles, and just time in the business. I have been a customer, a consultant, an implementer, a program manager, and a product owner.
What’s one must have feature every modern intranet solution should possess today
All modern intranet solutions need to have a mobile first approach.
One piece of advice to grow and optimize intranet
Spend the resources and time to invest in a program – including internal or external teams.
Which technology trend do you believe will have the most impact on the digital workplace in the next 3-5 years?
AI – it will have an incredible impact across the board. The unknown will have the biggest impact because we’ve created something that can create something new.
What’s one book that has shaped your approach to strategy?
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. The idea is to approach every problem with why we are trying to solve it and I’ve found this to be a very effective approach to digital workplace engagement. Often change comes with pain, so understanding why is critical to navigating through this.
About the Guest:
Gui Batista, is the founder of Agora Consulting Group, a professional services firm that delivers implementation, strategy, migration, and various offerings for intranet and digital workplaces.
