Enabling Social BI: A culture of collaboration

If you fail to establish a corporate environment conducive to collaboration, how will you achieve the best from your collaborative decision-making (CDM) software?

It’s only human

CDM software is designed to facilitate interaction and information sharing around reporting and analytics. However, without a willingness to fully engage with, and take advantage of the technology, organizations will not be able to realize its full potential. Effective CDM requires the right mindset, not just the right tools.

To ensure your CDM platform takes the checkered flag, follow these three cultural enablers:

1.  Senior executives lead the way
Management needs to set the tone and lead by example. To ensure the effectiveness of CDM technologies, collaborative processes must be established and followed as normal business practice. If senior leaders adopt collaboration as routine best practice, others will too.

2.  Anti-hierarchical culture
True collaboration requires organizations to foster a culture of interactivity between business groups, departments and down hierarchies. All relevant parties must be able to participate equally in the information sharing, discussion and decision-making processes, uninhibited by vertical business structures (role or seniority). Within the CDM platform itself, this means not only allowing, but encouraging, all users to respond to and generate new discussions.

3.  HR to include team-building skills early on
An organization’s Human Resources department has a key role to play in maximizing a company’s ability to collaborate. Learning and development programs should incorporate relationship building modules and HR policies designed to support online social interaction.

An environment conducive to collaboration

The right technology alone isn’t enough to ensure great performance. The environment must be right too. After all, it’s not the technology itself, but what you do with it that drives performance and Return On Investment.