SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ONLINE

COLLABORATION FOR WORK-RELATED TASKS

Definition, Usage, and Overcoming Barriers

Although the use of newer, online collaboration tools such as social networking for work-related
communication and collaboration is on the rise,1 APQC’s recent research on preparing for the
future of work shows that this tool is still one of the least-frequently used, falling behind more
traditional venues like e-mail, face-to-face and virtual meetings, and phone calls (Figure 1).

To What Extent Do You Use the Following for Work-Related

Communication and Collaboration?

Email exchanges (N=1,039) 94% 5% 1%

Person-to-person instant messaging (N=1,033) 61% 18% 7% 5% 9%

Phone/Conference calls (N=1,036) 50% 28% 15% 6% 1%

Spontaneous face-to-face meetings/Interactions (N=1,039) 44% 33% 13% 8% 2%

Scheduled face-to-face meetings (N=1,043) 39% 36% 16% 8% 1%

Text messaging via mobile device (N=1,035) 33% 24% 17% 13% 13%

Virtual meetings with audio with screen-sharing capabilities (N=1,040) 27% 26% 25% 17% 5%

Virtual document collaboration tool/platform (N=1,028) 24% 19% 19% 21% 17%

Face-to-face conferences/Working sessions (N=1,033) 15% 36% 29% 19% 2%

Enterprise social networking (N=1,030) 11% 13% 20% 25% 31%

Community discussion forums/message boards/ listservs (N=1,031) 9% 15% 25% 27% 24%

Virtual meetings with video conferencing (N=1,033) 9% 17% 29% 32% 14%
Virtual “events” hosted in an online collaboration
environment/platform (N=1,036) 5% 9% 24% 37% 26%

Virtual/Augmented reality (N=1,010) 3%3% 5% 14% 75%

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

All the time (daily or almost daily) Frequently (more than once a week)
Sometimes (once a week to once a month) Rarely (less than once a month)
Never

Figure 1

1
McKinsey Global, as cited by Margolis, Enterprise Social Networks Business Impacts 2016.

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 APQC’s Preparing for the Future of Work (N=1,046) study showed that, although 70 percent of
respondents use enterprise social networks for work-related collaboration to any extent, only 24
percent use them frequently (e.g., at least weekly), and only 7 percent cite this tool as among
their top three collaboration methods (Figure 2).

Use of Enterprise Social Networks

Figure 2

WHAT IS ENTERPRISE S OCIAL NETWORKING

In order to have a coherent discussion of the use of
enterprise social networking for work-related tasks, it
Enterprise social networking enables
is first helpful to understand what we mean by
employers, employees, business partners,
“enterprise social networking.” According to the PC
and even customers to plug into
Business Software Index, enterprise social networking
"conversations" either through status
applications are those “used in organizations to give
updates, commenting, or simply following
employees and other stakeholders a virtual community
up on activity streams. These platforms can
where they can exchange information, set up and
be used for real-time collaboration where
promote initiatives, and carry out a range of other
tasks and activities. They’re essentially social media for users can post and follow up on progress
the business world.” Some of the top enterprise social reports, chats, and group contributions on
networking products of 2016 included Asana, Slack, projects.
Yammer, Basecamp, Microsoft SharePoint Online, and What is Enterprise Social Networking?
Salesforce Chatter.2 Axero

2
PC Mag.com. Top Enterprise Social Networking Software for 2016.

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 WHY ORGANIZATIONS ARE USING ENTERPRISE S OCIAL NETWORKING
There are many documented benefits of the
use of such tools, including increased
productivity, collaboration, and employee
engagement.3 In fact, APQC’s knowledge
management team has conducted an entire
body of research on how and why
organizations use social media for
collaborating and sharing knowledge.

From a human capital standpoint, APQC’s

Open Standards Benchmarking Research on Developing and managing HR planning, policy, and
strategy shows that the top ways that organizations use social networking are for corporate
communications, learning, and recruiting (Figure 3).

For Which of the Following Do You Use Social Networking and Online Collaboration?

Enhance the effectiveness of corporate

communications
66.7%

Enhance the effectiveness of learning programs 62.3%

Target and recruit external candidates 58.0%

Identify individuals with relevant knowledge and
skills
53.6%
More effectively spread innovation through the
organization
44.9%

Enable global teams to work more effectively 30.4%

Preserve critical knowledge 17.4%

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

N=69

Figure 3

3
McKinsey Global, as cited by Margolis, Enterprise Social Networks Business Impacts 2016, 2016.

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 BARRIERS TO USAGE OF ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NE TWORKING
Despite the advantages provided by the use of these tools, the same human capital strategy
Open Standards Benchmarking survey finds that the most prevalent barriers for inhibiting online
collaboration and social networking for work tasks are lack of time, concerns about sharing, and
organizational silos (Figure 4).

Which of the Following Are the Most Significant Barriers for Inhibiting Online
Collaboration and Social Networking Approaches?

Perceived lack of time 57.5%

Concerns about intellectual property sharing 55.0%
Organizational silos 50.0%
Lack of leadership support 40.0%
Lack of middle management support 37.5%
Individuals are not recognized for collaboration and
knowledge sharing 27.5%
Other legal concerns 15.0%
Lack of appropriate technology 12.5%
Other 5.0%

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

N=40

Figure 4

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 IMPLICATIONS FOR ORG ANIZATIONAL LEARNING
APQC’s research has found that the use of social tools such as enterprise social networks is an
important part of a holistic portfolio of tools for knowledge sharing (Figure 5), and knowledge
sharing approaches are, in turn, one element of a comprehensive approach to organizational
learning.

Portfolio of Knowledge Sharing Tools

Figure 5

In order to realize the benefits of such tools, organizations must overcome the barriers by
focusing on the following:
 Demonstrating the value of usage to both the individual and the business.
 Have senior leaders model the behavior.
 Think through all the various change management elements, including communications and
training on the tool, recognition for usage, and measurement of usage.

Click here for more detail about how one organization successfully implemented enterprise
social networking and overcame resistance to change.

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 ABOUT APQC
APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s
foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement,
and knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a
differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations
worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s
leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at www.apqc.org, and learn how you can make
best practices your practices.

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