Make-or-break Decisions in International Intranets

(Aug 2004, original version Sept 2003)

A company moving towards a global way of working needs to re-think communication concepts and work processes, which of course means re-vamping the Intranet. Issues come up that are different and more accentuated than in non-international companies.

What follows is a checklist of points where decisions can faciliate or hinder the intranet, thereby making it easier or harder for the company to achieve its goals.

1. Defining Scopes and Decision-Making Processes

The challenge is to get the balance right between headquarter-driven decisions and local autonomy. The key is to involve the decentralized entities in these decisions:

Role of headquarters versus the decentralized entities (business groups or units, countries, global and local functions, ….)
People and teams and the 3R’s: Roles, Responsibilities and Rights
Scopes of different intranet sites: country, business, team, …
Standardization: Tools, graphic guidelines, processes, content standards, language, …
Centralization of information and services versus decentralization: which is appropriate and how

2. Defining User Architecture

User architecture is the perception the user has of the intranet or portal. It is a key determiner in his/her perception of the corporation. Each person must see how they fit in and be able to relate what they do and where they are to the big picture.

Key pieces of user architecture:

Primary menu or intranet backbone
Home page strategy and structure
Visibility of sites and services (navigation and user aids)
Customization and personalization

3. Ensuring Access to Information and Services

In an international enterprise it is a challenge to ensure that employees around the world all have equal and pertinent access to information. Equal does not mean "everything for everyone".

Equal access means equal means to have what is necessary to do one's job and function effectively in the company from company viewpoint and the individual viewpoint. It is impacted by the following points:

Ownership policies for content and spaces
Responsibility for quality of content (including quality standards when many contributors are not using their native language)
Language strategies: translation, quality control, common corporate language(s)
Taxonomy
Content management tools and processes
Legal issues, in different countries

4. Providing Tools for Virtual Teams

The tools you choose and how they are implemented will either help or hinder collaboration in the enterprise. This includes technical aspects and change management aspects.

International enterprises need common project management and e-meeting tools. Managers need guidelines on how and when to use them. Most of the issues are “how to use the tools” rather than which tool to choose. Issues include:

Training and tips on how to use the tools
E-meeting etiquette: how to prepare, manage and close an e-meeting.
Project work spaces: how to set them up, use them and know when and how to close them down.

(Aug 2004, original version Sept 2003)

Make-or-break Decisions in International Intranets

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