myth of global and local content JMC

“Turning "global/local" into "common/specific" is more than semantics: it hits at the essence of how a company implements its internationalization strategy via the intranet.”

The Myth of Global and Local Content

(May 2005, original version published in IntranetsToday.com, May/June 2004)

An illusion wasting time and money

Describing content as “global” or “local” is an unspoken tradition in many international companies. However, it is in fact an illusion that rarely corresponds to reality and can lead to wasting time and money. Global with a capital G is a theoretical concept that has little meaning for managers and employees in the trenches. A more useful distinction to make is “common” versus “specific”. What content is pertinent to all employees? What content needs to be specific for identified populations? The answer depends on company strategy, organization and culture; it also varies within a company from subject to subject.

Turning “global/local” into “common/specific” is more than semantics: it hits at the essence of how a company implements its internationalization strategy via the intranet. The word “global” has come to invoke content defined by headquarters, with “top-down, ivory tower” connotations, whereas “common” has a more basic meaning of “shared by all”.

Global content out of synch

Global content is often out of synch with the needs of business units, countries and operational teams, which is why companies can have such difficulty in getting people to use it. “It’s not relevant.” “It’s not positioned the right way.” “We can’t implement this for reason X, Y or Z”. Therefore, local content is developed extensively throughout the company, often from scratch and without standardized guidelines. This can generate excessive creation, maintenance, publishing and storing costs.

Start in the trenches

So, how do you build a large pool of useful, common content? One approach is to identify real examples that come “from the trenches”, therefore content that is more likely to correspond to the reality of what people need. Analyze this content, work it over in a mixed team of HQ managers and content producers from different units, and turn it into models that can be used throughout the company.

You will want to define a strategy that moves away from the overlap scenario where users must read several different documents (for example corporate, business group and local unit versions) or consult several places on the intranet, to find out what they need to do on a particular item. This forces them to personally interpret different sources (which sometimes contradict each other) to find out what they need to know on a policy, issue or action point. Different people will draw different conclusions, and will need to communicate with others to check and clarify their interpretations. This takes time, decreases productivity and slows down work processes. It is however the natural legacy situation of a company who has gradually become international and has not yet implemented a correspondingly international content strategy.

The "Add-on" strategy

An interesting approach is the add-on scenario where content is built piece-by-piece combining corporate / regional / business group / unit / country information and angles. From the user viewpoint, it’s “one place, one comprehensive picture”. This does not necessarily require portal technology, although that helps, but can also be achieved through identifying carefully how content is created and where it is published. This exercise will impact all media, not just the intranet, as you are touching the heart of the way your company works. It will change relations and work processes between headquarters and units, and across units.

Content strategy statement

You will need to formulate a high level content strategy. Here is an example: “Our starting point is that a maximum amount of content and services should be common. However variation may occur under one of three conditions: (1) local environment requires a specific strategy, (2) local legislation is different, or (3) local “flavor” is necessary for appropriation and buy-in. Each major function in the company must define its content strategy based on this policy, the nature of its content and the thresholds at which variations are required.”

Criteria that will influence your content strategy that we have not discussed are language policies, standardization of business processes, and CMS systems. Whatever your strategy, formulating and implementing it will help reduce cost, and improve communication and collaboration companywide. Be sure to involve the operational key content producers in your analysis, because it needs to be thought out thoroughly from all viewpoints, especially those of the people in the trenches!

(May 2005, original version published in IntranetsToday.com, May/June 2004)

The Myth of Global and Local Content

An illusion wasting time and money

Global content out of synch

Start in the trenches

The "Add-on" strategy

Content strategy statement

Breakfasts

Survey

Globally Local

Carnet intranet