Tracy has come to my rescue as my go-to-gal for all things intranet! Since Ethan was such a great IBM guy, I thought I would stick with the IBM theme for this one...
As an employee at IBM, Tracy uses the intranet every day at her job. I was able to ask her some questions that came from our reading and class discussion on intranets. See below;
Good afternoon, Tracy. Thank you for agreeing to do this and expose your company’s intranet to this blog! I promise that your email inbox will not explode with a furry of intranet questions.
Good afternoon, Tracy. Thank you for agreeing to do this and expose your company’s intranet to this blog! I promise that your email inbox will not explode with a furry of intranet questions.
To begin, how big is your company and can you tell us a bit about what you do? I work at IBM and there are approximately 400k-500k employees. I am currently a financial analyst.
OK, now that we know what you do, what intranet do you use at work?
Its called the IBM intranet to external people who don't work at IBM, but IBMers refer to it as "W3" we can access it directly while in the office or at home by dialing in through AT&T net client.
What is the main purpose of W3 for employees? The main purpose of W3 is to manage your own career (HR, benefits, etc), and to update employees on what is new. It is a great way to know what is happening at IBM.
By "manage your career," what do you mean? Not only do I manage my benefits on W3, I also set my yearly goals, and then have to provide feedback at the end of the year regarding whether or not I achieved what I set out to do -- this measures my bonus potential.
Wow, so does this showcase your growth to management? Yes. My manager is then able to see what I write and evaluate me in writing every 6 months. I am able to see her feedback via IBM's intranet. In addition, my boss does encourage me to use W3 for promotional growth.
How so? On our intranet they exemplify each characteristic you need to master before reaching the next level. You would go on the intranet to find out what internal IBM classes are being offered to help strengthen a certain skill set so that you can master it, and apply then be able to apply for promotional job opportunities which are also listed on our intranet.
Do you like W3? Do the majority of the employees like it? Yes, I can honestly say that I love it! I've never heard anyone complain about it. I think it makes everyone's lives easier because its a hub of all IBM information.
Have you used other intranets in the past? No.
Are videos uploaded to the intranet? Photos? Yes, videos and pictures, as well as blogs are uploaded. It's really an amazing tool.
Does the W3 build community? Yes. Many people take advantage of sharing their perspectives and ideas. Its easy and so accessible that if there is something on your mind nothing you know where to go to share it.
Is there encouragement to check W3 often? Advantages? Yes, our intranet has pertinent information regarding stock price, benefit information etc. Loads of information at a click of a mouse. It is much easier to find the answers to my questions as opposed to always having to pick up the phone to call HR. I also find that I rarely, if ever, email and wait forever for a response - since everyone checks the W3 frequently we all can respond to one another rather fast.
If it was up to you, would you get rid of the intranet? Or is it a useful tool? EXTREMELY useful - I would not want to get rid of it. I cannot imagine work without it!
3 things you like about your intranet?
- Vast amounts of information
- Connecting to other IBMers (great networking tool)
- Manage my benefits and goals
3 things you hate about your intranet?
- Sometimes too much information and it is difficult to find what you need fast enough
- Sometimes I have technical problems when logging on from home
- That's it!
If your intranet was a celebrity, what celebrity would it be? George Clooney
Well, there you have it! Clearly the W3 is functional, favored and fetching - just like GC!
If your intranet was a celebrity, what celebrity would it be? George Clooney
Well, there you have it! Clearly the W3 is functional, favored and fetching - just like GC!
This was an extremely interesting interview. As a small business owner, I am always curious to see how multinational corporations manage technology.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to grow my agency and have more than 20 people on staff, I'd implement something very similar to W3. I love the goal setting and monitoring function. I think that would help employees track their productivity and efficiency tremendously.
The W3 sounds like a great intranet and information resource for IBM employees. I find it interesting and smart that IBM uses the intranet to help employees manage their career goals and evaluate their progress. Since the progress in meeting these goals is tied to bonus potential it encourages more employees to use the W3 intranet. I'm assuming the career goals are private to just the employee and manager but maybe not. When you have a company as large as IBM the intranet serves to bring together a vast amount of employees who work remotely all over the world.
ReplyDeleteI love how IBM's intranet is functioning as a professional development tool--how innovative and a great way to engage employees! But then again, who wouldn't love their intranet if it was George?!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with everyone else in that I love how IBM's intranet helps propel professional development. I would implement this tool especially for that reason. And I also love your intranet celebrity question - great way to keep you interview interesting and light while also incorporating a great photo :)
ReplyDeleteI always find it interesting to hear how different companies leverage their internet to engage with employees. Your interview did a great job getting to the heart of what speaks to the employees and motivates them to participate - professional development! Sounds like it's also very functional for accessing a wide variety of company information, too. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteGeorge Clooney! Sounds like the W3 is a SUPERSTAR for intreanets in corporations. I like the career part of W3, showing the yealy goals, get feedbacks from boss, etc. It seems that intratnet can do more than "interaction" in companies. Besides, I love the pictures... Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. During the interview I was impressed with Tracy's enthusiasm and the obvious sophistication of W3. IBM has certainly done its homework and found a great way to engage its employees with their intranet. I imagine in a couple years this will be the norm for big companies - or at least there will be an attempt to create this type of intranet. Such a success. Props to IBM!... and yes, Clooney is looking good as ALWAYS! Wouldn't have been a complete post without his mug :)
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