Why Wiki? Part 1 - A Design Definition

Photo Credit: 3D Wiki in Second Life - 3pointD.com

Almost five years ago, I introduced one of the first wikis into the corporate environment of a large healthcare company. We needed to solve a very simple, pervasive problem. The common challenge for a global team of analysts was twofold:
  1. I found something interesting, but there is no obvious place to store it in the project infrastructure or corporate taxonomy.
  2. I need to quickly find this stored information when it becomes relevant, even if I forgot about it in the interim.
The best solution at the time: a reused server under my desk loaded with SWIKI, a dead-easy Wiki server, all under the radar of corporate IT. Apart from solving the above-mentioned problems, we quickly experienced some of the exciting knowledge flow and work team dynamics that are inherently encouraged by Wiki technology.

Five years later, Wikis are the talk of the town. This same company has now purchased an enterprise Wiki that is accelerating interaction and knowledge flow between multiple R&D centers across the globe.

Magic by Definition

To really appreciate the potential impact of Wiki technology, it's important to understand what a Wiki really is. Ward Cunningham, the inventor of the Wiki, defines it as, "the simplest possible database". The name "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "quick".

A longer definition from the WikiWikiWeb is:
The ideas of "Wiki" may seem strange at first, but dive in and explore its links. "Wiki" is a composition system; it's a discussion medium; it's a repository; it's a mail system; it's a tool for collaboration. Really, we don't know quite what it is, but it's a fun way of communicating asynchronously across the network.
Although these descriptions give us clues about the characteristics of a Wiki, here's my definition, that I believe captures the design concepts that make Wikis magic:
A Wiki is a set of searchable web pages that are easy for everyone to create, edit and connect together.
Breaking down the definition:
  • Searchable. Information is only helpful if you can remember it, particularly when you need it. Good Wikis index all content and help you find information quickly by using smart search algorithms that automatically include text relevance, popularity, and date information.
  • Web Pages. Hypertext allows content to be quickly browsed and associated through convenient hyperlinks. Information is immediately accessible and can be explored in a completely flexible manner.
  • Easy. Wikis let people quickly create, edit and link web pages by simply clicking a button. Everyone can use simple text, no coding or HTML required. The Wiki takes care of the rest.
  • Everyone. Wikis are usually open, allowing anyone to create, edit, or connect. This eliminates the need for administrative bottlenecks, completely collapsing the creation/publication process. This creative and editorial freedom is accompanied by a full audit trail of every change.

More Than a Tool

There's a lot more to say about why Wikis change how organizations work together. Some companies have installed Wikis and then expressed disappointment with the lack of demonstrable improvement. As a tool, a Wiki only has the potential to accelerate teamwork and knowledge flow. To realize this potential requires committed leadership, special roles, and initial content seeding.

We'll be unpacking these dynamics together in upcoming articles...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Knowledge Factory

Image
SECI Model at Fuji Xerox - from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology A Model for Learning When researching knowledge management and organizational learning you're bound to come across the SECI model and the work of the Nonaka and Takeuchi. Appreciating the value of tacit knowledge (carried in people's minds) and explicit knowledge (codified or articulated) is paramount for the knowledge based industries. The authors of the SECI model emphasize that as valuable as the knowledge assets may be, the process of creating knowledge and how it is transformed is where the real potential lies. Simply managing existing knowledge is not enough . The Heart of the Machine Intuitively we know that human talent is the critical success factor in hi-tech and other knowledge based contexts. Creativity and innovation are primarily human functions and are hard to systematize but are essential for ongoing success. Additionally, the picture below demonstrates how all significa
Read more

The 90-9-1 Rule

Image
What does successful collaboration look like? Understanding how communities and people interact online is essential for setting the right expectations. Often people misinterpret metrics or focus their energy in the wrong direction because they do not have a reasonable benchmark to assess how well their on-line communities are functioning. All Things Are Not Equal In any team or community you can expect to find a variety of expertise and strengths. We usually don't expect everyone to do the exact same thing, or to have the same skill sets and strengths. In fact, the complementary nature of individual strengths is essential to creating strong teams and vibrant communities. Knowing this, it is surprising that the default expectation for online interaction is identical contribution, with performance metrics that reinforce this unhealthy view. Not only is this unrealistic, it's a sure recipe for failure! Setting Expectations Most everyone is familiar with the Pareto principle
Read more

Requirements - a False Sense of Security

Image
The Challenge In an industry with over 35 years of software engineering experience, it's amazing that we have failed to produce any significant breakthrough that improves the ability of executing successful software projects . The brightest minds have been humbled battling the tide of anarchy that persistently undermines the progress of their complex initiatives. "Discipline and control", the gurus cry, will help curb our irresponsible creative surges. Envying their manufacturing counterparts, knowledge workers have reached out to embrace disciplines that have reduced the insanity while simultaneously eroding innovation and creativity beneath the weight of bureaucratic process and fragmented work distribution. In this protected environment, the "sigh of relief" eventually evaporates into a new level of panic, as emerging competitors run roughshod across existing markets with disruptive innovations. Successful assembly and delivery of complex artifacts is ulti
Read more