Powering up social software

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Facebook is part of a web-based revolution in the way people communicate. (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images).

Compelling economics

Reinventing the wheel is costly. What worked or didn't work in the past is frequently a mystery thanks to high staff turnover and yawning gaps in corporate memory.

Good practices are not always transferred between project sites or communicated to incoming team members or graduates. Subcontractors are using social software as part of in-house solutions to problems as diverse as mobilising projects and reinventing earthworks (crucial given earthworks can account for up to 10% of project costs).

In the absence of social software, poor information flows undermine the power of an organisation's combined knowledge. The result - cost blow-outs, eroded profitability, sagging morale.

Too much of what is ‘known' in an organisation is not easily accessed when it is needed most. Opportunities for competitive advantage slip away, leaving management and staff equally frustrated.

In the field, social software is proving fast to deploy, cheap to develop, and effective in harnessing the power of internal social networks for collective benefit. Its economics are compelling - it requires little training and doesn't need expensive IT support if you happen to be on a remote desert site.

Suppliers plug-in

Many product and service providers to the utility sector have adopted social software. You'll find social software lighting up productivity across major law firms, EPCs, subcontractors, construction companies, plus the obligatory accountants, consultants and technology providers.

Suppliers are finding blogs, forums and wikis are powerful productivity engines for enabling specialists to collaborate around projects and topics, regardless of geographic location, and facilitating the organisation's ability to rapidly deploy scarce skills and expertise globally.

Further, in a project rich environment such as the Middle East, improving supplier's ability to identify, evaluate and prioritise business development opportunities is proving essential.

Branded communities

Online communities are emerging as a powerful use of social software. Alternative energy, financial services and construction, are industries with useful lessons for the Gulf's utilities sector.

Why are outsourced online communities so popular? Most professionals want to do more than simply network with their peers. To varying degrees, many want to contribute collaboratively to the progress of industry practice.

Online communities provide opportunities for foster customer interaction, partnering on issues such as supply chain bottlenecks.

Moreover, many companies are taking advantage of the opportunity high traffic social sites such as ‘FaceBook', ‘MySpace', Wikipedia, YouTube, iTunes and Flickr offer for showcasing their internal and customer messages.

Companies are migrating training materials onto YouTube, using FaceBook as their staff directory and uploading marketing content onto iTunes.

Summary

International experience shows social software is playing a major role in connecting organizations with their stakeholders and staff.

Utilities are using these simple tools to help manage major development projects, monitor water catchments, solve complex engineering challenges and transfer expertise to new hires. Isn't it time you explored its potential returns for your business?

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