Why virtual collaboration needs knowledge management

Additionally, people-focused functions tend to be in closer contact with managers, whereas IT more often operates as a “lone wolf” that is consulted only when a need or a problem arises. This puts people-focused functions in a better position to work directly with managers to lay out guidelines and ensure managers cascade them down to their teams.

KM, HR, and learning teams are also more likely to see value and clarity in the context provided by a handbook or how-to guide, and they usually have more experience creating such documentation. A people-focused approach makes “hard” collaboration easier.

The most compelling reason to put KM, HR, or learning-focused personnel in charge of the virtual collaboration strategy is that it helps solve big problems.

APQC’s research found that virtual collaboration works relatively well for everyday chats with known colleagues, but people continue to struggle with more complex, in-depth collaboration in virtual settings. Of the six collaboration goals that employees struggle with most, our analysis found that organizations are more effective at all of them when people-focused groups are in charge (see Figure 3). The biggest benefits are around innovation, team building, and comradery.

An organization’s ability to enable deep, unstructured collaboration has more to do with human behavior than technology. Even the slickest tools cannot convince people who don’t feel psychologically safe and supported to share their ideas, challenges, and advice. Thus, it makes sense that when people-focused groups are running the show, employees will be better equipped to use virtual collaboration tools to brainstorm, manage change, build relationships, and engage in other forms of complex cooperation.

Go to the specialists

Asking IT to lead your virtual collaboration strategy is a lot like asking your general practitioner to fix your chronic allergies. It makes sense to ask them, and they will try to help, but they’re not specialists. General practitioners are quick to refer cases beyond their scope to someone else, but IT teams usually are not empowered to do the same.

In addition to all the negative consequences revealed in this research, consider how having IT in charge of virtual collaboration puts an undue burden on this important, valuable function.

♦ Are employees pestering IT with a bunch of questions and complaints they’re not equipped to handle?

♦ Are employees giving IT negative survey ratings because they’re confused and frustrated by the virtual collaboration environment?

♦ Are executives pointing the finger at IT and their toolkits when employees are less productive and happy at work?

For all these reasons, it’s up to KM and HR and learning-focused teams to step up to the plate and offer help with the people side of virtual collaboration—because, for most folks, it’s not the “virtual” part of it that’s hard—it’s the “collaboration” part.