What do you think will power the next generation enterprise?

Maybe you know the answer already – people! Want to go even deeper – it's collaborative ideas!

The success metrics of new genera-tion enterprise are already very clear: how can we be more innovative, relevant, effcient and adapt to change at 2X the speed thus far?

While the metrics and the power engine (people and ideas) seem traditional, the implications are very futuristic.

CK Prahlad, a world renowned strategy professor and thinker, states that in the new age enterprise will have to focus on a simple formula: n=1 and r=g. What he means by this is that the next generation enterprise will have to create products and services customized for every single consumer and in order to do so they need to source resources globally. No single frm or individual can have a complete monopoly towards satisfying customized needs of individuals in the new age of business. This is the key for Enterprise 2.0.

The next generation enterprise will have to harness the collaborative power of its stakeholders (its buyers and suppliers largely) to generate new ideas, work on those ideas and create innovative, relevant and effcient products that can be adapted quickly.

The next generation enterprises are already facing a tough problem – they are global in nature. Their intellectual capabilities are scattered across the globe. The only means to organise this intellectual energy is email and the age old intranet! Mr. CTO are you still with me?

Email is too offcial and intranet is used very cautiously and sparingly – these are formal platforms that may not be best suited for breeding collaboration and ideation for all occasions.

How can ideas that are conceived at a casual moment be shared instantly without anyone having to look at them with a microscopic lens. How can the least common denominator also feel empowered to share and to collaborate. How can this entire process be made fun, casual and yet relevant for business?

Given that the collaboration of ideas of people from across the globe can make or destroy a from, the biggest challenge here is to create an ecosystem where ideas can converge and take shape. This convergence helps in collaboration, ideation, knowledge management and learning, and most importantly can help us in looking at trends earlier on that can define the future.

Enterprise 2.0 is all about harnessing the Web2.0 (the participatory tools of internet like wikis, blogs, microblogging, tags, social sharing) tools from a business perspective – lending all the stakeholders an opportunity to collaborate within an enterprise platform.

Look at how Dell is using Web 2.0 to create new products. In 2007, Dell initiated its ideastorm program, and launched a special website www.ideastorm.com. The idea was to give a voice to customers so that Dell could learn and listen to ideas and feedback from its customers, fans and even hate groups. People can share ideas or vote for a good idea. Dell also posts a specifc topic and invites discussions from everyone. This allows Dell to understand what's relevant for public and what's not! In just three years people have submitted over 13,000 new ideas and Dell has already implemented over 400 of them!

Employees may use external social tools in an insecure way and that will be more damaging than not having an enterprise 2.0 capability

Just one collaboration platform can make a frm more cus-tomer friendly, in tune with trends and quick to roll out new products and to innovate! Many people feel that use of social tools within an enterprise can actually reduce effciency! My take is – in absence of this, employees will still use social tools in a fragmented and insecure way  external to the enterprise and that will be more damaging than not having an enter-prise 2.0 capability.

Intel thought the same way and implemented an enterprise-wide social computing strategy with the objectives of:

1.Cultivating world-class workforce: As older employees leave the organisation they take away the intellectual knowledge accumulated over the years. At the same time, new employees that are young are taking over – enterprise social computing can help in information exchange in an informal way and quicken the whole process as well.

2.Finding expertise within the organisation,

3.Increasing interactive collaboration across the organisation

4.Spurring radical innovation

5.Attracting and retaining employees and

6.Capturing the tacit knowledge of employees

Intel developed a platform complete with blogs, forums and a professional networking system, and feels that early findings are showing improvement in information dissemination and ideation. Intel also believes that it has to deploy the complete stack of social computing platform rapidly to leverage its full potential.

It's very clear that the next generation enterprises understand the power of scattered knowledge that needs to be brought together – they also understand that the informal professional networks and informal business processes hide a treasure of innovative ideas that can never open up on formal communication channels. The need for enterprise 2.0 to extend collaboration and share power with the lowest common denominator in an enterprise is already evident.

About the author:

Saurabh Pandey, Director Vertical Business, Ibibo Web Pvt. Ltd. Saurabh has over 13 years of experience in marketing, brand management, and sales in companies like Google, Airtel and Jasubhai Digital Media . Saurabh is a social media enthusiast and also writes regularly at his blog http://www.atomthought.com