How do we manage identity in the workplace, and why does this matter? In yesterday’s post we discussed a few ideas around twitter and how that’s currently the standard for lightweight identity on the Internet. But how do we scale that lightweight identity within an organisation?
Identity is very important in an organisational setting. Identity links directly with expertise, which links directly with the ability of that organisation to get things done. In the comments of his original post, Fred discussed that blogging had provided him the ability to recognise his expertise. As he put it, you can’t fake 5,587 posts.
Assessing this level of expertise in organisations is the next step for connecting people internally at a workplace. Because you can’t fake 5,578 posts. There are a multitude of services which sit externally, such as LinkedIn, which can provide a good view in to who’s who in the zoo, and can provide some indication into expertise based on past roles. Yammer, which sits internally, will also continue to help in this area as people become more and more connected internally around various forms of expertise and information. It provides the ability to understand what someone might be great at that’s excess to their role.
As an example, Rose had expertise in endurance sports and trekking, built up over years of personal and professional experience. She’s turned that expertise into Team World Vision, a fundraising platform for World Vision Australia which has this year raised more than $144k for the organisation, and $1.4M in food aid and relief essentials for the people that need it the most. Being able to bring her expertise to bear on the organisation, has allowed that program to flourish.
We’re not there yet, and there is still a lot of expertise that goes to waste in many organisations around the world. How is your organisation moving to connect this expertise and how are you discovering what your people are good at?
The Squiggly Line 