Using the lenses as a diagnostic tool to understand what works and fits and where there are gaps and needs helps bring clarity to business and social transformation. This is particularly helpful for improving use and knowledge flows through the organization’s understanding of the right fit of tool(s) and services. Using the lenses to see the relevant dimensions and how they intersect not only helps organizations understand the needs for today, but works as a valuable method for framing an adaptive road map for the coming years. Having clarity to see the smaller actual pieces enables sensing their changes in order to adjust and adapt with more clarity of understanding. This is a shorter version of the 2016 talk, but with a couple additions.

1. Thomas Vander Wal, Independant Consultant
8 November 2017
KM World - Washington, DC
Using Lenses to Right Fit Social & Collaboration

2. Who is Thomas?

3. Designing, developing, and / or
managing social platforms since
1996
Model of Attraction (2002)
Come to Me Web (2004)
Folksonomy (2004)
70+ Social Lenses (2008)
Connected
Company (2010)

4. Too often in organizations collaboration
& social start with a tool or service first

5. That is taking it backwards or
upside down

6. How they may be used
Find which side is up
See your needs
What tools may do

7. In short, it is learning to see

8. Learning the shape of things

9. Learning to see small important factors clearly
through the fog of complexity

10. What Do We Need to See?

11. Social Scale
Workflows / Social Flows
Basic Social Needs

12. Breaking Down Internal
Social / Collaboration

13. Common connected working space
Knowledge sharing
Working out loud

14. Knowledge Flows & Workflows

15. Email: Where knowledge
goes to die
Knowledge
R. I. P.

16. It takes a shift from…
It takes a shift from…

17. Closed Nodes
• Top down
• Approval-centric
• Slow to spread
• Slow to change
• Knowledge buried
• Training focussed
• Email
• Document repository
- White papers
- Policy documents

18. It takes a shift from…
To…

19. Open Nodes
• Emergent
• Sharing-centric
• Nimble and adaptive
• Constantly changing
• Knowledge searchable
and linked
• Helping focussed
• Open digital conversation
• Collaborative and collective
living documents
• All history and transitions
viewable and available
• Conversations around objects
link to object, and with objects
often in clear sight

20. In the long run, what went into
making the decision has more
value than the decision

21. Open social flows allow for
understanding and learning
across time

22. Understanding Social
Through Lenses

23. Social Progressions

24. Spark

25. Campfire

26. Bonfire

27. Torch

28. Organizations with 1 social platform have
a high probability of having 2 or more

29. One size fits all works for…
No One

30. Differing Perspectives

31. Personal

32. Collective

33. Team / Group / Community / Network
Cooperative

34. Lowest Engagement
Level
Highest Engagement
Level
Macro Social
Micro Social
Network
Community
Group
Small Group
Team
1 to1
Cooperative Scaling

35. Collaborative

36. Collective Cooperative
Team / Group / Community / Network
Collaborative
Social Working Array
Communication Layer

37. Social Scaling
• Humans are mostly social by nature. But, often not social at scale.
• Most people are most comfortable interacting with a small group of
others they know, comfort decreases as group size grows
• Humans naturally build groups and clusters to ease interacting with
large groups
• Understand what social types fit best at what scale

38. 38
Right Fitting Digital Work Activities to Appropriate Scale
Network
Community
Group
Team / Small
Group
Collective Cooperative:
Team
Cooperative:
Group
Cooperative:
Community
Cooperative:
Network
Collaborative
IncreaseScale
Types of Digital Work Activities

39. Team
Subject Matter Group 1 Subject Matter Group 2
Community in Organization
Question Answer Question
Answer
Where work happens
Relevant Info
Shared

40. It is essential to get the
foundation right

41. Through greater understanding
you have greater ability to make
successful decisions

42. Thank you!

43. URL: www.vanderwal.net
Blog: www.personalinfocloud.com
E-mail: thomas@vanderwal.net
Twitter: @infocloud