Implementing the

Foreword Contents Executive Overview Introduction Cisco Collaboration Cisco on Cisco

Framework

Creating a Collaborative Enterprise

A Guide to Accelerating Business Value with

a Collaboration Framework
 Implementing the
Foreword Contents Executive Overview Introduction Cisco Collaboration Cisco on Cisco
Framework

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Foreword

Businesses are increasingly under pressure to find new ways to increase productivity and stay
ahead of the competition. At Cisco, we have identified collaboration - and social networking
in the enterprise - as the next phase of the Internet that will increase productivity, innovation,
and growth. To date, we have seen a 900 percent return on our investment in collaboration
solutions, but we believe that there is much more to come.

During the past 8 years, Cisco has been We hope that the Cisco® Collaboration
incorporating collaboration into the way we Framework, contained herein, will provide
do business. First at the executive level and you with guidance about how to approach
now, as the network has enabled even greater collaboration in your own organization and that
collaboration regardless of hierarchy or it will help you accelerate and attain greater
geography, we are extending collaboration to business value and results.
every employee across the globe. What we
In an affirmation of collaboration at work, the
have discovered is that using a framework
development of this framework included
that couples people, process, and technology
contributions from many thought leaders,
together allows us to reap greater business
including members of the Collaboration
benefits in a shorter amount of time than if we
Consortium, an international group of
had approached this process without a vision
private- and public-sector organizations that
and a plan to guide us.
> Continued

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Foreword have prioritized efforts focused on collaboration. Global Supply Chain Management, Human
This consortium is now using the Cisco Resources, Internet Business Solutions Group,
Collaboration Framework as the foundation IT, Marketing, Operations, Processes and
for its industrywide collaboration reference Systems, and Sales—for their keen insights and
model. In addition, Francois Joanette, managing contributions.
partner of SBT Advisors and an expert on
Our hope is that our collective work in this
using collaboration to increase business value,
guide will help you create your own
provided content and clarity to this work.
collaboration framework and inspire you to new
Special thanks also go to the cross-functional
ways of thinking about collaboration in your
review team—which included members from
own business.
Cisco Corporate Communications, Corporate
Positioning, Customer Advocacy, Engineering,

Gary Bridge, Senior Vice President, Randy Pond, Executive Vice President,
Internet Business Solutions Group Operations, Process and Systems

Blair Christie, Senior Vice President, Ron Ricci, Vice President,

Corporate Communications Corporate Positioning

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Contents

Foreword 2 Cisco on Cisco: Lessons in Organizational

Collaboration 47
Executive Overview 5
Cisco on Cisco: Implementing Collaboration
Introduction 6 in Cisco’s Global Supply Chain 47
Why Is Collaboration So Important? 7 Cisco on Cisco: Cisco Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process 50
Overview: The Cisco Collaboration Framework 10
Cisco on Cisco: Watch Your Language—
How Was the Collaboration
Do Not Overlook the Basics 52
Framework Validated? 12
Cisco on Cisco: Creating Collaborative
Implementing the Cisco Collaboration Behavioral Changes 53
Framework 15 Cisco on Cisco: Transformational Changes
Components of Collaboration 15 Through Web 2.0 56

Developing the Components of Collaboration 19

Guiding Your Organization Through
the Three Phases of Collaboration 26
The Investigative Phase 26
The Performance Phase 31
The Transformation Phase 36
How to Begin 38

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Executive “A great wind is blowing and that gives you either

Overview
imagination or a headache.”
Catherine the Great

management is the most effective way to

create the organizational changes necessary to
take best advantage of advances in technology.

With this philosophy in mind, Cisco has

developed the Cisco® Collaboration
Framework. Guided by the best practices of
this framework, Cisco saved US$691 million
and increased productivity 4.9 percent in fiscal
year 2008.

The Cisco Collaboration Framework provides

New networking technologies are offering a clear evolutionary path and a portfolio of
organizations far greater freedom as to when, structured methodologies that organizations
where, and how they collaborate. Is your can use to improve the way that information
company ready to take advantage of these and expertise is shared among employees,
major communications innovations? partners, and their communities. By following
the collaboration framework, enterprises can
Investments in information technology help
strategically harness a rapidly expanding
organizations change the way they can do
array of Web 2.0 and social networking
business. But technology cannot change
technologies, in the process dramatically
old habits. Time and time again, Cisco has
improving their operations and potentially
found that leadership coupled with strategic
transforming their business.

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Introduction

Why Is Collaboration
So Important?

Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration
Framework

How Was the

Collaboration
Framework Validated?
Great changes are now occurring throughout organizations worldwide. New and rapidly
evolving Web 2.0 networking technologies promise the next great advances in information
technology and business capabilities. An increasing array of multimedia communications
technologies such as virtual workspaces, social networking tools, web conferencing
applications, text messaging, Internet phone services, and as-if-you-are-there video meetings
are creating new possibilities for organizations to more quickly and effectively connect people,
information, and knowledge communities.

As with other pivotal developments in the edge by making profound improvements in

evolution of information technology, such their operations.
as database software, email, and enterprise
Cisco, for example, saved US$691 million and
resource planning (ERP) systems, organizations
increased productivity 4.9 percent in fiscal
that are first to figure out the best ways to use
year 2008 by using collaboration and Web 2.0
these new technologies can gain a competitive
> Continued

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Introduction technologies. The technology investments, the benefits of the full potential of these
which cost US$81 million to deploy, provided a technologies while leaving companies
900 percent return on investment (ROI). dangerously exposed to damage from
uncontrolled content and haphazard processes.

More importantly, organizations need to

make use of new collaboration possibilities or
face a significant competitive disadvantage.
Why Is Collaboration
So Important? Companies that successfully adopt new
collaborative processes will be able to move
Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration faster, make better decisions, draw from
Framework a deeper base of information, and more
How Was the effectively operate across time and distance
Collaboration barriers. As is always the case in business,
Framework Validated?
either you pull ahead or the competition will.
To be sure, new Web 2.0 collaborative
technologies will be difficult to ignore. Why Is Collaboration So Important?
Younger employees—especially Generation Collaboration is the act of people working
Y, employees now in their twenties—and together to reach a common goal. It involves
other early adopters are now bringing these getting the right information to the right people
networking tools into the workplace—whether at the right time to make the right decision. Such
the IT manager or the CEO wants them there well-informed and speedy decisions in turn help
or not. In any case, businesses will need to organizations get work done.
develop a concerted strategy to proactively But collaboration is much more than
manage these technologies and, ideally, communication. It is the way that all the people
develop organizational capabilities to take in an enterprise function together. Better
best advantage of them. A noninterventionist collaboration means better business operations.
management approach will fail to gain
> Continued

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Introduction By improving these capabilities with improved Now, however, new collaboration technologies
collaboration, organizations can increase the can help organizations share information
scale and capacity of their processes and and expertise in ways that simply have not
develop new ways of doing business. Good been possible. Much the way that databases
collaborative information sharing and decision revolutionized sales and marketing efforts, email
making lead to better business results by transformed communications, or ERP systems
reducing manufacturing costs, stimulating
Why Is Collaboration innovation, speeding time-to-market, improving
So Important?
product and service quality, and opening new
Overview: The business opportunities.
Cisco Collaboration
Framework Certainly, collaboration has always been
How Was the fundamental to business. After all, humans
Collaboration are highly social animals, and by interacting
Framework Validated?
with each other, we gain important information.
But new pressures on businesses are making
collaboration more important than ever.

In addition to economic conditions that are remade corporate operations, new networked
requiring even more cost-efficient operations, collaboration technologies promise to radically
several long-term trends, including information improve the way that people interact and share
overload (from email and its ilk), globalization, information.
and partnering (through increased outsourcing
Unlike past IT advances, however, collaboration
and virtual companies), have put collaboration in
technologies provide a way for organizations to
the spotlight. In all these cases, various barriers
increase their access to the latent knowledge
(organizational, physical, and psychological)
“stored” within employees, partners, customers,
inhibit the optimum exchange of information to
and even the broader public (which might
make decisions and get work done.
harbor unknown experts with special insight).
> Continued

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Introduction It is this human element that makes Web 2.0

and social networking tools different from
information technology improvements of
the past. The tacit knowledge in a person’s
mind is much harder to capture and codify. It
is complex, rapidly changing, and often a bit
messy. New collaborative communications
Why Is Collaboration tools, including blogs, virtual workspaces, wikis,
So Important?
desktop video, telepresence conferences, web
Overview: The conferencing, presence communications, and
Cisco Collaboration
Framework
instant messaging, offer new ways to tap such
crucial information.
How Was the
Collaboration But using these new tools to create a more
Framework Validated?
collaborative enterprise is not an easy task.
Deploying the technology is only one part of the
process. Moving from experimental, impromptu
use of social networking capabilities to strategic,
companywide implementation requires close
attention to cultural and procedural changes
throughout an organization.
> Continued

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Introduction Overview: The Cisco Collaboration can use to improve the way that information
Framework and expertise is shared among employees,
How can an organization best harness customers and partners.
the disparate concepts and technologies By following the framework’s business
of new collaborative Web 2.0 advances? management guidance, enterprises can
Certainly, new technologies can hurt as well strategically harness the expanding array of
as help an organization. ERP systems, while Web 2.0 and social networking technologies
Why Is Collaboration
now a foundational element for most large ¬and in the process dramatically improve their
So Important?
companies, proved daunting and disruptive operations and transform the way they do
Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration as organizations struggled to adapt to the business.
Framework new business processes these technologies
The collaboration framework provides a guide to
How Was the required. Indeed, new technologies on their own
Collaboration
establishing collaboration in your organization
can do little to improve a company. Significant
Framework Validated? based on your enterprise’s unique business and
new technologies require commensurate
operational models. The framework focuses on
organizational changes.
how organizations should manage their people,
As Cisco has seen time after time, an processes, and technology to advance their
organization needs to focus as much on collaborative capabilities through three phases
change management efforts for its people of development: investigative, performance,
and its processes as it does on technology. and transformation. As an organization moves
The more all three work in concert, the more through these phases, it gains increasingly
an organization will reap rewards from its greater value from collaboration.
investments in new technologies.
To gain the most benefit from investments
To help businesses and other enterprises in in collaborative tools, organizational leaders
this effort, Cisco has developed the Cisco must make cultural, management, and process
Collaboration Framework. The framework details changes a priority. Without such behavioral
a clear evolutionary path and a portfolio of and procedural initiatives, new collaborative
structured methodologies that organizations > Continued

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Introduction technologies will offer only limited benefits, If employees do not actively use the tools, then
but if carried out well, implementation of these technologies will fail to gain the critical
these new technologies has the potential to mass so important to making the best possible
transform an organization and bring exceptional connections with people and information.
new operational efficiencies and business
But such impromptu use only goes so far.
opportunities.
Critically, the collaboration framework provides
guidance to help organizations get beyond
Why Is Collaboration
So Important? a tactical, fragmented approach to a truly
strategic approach to collaboration that can be
Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration implemented throughout the entire organization.
Framework While the trigger for all this collaborative
How Was the change is clearly networking technology,
Collaboration comprehensive enterprise collaboration will
Framework Validated?
struggle if it remains an IT-only initiative.

In its own experience, Cisco has seen

repeatedly how important it is for IT
advancements to progress in concert with
The Cisco Collaboration Framework’s build-
changes in real-world processes and behaviors.
as-you-go model provides guidance for
This view requires radically different thinking
organizations at any point of development. The
and behavior from an organization’s strategic
focus is on taking advantage of the uses that
leadership and operational management. New
are most likely springing up in your organization
habits need to be formed, new technologies
(likely perpetrated by your younger, Generation
scaled, and new processes invented. The Cisco
Y employees). Such unprompted use is a great
Collaboration Framework provides the guidance
thing. Enthusiastic, motivated interest in new
to make these necessary changes.
collaboration tools is perhaps the most crucial > Continued
element to the success of collaborative efforts.

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Introduction How Was the Collaboration Framework Cisco is now using the principles of the
Validated? framework to transform its own operations. As
To develop effective methods and best one of the most successful corporations of its
practices for addressing the complex generation, the networking equipment maker
challenges of building new collaborative has grown rapidly in the past decade while
capabilities within organizations, Cisco expanding across an ever-greater breadth
Systems and SBT Advisors, a New York–based
Why Is Collaboration
consulting group specializing in collaboration,
So Important?
established the Collaboration Consortium
Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration in July 2008. This forum is composed of
Framework an international group of private and public
How Was the organizations that are focusing on collaboration
Collaboration as a way to improve and transform their
Framework Validated?
businesses.

The member organizations have been

regularly discussing their ongoing insights into
collaboration, with the goal of developing a and variety of geographical and technological
business management model applicable to any markets. The new scale and complexities
type of organization. Consortium members have of Cisco’s business, however, have posed
adopted the Cisco Collaboration Framework increasing challenges to the company.
as the foundation for this model. Consortium
members are now testing the framework’s Cisco has a long history of using Internet
methodology in their own organizations as they technologies to improve business performance.
develop additional insights into collaboration. Beginning in 1995, the company implemented
a series of Web 1.0 solutions that led first to
The collaboration framework is also based on automated, paperless transactions and then
Cisco’s own lessons learned and best practices
> Continued
for establishing a collaborative environment.

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Introduction to information exchanges through electronic to increase profit margin by $142 million, and
interactions. Cisco’s investments in a broad to generate time savings for employees worth
range of these Web 1.0 technologies now US$380 million. The total cost to achieve these
account for US$3.7 billion in cumulative savings. benefits was just $82 million, resulting in overall
net savings of $691 million.
Cisco is now focused on the next era of the
Figure 1. Cisco’s Productivity Journey
Internet, in which Web 2.0 and social networking
technologies are making it possible to link Web 1.0 Web 2.0
Why Is Collaboration 5

So Important? employees, customers, and partners in entirely Web 2.0

Collaboration
Solutions:

new ways. Just as when organizations evolved 4 $691M

Overview: The

Benefits ($B /Yr.)

Cisco Collaboration from paper-based transactions to electronic- 3
Web 1.0

Framework based transactions more than a decade ago, 2

Internet
Solutions:
$3.7B

How Was the Cisco sees a major transformation ahead. Cisco 1

Collaboration believes that collaboration is the “next big 0

Framework Validated? Information Transformation Interactions Collaboration

thing” that will transform commerce, enabling FY95

Source: Cisco IBSG, 2009
FY00 FY05 FY08

increased business agility and exceptional

Enlarge Reduce
levels of productivity.

Cisco is already benefiting from this second As one of the world’s largest functional
wave of technological innovation. In fiscal organizations, improving collaboration across
year 2008, the company’s Web 2.0–based Cisco’s now $40 billion business is vital to
benefits accrued in three areas: cost reduction, the company’s continued success. Unlike
increased margin through revenue acceleration, some corporations, Cisco has one primary
and time savings. operations organization for the vast majority
of the company, with few divisions or large
Specifically, research from the Cisco Internet
subsidiaries. Everything must work together as
Business Solutions Group (IBSG) shows that
one. The more transparently that happens, the
in fiscal year 2008 Cisco used collaboration
more productively Cisco’s 60,000 employees
technologies to reduce costs by $251 million,
> Continued

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Introduction will be. For the company, that means greater

speed, agility, and quality when anticipating and
responding to an ever-shifting competitive and
technological landscape.

Though these are still early days for Web

2.0 and social networking, Cisco and other
companies are finding the collaboration
Why Is Collaboration
So Important? framework an effective roadmap for guiding
organizations toward better and more effective
Overview: The
Cisco Collaboration collaboration.
Framework

How Was the

Collaboration
Framework Validated?

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Implementing
the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework

Components of
Collaboration

Developing the People

Components of Collaboration
Components
of Collaboration To efficiently and effectively move through the Also described as the cultural aspect of
Guiding Your investigative, performance, and transformation collaboration, the people component of the
Organization Through phases of collaboration, organizations must Cisco Collaboration Framework focuses on ways
the Three Phases of
carefully cultivate the three components to influence people’s attitudes and collaborative
Collaboration
of collaboration: people, processes, and behaviors: what people believe, how they
The Investigative
Phase technology. feel about something, and what they think is
Figure 2. Components of Collaboration proper behavior. Main areas of focus include
The Performance
Phase leadership expectations, management practices,
The Transformation
performance measurements, incentives and
Phase People rewards, role models, and hiring policies.
How to Begin New behavioral expectations need to be
clearly defined, developed, and incorporated
into an organization’s culture. Leadership and
management systems need to align with new
Process Technology

> Continued

Enlarge Reduce

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Implementing collaboration efforts for the proper behavior • Management and execution principles
the Cisco expectations to be set, operationalized,
• Employee and workspace policies
Collaboration and measured (that is, made accountable).
Companies can influence the cultural aspects of • Collaboration readiness benchmarking and
Framework
collaboration through such management tools as: progress tracking

• Company, management and individual • Role models, especially ones from the
performance metrics executive level
Components of > Continued
Collaboration • Leadership values and competencies
Developing the
Components
of Collaboration

Guiding Your Cisco on Cisco If you want to collaborate effectively, everyone

Organization Through Watch Your Language: Do Not has to be speaking the same language. New
the Three Phases of Web 2.0 collaboration tools enable better
Overlook the Basics communications options for widely dispersed
Collaboration
teams—and thesecapabilities make the basics of
The Investigative communications even more important. C-Change,
Phase Cisco’sexecutive collaboration process, addresses
The Performance these challenges by prescribing steps to establish
Phase group “norms,”which offer a common social
foundation for virtual, global teams.
The Transformation > Read More
Phase

How to Begin

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Implementing Processes • Support services

the Cisco Process changes are changes in the way • Leadership and management development
Collaboration you get your work done. Processes include processes
Framework governance, decision making, skills cultivation,
• Data sharing policies and practices
funding, and operational logistics, with a strong
emphasis on review-and-improve cycles. • Internal change management consulting
Collaborative processes are the institutional (collaboration experts)
Components of support structures necessary for helping
Collaboration • Systems of accountability and management
people implement collaboration.
Developing the for group performance
Components The unit of performance shifts from individual
of Collaboration
to group or team in a collaborative setting. An
Guiding Your organization that uses collaboration well needs
Organization Through
the Three Phases of to understand that the traditional systems of
Collaboration performance will not work effectively (that
The Investigative is, individual systems produce competition,
Phase whereas team systems produce collaboration).
The Performance Management models (or human resources
Phase [HR] systems) need to change to reward and
The Transformation recognize the right behaviors.
Phase
To adjust processes to best support
How to Begin
collaboration, organizations need to
Technology
develop business and management models
encompassing: There are many types of collaborative
applications—and there will be many more.
• Staffing Wikis, blogs, virtual workspaces, video
• Priority setting and funding > Continued

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Implementing presentations, instant messaging, social Organizations can build efficiency into
the Cisco networking sites, web conferencing, and collaborative tool development by finding
Collaboration Twitter are just a start. With this in mind, chief replicable models, such as “virtual expert”
Framework information officers (CIOs) need to build a or “virtual teaming” modules that can be
foundation to support those applications. repurposed for a wide range of business
scenarios. These kinds of models focus on the
The range of collaborative possibilities will
type of interaction rather than the business
be limited by the network’s infrastructure. A
Components of model or operational function. Cisco estimates
Collaboration collaborative network infrastructure should be
that up to 80 percent of all collaboration
able to carry a host of multimedia services with
Developing the processes can be addressed by replicable tools.
Components quality-of-service (QoS) capabilities, especially
of Collaboration for video and audio traffic. Also, organizations need to look at ways
Guiding Your to integrate packages of tools into a single
Organization Through
Networks ideally should support:
collaborative environment, such as pulling
the Three Phases of
• Voice over IP (VoIP) to provide fully integrated desktop sharing, video sharing, wikis, blogs, and
Collaboration
teleconferencing capabilities with multimedia forums onto a single intranet portal. Importantly,
The Investigative
Phase web applications these tools, while standardized, should also
The Performance • Video capabilities, especially to facilitate provide individuals with personalization options
Phase
collaboration among remote employees to best support their unique needs.
The Transformation For managing information, organizations
Phase • High-fidelity communications, which enhance
the effectiveness of many collaboration tools will benefit from intranet search, tagging,
How to Begin
and aggregation capabilities that can be
• Easy-to-use, dependable tools readily continuously refined and adapted to deliver the
available through the corporate network most relevant information to a given population
• Integration with internal systems for of users.
> Continued
supporting existing business processes,
such as inventory management, sales, and
manufacturing

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Implementing Note: It is no accident that people and processes are virtue. As Cisco has seen, just when you think
the Cisco listed before technology as framework components. a change management initiative will never take
Collaboration People and process concepts blend fluidly. They both hold, momentum passes the tipping point, and
Framework combine to create behavioral changes that lead to widespread adoption occurs.
operational improvements in an organization. While
To keep an organization on course as it strives
technology is the crucial catalyst for enabling improved
to improve its collaborative capabilities, the
collaborative activities, the success of such efforts hinges
organization needs to develop a collaboration
Components of on the behavioral changes that must take place through
Collaboration vision and strategy. Only by carefully developing
leadership, people, and processes.
a vision and strategy will an organization know
Developing the
Components Developing the Components when and how to best develop these crucial
of Collaboration components. By making a careful assessment,
of Collaboration
Guiding Your an enterprise also will know much more about
The components of collaboration take time
Organization Through the kind of work it needs to do.
the Three Phases of to mature in an organization. They require a > Continued
Collaboration sustained effort, and patience is the proverbial
The Investigative
Phase

The Performance Cisco on Cisco Cisco has spent the past 8 years moving from a
Phase command-and-control operation dominated by
Cisco Creates an Executive
competing departments to a widely cross-functional
The Transformation Collaboration Process company that uses collaborative councils, boards
Phase
and working groups. These senior leadership teams
How to Begin facilitate executive decision-making, create cross-
functional alignment, and guide business initiatives.
Cisco documented what works in these councils
and boards and, through it’s C-Change guide, offers
insights on how new teams can collaborate more
effectively.
> Read More

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Implementing Creating Your Collaboration Vision Finding Your Collaboration Impact Zones
the Cisco and Strategy Collaboration “impact zones” are the building
Collaboration To successfully develop the people, processes, blocks of the Cisco Collaboration Framework.
Framework and technology capabilities necessary for new Collaboration zones are the highest-intensity
forms of collaboration, an organization must intersections of interactions, information, and
carefully align its new collaboration efforts expertise in your organizational ecosystem
with its business goals. By establishing a clear (employees, partners, customers, etc.). These
Components of 3- to 5-year vision for its collaboration efforts are the high-value areas that, if improved
Collaboration
and explicit 1- to 2-year plans for its strategy, through better collaboration, can most improve
Developing the
an organization will be able to successfully your organization’s business and management
Components
of Collaboration identify, prioritize, and sequence the initiatives processes.
Guiding Your necessary for establishing new business and Figure 3. Collaboration Impact Zone
Organization Through management processes.
the Three Phases of
Expertise
Collaboration Some of the questions to ask include:
The Investigative • How do you want the organization to change
Phase
in the next 3 to 5 years?
The Performance
Phase • What does the organization need to do to Collaboration Impact
The Transformation get there? Zone
Phase Information Interactions
• What role can collaboration play in achieving
How to Begin
additional levels of process performance?
Enlarge Reduce
• What sequence of activities is needed
to build the necessary collaborative An organization’s deployment strategy for
capabilities? collaboration is based on prioritizing and
sequencing the rollout of the people, processes,
To answers these questions, organizations need and technologies necessary for improving
to identify their collaboration impact zones. > Continued

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Implementing the exchange of information and expertise in quality of the information people can
the Cisco these communications crossroads. It is at these access? Is it difficult to discern or highly
Collaboration intersections that Web 2.0 and social networking usable? Is it inspiring or dull? Timely, high-
Framework collaboration tools can help most. quality information can help employees
interpret, understand, learn, and contribute
Organizations need to consider four dimensions
to better ways of doing business. Is this
of interaction when assessing impact zones:
information being provided in the best
reach, richness, openness, and speed. These
Components of virtual environment? What is most effective:
Collaboration dimensions define the scope of collaboration
text, graphics, or video in synchronous or
for a given activity and places where an
Developing the asynchronous communications?
Components organization may need to make improvement.
of Collaboration • Openness: An open environment enables
• Reach: Reach is the capability to identify,
Guiding Your individuals, teams, and organizations to
Organization Through
access, and employ internal and external
have visibility into and the capability to
the Three Phases of resources at the right time to influence
Collaboration easily contribute to the results of a work
better business results. How extensive and
effort. How easily can others join your
The Investigative exhaustive are your knowledge networks in
Phase collaborative groups? Would a group benefit
the impact zone? Are you reaching the best
The Performance from more outsiders? Are employees,
experts (even those you do not know about)
Phase suppliers, customers, academics, interests
from inside and outside the organization?
The Transformation groups, and the general public even aware
Are you reaching the knowledge of outsiders,
Phase of what groups they can join? Can they
such as various employee groups, suppliers,
How to Begin easily contribute to these groups? Are you
customers, and public communities?
accessing the “wisdom of the crowd?” Can
• Richness: Richness refers to the capability your collaborative environments operate
to effectively and efficiently foster the across the corporate firewall so outsiders can
development and communication of new join easily? How do you manage boundaries
ideas, concepts, and strategies to make of confidentiality? > Continued
decisions and take actions. What is the

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Implementing • Speed: The speed dimension looks at how But to prioritize further, organizations must
the Cisco new collaboration processes can increase determine how improved tacit information
Collaboration the speed at which organizations can get exchange in these impact zones can change
Framework things done and respond to changes. Where their business operations. Perhaps a company
can time be saved? Do people know where can gain the greatest return on efforts by
information is and who the experts are? If so, addressing just a few of the impact zones.
is the speed at which people can access that Perhaps efforts need to be cross-functional or
Components of information causing problems? Is information focused on various bottlenecks.
Collaboration
not being used because it takes too long to
Developing the find? Does it take a long time for customers,
Components
of Collaboration
suppliers, vendors, and customers to reach
necessary information? Does it take a
Guiding Your
Organization Through long time for your organization to access
the Three Phases of information and collaborate with customers,
Collaboration
supplies, and vendors?
The Investigative
Phase Much of the work in collaboration zones
The Performance focuses on improving these four dimensions
Phase to make tacit knowledge more accessible.
The Transformation According to Wikipedia, “tacit knowledge is not
To assess the most important collaboration
Phase easily shared. With tacit knowledge, people
impact zones:
How to Begin are not often aware of the knowledge they
possess or how it can be valuable to others. • Identify the primary and secondary
Tacit knowledge is considered more valuable processes that directly bear on the success
because it provides context for people, places, of your strategic initiatives
ideas, and experiences. Effective transfer of • Identify and survey or interview the
tacit knowledge generally requires extensive individuals who are part of those processes to
personal contact and trust.” understand what is being produced and how
> Continued

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Implementing it relates to the final deliverable of the process messaging, scheduled meetings, impromptu
the Cisco (be sure to include not just those individuals meetings, etc.)?
Collaboration who are part of the formal process, but also
• With whom do your constituents interact?
Framework the people with knowledge and influence
When do they interact? Why do they interact?
to help ensure that you identify as many
What role does that interaction plays in
connections and interactions as possible)
achieving strategic goals?
• Identify the challenges and problem areas in
Components of • What information or content is used during
Collaboration the existing processes
these interactions and what form does that
Developing the • Identify where and how your organization can information or content take (slides, videos,
Components promote additional levels of performance documents, email, etc.)?
of Collaboration
by adding people, process, and technology
Guiding Your • What subject-matter experts are involved in
components to enable more reach, richness,
Organization Through the process? Who are they, and when are they
the Three Phases of and openness
used in the process?
Collaboration
• Identify any elements of reach, richness, and
The Investigative • What are you trying to accomplish?
Phase openness that may need to be fine-tuned to
gain additional collaboration and business Assessing Your Collaboration Readiness
The Performance
Phase performance After an organization has established its vision
The Transformation and strategy for using collaboration to help
When assessing and prioritizing collaboration
Phase address its business goals, it needs to focus
impact zones, the questions you should ask
How to Begin on building collaborative capabilities. Vision,
include:
strategy, and the particular characteristics of an
• What interactions are your target constituents organization’s collaboration impact zones will
(employees, partners, customers, etc.) determine when, where, and how it will prioritize
undertaking and what form do these and sequence the development efforts of its
interactions take (email, phone, instant people, processes, and technology.
> Continued

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Implementing However, an organization first needs to adopts new Web 2.0 communications tools,
the Cisco find out where it is relative to collaboration and how other age groups respond to these
Collaboration adoption before it can start developing its technologies. While books are being filled on
Framework collaborative framework. Organizations vary what Generation Y means to corporations, this
widely in their collaborative cultures and is a crucial constituency for any organization
technology environments, and attitudes toward to carefully consider when building their
collaboration can vary widely within individual collaboration capabilities. For this group, Web
Components of departments of a larger organization: The 2.0 and social networking tools appear to be
Collaboration
human resources department may prefer to what a personal computer was to workers in the
Developing the be left alone, while the marketing folks love late 1980s. Though organizations must consider
Components
of Collaboration
to chat. Or compensation structures may their entire employee population while keeping
discourage sales representatives from sharing their strategic collaborative goals in mind, they
Guiding Your
Organization Through their customer and market data with some should pay close attention to their youngest
the Three Phases of colleagues. People can be covetous of their members—they may have some very good
Collaboration
knowledge. Knowledge is power, and it can be a ideas.
The Investigative difficult for people to share such power.
Phase To help in assessing collaboration readiness,
The Performance Some employees only need to be pointed in organization can tap a range of new social
Phase the right direction, and they will start proactively mapping techniques and tools to identify
The Transformation figuring out the best ways to make the most of where they have strong collaboration hubs and
Phase new Web 2.0 capabilities. Other employees may where they have voids. With this information
How to Begin be resistant or, at least, less than enthusiastic, in hand, organizations can then systematically
about adopting new collaborative processes operationalize collaboration.
and tools.
Also, organizations need to take an inventory
For example, at Cisco, managers can see of their physical collaboration environments.
distinct differences between how its younger What technologies are already in place? What
workers—the Generation Y workforce— > Continued

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Implementing is the network’s bandwidth and what tools are from headquarters? Do partners have the
the Cisco available to employees, partners, and others necessary IT environments to participate in
Collaboration in the enterprise ecosystem? How do these new collaboration initiatives? Answers to these
Framework physical environments differ depending on and other environmental questions will help
location? Do telecommuting employees have organizations assess the practical limits on the
the same capabilities as employees working new collaborative tools that they adopt.
> Continued

Components of
Collaboration

Developing the Overview: The Three Phases of Collaboration

Components To capture the full value of collaboration, every organization (or group within an organization) will go through
of Collaboration each evolutionary phase of collaboration, though the pace will depend on business priorities and collaboration
Guiding Your readiness.
Organization Through
• Investigative phase: The investigative phase involves learning and preparing. This phase is marked by
the Three Phases of
spontaneous use of various Web 2.0 tools to help individual’s increase productivity with discrete tasks. While
Collaboration
the investigative phase provides limited benefits for improving broader business operations, it forms the crucial
The Investigative groundwork for more extensive collaboration efforts.
Phase
• Performance phase: To achieve organizationwide benefits from new Web 2.0 collaboration tools, organizations
The Performance must make a big shift to the performance phase. In this pivotal phase, organizations move from segmented
Phase collaboration efforts to carefully organized, supported, and broader adoption of collaboration that improves
major business processes. In the performance phase, organizations must turn from strictly organic and
The Transformation
opportunistic efforts to a more structured and prescriptive approach to development of collaboration
Phase
capabilities. Focus must shift from the technology aspects of collaboration to the people and process
How to Begin components of change management. Awareness and educational campaigns, for example, play important roles.
• Transformation phase: The ultimate goal of Web 2.0 collaboration is the transformation phase. In this phase,
building on the capabilities developed in the previous two phases, organizations can do things that were
previously impossible. Such changes can include reaching new markets, accessing new types of information,
and implementing new business processes that were previously too costly or onerous. Such transformational
changes are becoming increasingly important as commerce becomes more global and boundaries between
organizations become more fluid as enterprises more closely coordinate activities with external supplies,
partners, and customers. > Read More

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Implementing Guiding Your Organization Through time to maintain momentum and increase the
the Cisco the Three Phases of Collaboration ROI from your collaboration efforts.
Collaboration The three components of collaboration Figure 4. Three Phases of Collaboration

Framework (people, processes, and technology) must Investigative Performance Transformational

work in concert for organizations to gain Enterprise

Value from
Collaboration
the greatest advantages from investments
% Adoption
in new collaboration capabilities. All three The Value Plateau

Components of
must be purposefully developed over time Enlarge Reduce
Collaboration
as organizations move through the three
Developing the
Components phases of collaboration: the investigative The Investigative Phase
of Collaboration phase, the performance phase, and the The investigative phase involves learning and
Guiding Your transformation phase. Subsequent efforts build preparing. Many organizations are likely already
Organization Through on the progress made in previous phases. As in the investigative phase. This phase is marked
the Three Phases of
Collaboration
organizations proceed through this evolutionary by spontaneous use of various Web 2.0 tools to
process, benefits from collaboration grow. help increase individual productivity. The use of
The Investigative
Phase Every company and every organization these tools spreads “virally,” or person to person
The Performance within a company will go through each through word-of-mouth recommendations.
Phase
evolutionary phase, though the pace will You will know you are in the investigative phase
The Transformation depend on business priorities and collaboration when you start hearing statements like these:
Phase
readiness. To achieve major performance “I need a wiki (or blog),” “I want to be able to
How to Begin and capabilities improvements (ones that host a video conference (or web meeting).”
increase an organization’s profitability), however, Cisco calls this the “single tool, single task”
organizations must make concerted efforts to mindset, in which collaboration is viewed as an
evolve their culture and processes. The key is event or activity that benefits a few individuals
developing the right components at the right or a small group. > Continued

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Implementing Tools used in the investigative phase typically

the Cisco run autonomously, with little, if any, integration
Investigative Phase in Action: into an organization’s information technology
Collaboration Cisco’s C-Vision
Framework systems. As companies become more
Cisco’s C-Vision is an example of an investigative- deliberate in the way that employees adopt Web
phase effort. C-Vision is a video forum like
YouTube, but inside the corporate firewall. On 2.0, such tools and associated activities should
C-Vision, employees can easily make and post be isolated to protect the network and test their
Components of desktop-quality videos for viewing at websites effectiveness in controlled use scenarios.
Collaboration or on blogs. Cisco does not yet have a specific
strategy for C-Vision. For now, it just provides While an organization can glean some nice
Developing the another way to communicate besides emails and
Components written blogs. This is okay, though. By making it
benefits from these separated instances of
of Collaboration easy for employees to try video, Cisco is helping collaboration, many collaborative tools, such as
Guiding Your employees become more adept at using the wikis, discussion forums, and blogs, increase in
Organization Through technology. > Read More
value with the increase in use. Social networks
the Three Phases of
Collaboration Figure. 5. Cisco CEO, John Chambers, using C-Vision for information exchange also follow Metcalf’s
Law for computer networks, which states the
The Investigative
Phase value of a network increases proportionately
The Performance to the square of the number of its connected
Phase users.
The Transformation The investigative phase provides crucial
Phase
groundwork for wider deployment efforts. It
How to Begin
generates best practices and examples of
success that the company can use to teach and
inspire. In the investigative phase, coaches and
mentors grow from the community of experts.

Organizations must be sure to cultivate the

enthusiasm, creativity, and inclusion that
> Continued

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Implementing naturally germinate in this phase, to provide a its leaders, need to enact the necessary
the Cisco crucial foundation for future collaborative efforts. change management efforts, with their people,
Collaboration processes, and technologies.
However, in the investigative phase, adoption of
Framework collaborative tools and techniques plateaus as
Figure 6. Focus Areas for the Investigative Phase

the clusters of early adopters and enthusiasts

become saturated, and efforts stop when
Process Culture Technology

individual employees gain the personal

Components of
Collaboration productivity improvements they were seeking. Self Service Support Model Rework Intellectual Property and
Code of Business Conduct Policies
Web 2.0, Video, Unified
Communications, and other

Also, wider use of new collaboration tools may

Community Collaboration Technologies
Knowledge Space Boards and Councils – Vision,

Developing the
Strategy, and Execution Development Firewall Sandbox from Production
Web 2.0 Expert Community Support

Components be beyond the ambition or power of these early

of Collaboration Enlarge Reduce
adopters. To create substantial improvements in > Continued
Guiding Your collaboration, the organization, and especially
Organization Through
the Three Phases of
Collaboration

The Investigative
Phase

The Performance Cisco on Cisco Reaching critical mass with collaboration efforts
Phase Creating Collaborative requires leadership. At Cisco, leadership starts
The Transformation Behavioral Changes with CEO John Chambers. Chambers overcame
Phase his initial resistance and is now a self-proclaimed
How to Begin convert to Web 2.0 technology. Now, using the
new technology, he regularly speaks directly
with Cisco employees while getting unfiltered
feedback from them. More important, Chambers
is now a role model for Cisco’s leadership team
and employees, demonstrating how they can put
Web 2.0 tools to work in their jobs. > Read More

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Implementing This phase is important if your organization definition exists in your organization. Be
the Cisco is looking for collaboration to increase levels explicit in communicating what collaboration
Collaboration of business performance. It also needs to be means in your organization. An organization
Framework fostered and supported at the corporate level. needs a clear behavioral roadmap to follow on
Like a foundation for a structure, this phase its path to new collaborative behaviors.
will establish the core capabilities on which an
• Help ensure that executives lead the way:
organization can build its collaborative business
Moving from an organization that operates
Components of and management models.
Collaboration through command-and-control to one that
When developing the three components of operates through collaboration means that
Developing the
Components collaboration in the investigative phase, you can the leaders need to lead, take risks, and move
of Collaboration take some of the possible steps described here. beyond behaviors that may be comfortable
Guiding Your to them to demonstrate the importance of
Organization Through collaboration. Executives are the all-important
the Three Phases of
Collaboration role models.
The Investigative • Establish a code of business conduct:
Phase
A code of business conduct should reflect
The Performance the way that you want your employees to
Phase
interact among themselves and also with your
The Transformation customers, partners, and the general public.
Phase
In this new world of collaboration and social
How to Begin
networking, the line between work time and
personal time is blurring.
People
• Define collaboration: An organization • Create intellectual property and
needs to clearly define what it means by nondisclosure policies: Collaboration
collaboration and what activities collaboration is fundamentally about the benefits from
entails. Do not assume that a common collective thinking and knowledge. In
environments in which intellectual property
> Continued
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Implementing is crucial to the core business, the way that processes. To maintain our collaborative
the Cisco information is recognized and protected is momentum, we created a website focused
Collaboration more critical than ever. Promote innovation on those early adopters called the Cisco
Framework through collective knowledge, but have a Communications Center of Excellence
way to identify who is bringing what to the (CCoE). This tool gave the company a
discussion. gathering spot for anyone who wanted
to know about collaboration and Web 2.0
• Develop collaborative decision-making
Components of technologies, projects, and resources.
Collaboration processes: While difficult to execute, the
We included discussion forums that were
single decision to create and deploy a cross-
Developing the moderated by the early adopters.
Components functional collaborative decision-making
of Collaboration process sets the pace for moving through
Guiding Your the three phases of collaboration. Start at the
Organization Through executive level with the vision, strategy, and
the Three Phases of
Collaboration execution planning for the company’s 3- to
5-year plan and migrate down through the
The Investigative
Phase organization when you have success at the
The Performance previous level. Organizations can use their
Phase executive development programs to build out
The Transformation and develop decision-making models and the
Phase collaborative decision-making process.
How to Begin
Processes Technology
• Develop a community of experts: At • Create a technology “sandbox,” for
Cisco, we realized that early adopters were experimentation: Do not discourage
a valuable resource, providing support that experimentation—instead, encourage it—but
we did not have built into our systems and carefully observe it in action and be part of
> Continued

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Implementing the learning experience. Encourage your The Performance Phase

the Cisco employees to participate in the selection While the investigative phase is a natural and
Collaboration and adoption process. The more open and necessary introduction to Web 2.0 tools and
Framework inclusive your selection process is, the faster enterprise collaboration as a means to
you will discover the best approaches to improved operations, organizations must
collaboration for your business. move into the performance phase to reap
• Consider virtual teaming and organizationwide benefits. In this crucial stage,
Components of
collaborative processes: Keep global organizations move from one-off collaboration
Collaboration
teaming and 24-hours-a-day workflow in efforts that help personal productivity to
Developing the
Components mind as you move through the investigative carefully organized, supported, and broader
of Collaboration phase. As your employees start playing in adoption aimed at improving the way that a
Guiding Your the technology sandboxes, look for ways to business works. > Continued
Organization Through use these tools to unite larger teams that face
the Three Phases of
Collaboration your greatest time or geographic barriers.
The Investigative
Phase
Cisco on Cisco With Cisco rapidly increasing its global operations
The Performance Implementing Collaboration in and moving to a lean manufacturing business
Phase model, the company’s supply chain group
Cisco’s Global Supply Chain turned to new collaboration technologies to help
The Transformation
meet its massive coordination challenges. The
Phase
group’s experience during the past 18 months
How to Begin demonstrates how organizations can evolve from
the investigative to the performance phase of
collaboration by taking a step back and looking
strategically at collaboration impact zones.

> Read More

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Implementing In the performance phase, organizations turn to this phase is a shift in goal setting and
the Cisco their focus toward improving company and performance management from individual units
Collaboration process performance. In this phase, efforts of performance to group units of performance.
Framework shift from a strictly organic and opportunistic
In the performance phase, organizations
approach to a more structured and prescriptive
start the strategic implementation of a matrix
approach to development of collaboration. In
of collaboration tools by systematically
this phase, the company looks to its internal
applying these tools to critical business
Components of business models, organizational models, and
Collaboration processes to boost operational capabilities
support systems to provide the foundation
across the organization. The focus should
Developing the points that it can build on to improve
Components be on development of a collaborative work
of Collaboration
organizational performance.
environment that encourages and rewards
Guiding Your collaborative participation. At the same time,
Organization Through organizations need to develop collaborative
the Three Phases of
Collaboration business processes and create the tools and
support services that facilitate collaboration
The Investigative
Phase improvements.
The Performance The performance phase takes the lessons
Phase
learned by individuals and small groups during
The Transformation the investigative phase and applies them to
Phase
broader business processes and operational
How to Begin
goals. Unlike in the investigative phase,
Now the organization begins to move from the organizations need to apply all the framework
technological aspects of collaboration to the components of people, processes, and
people and process aspects of collaboration. technology to help ensure proper and thorough
Collaboration becomes a foundational adoption of new collaboration capabilities within
element for business performance. Crucial the targeted constituencies. > Continued

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Implementing Organizations must recognize that adoption of new collaborative methods, then rank-and-
the Cisco collaborative tools and techniques will reach file employees will not see these changes
Collaboration a plateau and cease without broader support as important. With good examples to follow,
Framework and well-defined benefits. Only a certain employees will understand what behaviors they
segment of your workforce will proactively learn need to emulate for their professional success.
and use new Web 2.0 tools. The rest of the
In particular, an enterprise must formalize its
employee population will ask, “What’s in it for
strategy for using collaboration technologies
Components of me?” These proportions will vary widely among
Collaboration to change its business. The investigative phase
organizations, and your answer to this question
should offer plenty of ideas about what an
Developing the will vary, depending on the culture of your
Components appropriate strategy might be. What is crucial is
of Collaboration
organization.
that any collaboration efforts must be prioritized
Guiding Your Much of the work in the performance phase is based on the organization’s long-term vision for
Organization Through in developing the most fruitful ways to cultivate itself and its strategy for achieving this vision.
the Three Phases of
Collaboration adoption. Certainly, a mix of incentives will likely
To build adoption, companies must create
be necessary to overcome traditional barriers
The Investigative awareness and educational campaigns. They
Phase to collaboration among various groups within an
also need to help Web 2.0 tools evolve by
The Performance organization.
integrating them into the company’s business
Phase
While strong incentives (bonuses based on processes and existing IT architecture. Luckily,
The Transformation collaborative efforts) are important, Cisco has these new Web 2.0 tools are proving much
Phase
seen that adoption hinges most on leadership easier to integrate into a corporation than ERP
How to Begin
and on whether collaboration is made relevant systems and some other major IT initiatives of
to employees lives. Executive examples of the past. Organizations also need to take steps
collaborative behavior provide role models and to make the tools replicable and scalable.
clearly assert collaboration as an organizational > Continued
priority. If executive leaders do not adopt the

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Implementing Figure 7. Focus Areas for the Performance Phase can assess these components by creating
the Cisco collaboration profiles of individuals, teams,
Collaboration and organizations. Managers can then use
this inventory to identify any collaboration-
Technology

Framework
Process Culture

Self Service Support Model Rework Intellectual Property and Web 2.0, Video, Unified
readiness gaps.
Code of Business Conduct Policies Communications, and other
Community Collaboration Technologies
Knowledge Space

Web 2.0 Expert Community Support

Boards and Councils – Vision,
Strategy, and Execution Development Firewall Sandbox from Production • Reward cross-functional teaming: In
Individual and Organizational Network, Bandwidth, and
Collaboration Funding Model Collaboration Readiness Technology Access
environments in which intellectual property
Components of Virtual Small /Medium Enterprise Incentives , Rewards, and Next Generation Employee

is crucial to the core business, the way that

Business Model Compensation Workspaces

Collaboration Internal Consulting Service Change Management Collaborative Process Applications

Collaboration Metrics
information is recognized and protected is
Developing the
Components Enlarge Reduce critical. Promote innovation through collective
of Collaboration knowledge, but have a way to identify who is
When developing the three components of
Guiding Your collaboration in the performance phase, you can bringing what to the discussion.
Organization Through
the Three Phases of take some of the possible steps described here. • Reward information sharing and discourage
Collaboration information hoarding: Cross-functional
People
The Investigative collaboration hinges on active sharing.
Phase • Focus on collaboration readiness: Your
Employees need incentives to share,
The Performance
organization’s ability to collaborate effectively
especially with other groups outside their
Phase and efficiently is critical to increasing
current reward system. Busy employees
The Transformation business performance through collaboration.
will typically give far less priority to people
Phase Divide collaboration readiness into two areas:
who do not directly influence their jobs
How to Begin environment and ability. Each of these areas
or compensation. Organizational reward
has specific subcomponents that, when
systems need to make cross-functional or
combined, enable an organization to use
other new collaborative interactions primary
collaboration as a performance platform. You
to professional success.
> Continued

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Implementing Processes Technology

the Cisco • Focus on your collaboration impact zones: • Build team workspaces and process
Collaboration Much of the performance phase focuses applications: In the investigative phase, efforts
Framework on improving collaboration impact zones: focus on the use of one tool for a specific
the hubs of interactions that can influence task to enhance personal productivity. In
the quality of major business processes. the performance phase, organizations
The investigative phase exists to prepare an need to build collaborative systems that
Components of organization to enact major changes to these harness multiple tools to facilitate multistep
Collaboration
crucial activities. If your organization is not workflows and multiple types of collaborative
Developing the
making changes to these interactions, you are information, expertise, and interaction. In this
Components
of Collaboration still in the investigative phase. phase, organizations also need to more tightly
Guiding Your > Continued
Organization Through
the Three Phases of
Collaboration

The Investigative
Phase Cisco on Cisco By harnessing the power of wikis, Cisco launched
Initiating Transformational Changes the I-Prize, a global competition to develop a
The Performance concept for Cisco’s next $1 billion business.
Phase Through Web 2.0 More than 2,000 people from 104 countries
The Transformation participated. The I-Prize was inspired by the I-
Phase Zone, Cisco’s internal business idea wiki. Any one
of Cisco’s 60,000 employees can post business
How to Begin ideas to the I-Zone. Both the I-Prize and I-Zone are
showing Cisco that organizations can use social
networking tools to find new, promising ideas, no
matter where they might be.
> Read More

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Implementing integrate collaboration technologies with The new collaborative capabilities of your
the Cisco their existing IT systems, to prevent fractured organization have become so profound that
Collaboration systems and orphaned information. you are now able to do things that were
Framework previously impossible.
• Create an open technology architecture: The
performance phase depends on aligning New collaboration tools are already helping
collaboration technologies with business Cisco transform its business. One of Cisco’s
processes. Any substantial business process major challenges is globalizing its operations.
Components of
Collaboration will likely have multiple collaboration points The company has grown rapidly during its
requiring different types of collaboration more than 20-year history, and now it is one
Developing the
Components tools. To best support the business process, of the world’s biggest information technology
of Collaboration an organization needs a holistic collaboration companies.
Guiding Your architecture. The IT architecture must be able
Organization Through
Going global is not easy, but Cisco is finding that
to orchestrate the mix-and-match integration
the Three Phases of Web 2.0 and social networking technologies
Collaboration of various tools into collaboration hubs or
are making its globalization efforts far more
process centers while also supporting these
The Investigative effective than was previously possible.
Phase tools across multiple devices, operating
systems, and networks (wired, Wi-Fi, The asynchronous (communicating at different
The Performance
Phase cellular, etc.). Such capabilities will facilitate times, as with email) capabilities of new
The Transformation easier inclusion of partners, customers, networking tools are helping employees in
Phase and suppliers into the organization’s new scattered global teams stay in touch even
How to Begin collaboration processes. across many time zones. Cisco’s supply
chain team, for example, runs virtual meetings
The Transformation Phase with Cisco WebEx™ web conferencing
In the transformation phase, you use services, which support document sharing,
collaboration to reinvent your organization. demonstrations, presentation, video chats,
instant messaging, group votes, and integrated
> Continued

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Implementing teleconferencing. All of these exchanges are In the transformation phase, organizations put
the Cisco recorded so that employees who were unable in place the core operational components of
Collaboration to attend the meeting can play back and their collaboration framework. In this phase, the
Framework review everything. These follow-on attendees organization is ready to employ concepts such
of the meeting can then provide additional global, 24-hour workflows and virtual teams.
commentary in the workspace. By being able to easily include employees,
partners, and customers in collaborative
To gain the most value from the transformation
Components of systems, organizations can successfully
Collaboration phase, you need to focus on removal of any
implement the ideal of the boundaryless
functional, political, and process barriers that
Developing the enterprise.
may remain. Management’s ability to identify > Continued
Components
of Collaboration and prioritize any collaboration problems is
Guiding Your clearly crucial.
Organization Through
Figure 8. Focus Areas for the Transformation Phase
the Three Phases of
Collaboration

The Investigative
Phase Process Culture Technology

The Performance
Self Service Support Model Rework Intellectual Property and Web 2.0, Video, Unified
Phase Community Collaboration
Code of Business Conduct Policies Communications, and other
Technologies
Knowledge Space Boards and Councils – Vision,
Strategy, and Execution Development Firewall Sandbox from Production
The Transformation Web 2.0 Expert Community Support
Individual and Organizational Network, Bandwidth, and
Collaboration Funding Model Collaboration Readiness Technology Access
Phase Virtual Small /Medium Enterprise Incentives , Rewards, and Next Generation Employee
Business Model Compensation Workspaces

How to Begin Internal Consulting Service Change Management Collaborative Process Applications

Collaboration Metrics Process Application Access

to External
Boundaryless Workforce
Personalization Applications

Enlarge Reduce

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework How to Begin
Perhaps the most important advice in developing a collaborative workplace is this: just get
started. The Cisco Collaboration Framework provides the guidelines for designing your
Components of
Collaboration development roadmap, and that process starts with a few simple steps.
Developing the
Components  1. Investigate collaboration tools.

of Collaboration  2. Draft a collaboration vision statement.

Guiding Your  3. Run a series of workshops.

Organization Through
 4. Benchmark important collaboration metrics.

the Three Phases of
Collaboration  5. Start building collaboration capabilities.

The Investigative  6. Establish test-and-learn processes.

Phase
> Continued
The Performance
Phase

The Transformation
Phase

How to Begin

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework different vendors in many categories. Tools can
be combined or integrated in a variety of ways.
Start trying a few to get a sense of how they
might help your organization.
Components of
Collaboration As an organization moves through the
Developing the investigative phase, it should consider all these
Components IT components:
of Collaboration

Guiding Your • Web 2.0 and collaboration tools

Organization Through
the Three Phases of • Productivity and business applications
Collaboration
• Infrastructure: servers, desktops, and other
The Investigative
user devices
Phase

The Performance • Network and bandwidth

Phase
• Existing internal IT systems
The Transformation > Continued
Phase Step 1. Investigate collaboration tools
How to Begin Organizations should begin by investigating
the various collaboration tools available. The
market is highly fragmented, with dozens of

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework • What would be the benefit of greater
collaboration for the company?

• What are the business trends that might make

Components of collaboration even more important?
Collaboration
• Where are information and expertise most
Developing the Step 2. Draft a collaboration vision needed to improve your operations?
Components
statement.
of Collaboration
Your business posture will influence
As you become familiar with new collaborative
Guiding Your your collaboration vision, strategy, and
Organization Through technologies and their capabilities, begin
the Three Phases of implementation:
drafting a collaboration vision statement.
Collaboration
Start simply by reflecting on how improved • Survival business posture: “We need to shrink
The Investigative
collaboration could help your organization. Ask to grow, and collaboration will allow us to
Phase
these questions: reduce costs throughout the enterprise.”
The Performance
Phase • What are the company’s vision and strategic • Transition business posture: “We will
The Transformation priorities? selectively use collaboration to extract greater
Phase performance from our current business
• What are the main trends in the industry and
How to Begin processes, especially for R&D and sales.”
how do they affect your business?
• Attacking business posture: “Now is the time
• Which parts of the business are information,
to differentiate ourselves and get ahead of the
expertise, and interaction intensive?
pack. We will use collaboration to create new
• Which of those collaboration factors need ways to interact with our customers, partners,
improvement given the company’s vision and and each other that will set us far ahead of our
strategic priorities? competitors.”
> Continued

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework these workshops, organizations should identify
their most important collaboration impact zones,
which will then guide their strategy and tactics
for rolling out new collaboration capabilities.
Components of
Collaboration Prepare for the workshops by assessing
Developing the business priorities, primary business processes
Components that relate to those priorities, and examples
of Collaboration
of ways in which employees, experts, and
Guiding Your
information interact to facilitate these processes.
Organization Through
the Three Phases of At the workshops, primary participants in
Collaboration these processes discuss problem areas
The Investigative and ways collaboration might improve their
Phase processes. Workshop participants should look
The Performance at collaboration in terms of the extent to which
Phase
reach, richness, openness, and speed can
The Transformation be influenced. These workshop assessments
Phase Step 3. Run a series of workshops.
should lead to a prioritized list of collaboration
How to Begin Next, organizations should run a series of impact zones.
workshops to identify the ways in which > Continued
collaboration can help them reach their
business vision. Workshops can focus on
initiatives in specific product groups, process
chains, or cross-functional interactions. From

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework following adoption and use of collaboration
tools. Are people actually reading the blogs or
listening to podcasts? Are the expert videos
being downloaded? Are people getting access
Components of
Collaboration
to better information? If not, why not?

Developing the Organizations should benchmark current

Components perceptions about the value of collaboration
of Collaboration
as well as readiness. Formal and informal
Guiding Your
surveys of both business leaders and rank-
Organization Through
the Three Phases of and-file employees will help set baselines.
Collaboration Such established benchmarks are invaluable,
The Investigative given the multiphase, long-term development
Phase Step 4. Benchmark important
required for meaningful collaboration
collaboration metrics.
The Performance improvements. Without such references, a
Phase After you have outlined several strategic
company will have difficulty assessing long-
The Transformation collaboration efforts, benchmark the main
term progress.
Phase metrics. These metrics are the starting points > Continued

How to Begin that will provide the necessary references for

assessing progress. They will tell managers
whether and how much new collaboration
capabilities are improving product development
times, increasing customer satisfaction, or
reducing manufacturing errors. Organizations
also should establish a matrix of metrics

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework The main focus will be on improving the reach,
richness, openness, and speed of the critical
collaboration impact zones identified through
workshops. Here are some specific steps you
Components of
Collaboration
can take to improve each of these aspects of
collaborative interactions:
Developing the
Components • Steps to improve reach:
of Collaboration

Guiding Your – Identify and make visible internal and

Organization Through external expertise across your organization.
the Three Phases of
Collaboration – Recognize and reward expertise and the
The Investigative proactive sharing of knowledge.
Phase
– Cultivate visible communities of knowledge
The Performance Step 5. Start building collaboration
Phase
focused on sharing best practices.
capabilities.
The Transformation – Remove organizational barriers preventing
After benchmarks are established, the
Phase alignment of expertise with business
organization needs to start building
How to Begin priorities.
collaboration capabilities in each dimension
of people, processes, and technology. The – Develop management skills for managing a
goal here is to gain some early successes to matrix of collaborative resources.
demonstrate how improved collaboration can
– Design workflows to use “click-to-link” virtual
help your business. These successes will help
expertise at critical points in processes.
build adoption momentum and provide how-to
> Continued
examples to guide subsequent efforts.

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework • Steps to improve richness: – Provide visible schedules for workflow.

– Promote a culture of trust and proactive, – Create visible and logical content areas.
open, and respectful sharing of ideas.
– Create group editing and document
Components of – Implement collaborative decision-making management mechanisms.
Collaboration
processes that require and reward
Developing the – Establish centralized forums for discussions
participation.
Components and comments.
of Collaboration
– Design and cultivate communities of and a
– Help ensure that the interactions needed to
Guiding Your process for innovation and idea sharing.
Organization Through support your processes are as engaging,
the Three Phases of – Design processes that promote the use interactive, and effective (visual and content
Collaboration
of visualization (video, pictures, physical rich) as they need to be to promote and
The Investigative
representations, etc.) to achieve business reward inclusion and knowledge sharing.
Phase
goals.
The Performance – Help ensure team alignment through
Phase – Develop and promote content templates management and stakeholder video
The Transformation that logically support the phases of your messaging and blogging.
Phase processes and the desired outcomes of
• Steps to improve speed:
How to Begin your phases.
– Build cross-functional teams that represent
• Steps to improve openness:
every facet of the collaborative business
– Help ensure that content is stored in and process you want to improve.
made available through a central workspace
– Make improvements in business process
that supports the logical workflow of your
speed a corporate priority.
processes.
> Continued

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework – Identify critical inputs, decision points,
and outputs where partners, suppliers,
and customers can influence the speed of
collaboration for a given process.
Components of
Collaboration – Choose a speed dimension that is a stretch
Developing the but attainable for your enterprise.
Components
of Collaboration – Communicate from senior leadership
Guiding Your the sense of urgency in building new
Organization Through collaborative capabilities for improving the
the Three Phases of
speed of operations.
Collaboration

The Investigative – Create plans to help partners and suppliers

Phase build their communication and collaboration
The Performance capabilities. > Continued
Phase

The Transformation
Phase

How to Begin

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Implementing Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

the Cisco
Collaboration
Framework Step 6. Establish test-and-learn • Visible: A large number of people can
processes. participate in the new collaborative process
or can see its results.

Components of • Unambiguous: There is no argument about

Collaboration the success of the new collaborative process.
Developing the
• Transformational: The new collaborative
Components
of Collaboration process should directly support the vision for
Guiding Your the company.
Organization Through Finally, organizations should establish test-
the Three Phases of Early successes offer several benefits:
Collaboration and-learn processes. These are still early days
• They provide evidence of the benefits of
for Web 2.0, social networking and other new
The Investigative
collaborative change.
Phase collaboration capabilities. We are only at the
The Performance beginning of the evolution of collaboration. • They help an organization fine-tune its
Phase Everyone is still figuring out what to do, and the collaborative vision.
The Transformation technologies promise to evolve rapidly during
• They build collaboration knowledge and skills.
Phase the next few years. Who knows what the next
How to Begin great thing will be next year? Whatever their • They build the momentum of interest and
goals, organizations must keep in mind that support for new collaboration efforts.
the new era of collaboration is still a work in
Ultimately, organizations need to constantly
progress.
assess how new Web 2.0 tools are helping or
Organizations should aim to obtain, memorialize, could possibly help them achieve their goals.
and publicize early successes using new The ones that figure this out fastest will have a
collaboration methods. An early success is: lot to gain.

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Cisco on Cisco:
Lessons in
Organizational
Collaboration

Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply
Chain

Cisco on Cisco: Cisco

Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process Cisco on Cisco: Implementing The group’s experience over the past 18 months

Cisco on Cisco:
Collaboration in Cisco’s Global demonstrates how organizations can evolve
Watch Your Supply Chain from the investigative to the performance phase
Language—Do Not
Until recently, most collaboration in Cisco’s of collaboration by strategically improving
Overlook the Basics
supply chain happened through phone, email, critical collaboration impact zones.
Cisco on Cisco:
Creating Collaborative and in-person meetings, says Christine Fisher, Early in the investigative phase, supply chain
Behavioral Changes the head of the company’s supply chain teams started using individual collaboration
Cisco on Cisco: collaboration center. Since 95 percent of Cisco’s tools to address discrete tasks. For example,
Transformational manufacturing is outsourced, the 9000 Cisco employees used the collaborative
Changes Through
Web 2.0 employees in the supply chain organization workspace and document sharing capabilities
must work with 30,000 employees who are not of Cisco WebEx Connect to create a
employees of Cisco. With the company rapidly 100-page blueprint for lean manufacturing.
increasing its global operations and moving to a The document required the input of many
lean manufacturing business model, the group people to make it as comprehensive and
turned to new collaboration technologies to effective as possible. Employees also started
help with its massive coordination challenges. > Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: using Cisco TelePresence™ video conferencing These early successes then made Fisher’s
Lessons in technology to replace in-person meetings. team begin thinking about how to strategically
Organizational and systematically take advantage of new
In both cases, the adoption of these new
Collaboration collaboration tools to increase capacity and
kinds of collaboration tools lowered costs
help ensure quality as Cisco’s operations
by eliminating travel. They also increased
become increasingly global.
productivity by enabling people to connect
and share information much more easily. Most But her group found that simply providing
Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing importantly, Fisher says, these tools helped collaborative tools to employees was not
Collaboration in boost the quality of their efforts. With Cisco enough to reach these broader goals. Though
Cisco’s Global Supply
TelePresence video conferencing, global team employees clamored for corporate variants of
Chain
members can now meet more often “face-to- wikis, Facebook, or My Yahoo sites, these tools
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco
Creates an Executive
face.” With Cisco WebEx web conferencing, often quickly became graveyards of information.
Collaboration Process Fisher found that employees provided richer “We’ve seen this not just in the supply chain
Cisco on Cisco: contributions that were easier for all participants team, but throughout Cisco,” Fisher says.
Watch Your to see and comment on. “People were so focused on the tools they didn’t
Language—Do Not
really think about how they would use them.”
Overlook the Basics

Cisco on Cisco: So to help the supply chain move from the

Creating Collaborative investigative to the performance phase of
Behavioral Changes
collaboration, Fisher took a step back. The
Cisco on Cisco:
group held twenty-five 90-minute introductory
Transformational
Changes Through workshops, where participants got a basic
Web 2.0 education about Web 2.0 tools and then were
asked to identify high-touch areas and problem
areas where people and information intersect
> Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: (collaboration impact zones). The workshop In pilot runs of the workspace, the supply chain
Lessons in participants then detailed various what-if team has discovered that new collaboration
Organizational scenarios to see how Web 2.0 tools might be tools need comprehensive support services,
Collaboration able to address various operational challenges. from basic how-to technical information to
consultation on how best to apply and use the
tools, to coaching and best practices mentoring.
But as people become more familiar with the
Cisco on Cisco: system, distinct changes in operations are
Implementing
starting to happen, Fisher says.
Collaboration in
> Continued
Cisco’s Global Supply
Chain

Cisco on Cisco: Cisco

Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process

Cisco on Cisco:
Watch Your
Language—Do Not
Overlook the Basics
With the information gathered in these
Cisco on Cisco:
Creating Collaborative workshops, Fisher’s team then held a 2-day
Behavioral Changes workshop to plan the best strategy for using new
Cisco on Cisco: collaborative technologies to meet their needs.
Transformational What they came up with was the “Connected
Changes Through
Web 2.0 Supply Chain Workspace,” a place where all
the people involved in Cisco’s supply chain
(partners and Cisco employees) could more
effectively share pertinent information for
coordinating their activities.

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Cisco on Cisco:
Lessons in
Organizational
Collaboration

Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply
Chain

Cisco on Cisco: Cisco

Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process Cisco on Cisco: Cisco Creates an In 2006 Ron Ricci, vice president of corporate

Cisco on Cisco:
Executive Collaboration Process positioning, formed a team to observe
Watch Your Organizational structures need to reflect what works in councils and boards. The team
Language—Do Not
collaborative activities. Command-and- documented what it saw and called it
Overlook the Basics
control management does not work well with C-Change. C-Change teaches “the people
Cisco on Cisco: aspect: culture and process, and helps apply
Creating Collaborative collaboration. Cisco has spent the past 8 years
Behavioral Changes moving from a command-and-control operation the technology aspect. The principals of
dominated by competing departments to a C-Change can lead to effective collaboration
Cisco on Cisco:
Transformational widely cross-functional company that uses for any type of group,” Ricci says.
Changes Through
Web 2.0 collaborative councils, boards, and working C-Change guides Cisco employees through
groups. These senior leadership teams five steps:
facilitate executive decision making, create
• Establish a common vocabulary.
cross-functional alignment, and guide business
initiatives. • Develop collaborative processes.
> Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: • Cultivate a belief system. priorities in fiscal year 2009, compared to only 2
Lessons in priorities in fiscal year 2007. Certainly, C-Change
• Scale through participation.
Organizational has delivered significantly better decisions and
Collaboration • Measure and improve. results. For example, in 2008 Cisco was able to
C-Change also defines collaborative groups reform and refocus its small-business efforts
as cycling through a series of discrete stages: in just 6 months, quickly marshalling US$100
startup, agreement, alignment, accountability, million in resources to go after this latent market
Cisco on Cisco:
and review. By providing a more effective opportunity.
Implementing
Collaboration in approach for making decisions, coordinating Cisco now has more than 750 company leaders
Cisco’s Global Supply resources, and tracking accountability, Cisco involved in councils, boards, and related
Chain
has greatly expanded its operational capacity working groups. But Cisco’s goal is to broaden
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco and flexibility.
Creates an Executive
participation to 2500 or more employees. To
Collaboration Process scale, Ricci’s team developed online tutorial kits
Cisco on Cisco: to teach employees about the best practices
Watch Your Cisco discovered during the past 8 years.
Language—Do Not
Overlook the Basics Cisco expects C-Change to greatly increase
Cisco on Cisco: the speed at which collaborative groups form,
Creating Collaborative accomplish their goals, and disband. Teams
Behavioral Changes
scattered around the world, with different
Cisco on Cisco:
cultures and languages, are expected to
Transformational
Changes Through produce results quickly, leaving little time for
Web 2.0 communication logistics. Collaborative skills,
The company credits C-Change and its including technical, managerial, and social, are
collaborative decision-making process with all basics for the job at Cisco. C-Change is a
helping the company take on 28 business crucial aid in this effort.
> Continued

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Cisco on Cisco:
Lessons in
Organizational
Collaboration

Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply
Chain

Cisco on Cisco: Cisco Cisco on Cisco: Watch Your necessarily share the same vernacular, and they
Creates an Executive Language—Do Not Overlook the likely do not share all the same social norms.
Collaboration Process
Basics C-Change, Cisco’s executive collaboration
Cisco on Cisco:
Watch Your If you are going to collaborate effectively, process, addresses these challenges by
Language—Do Not everyone has to be speaking the same prescribing steps to establish group norms.
Overlook the Basics
language. That’s something Ron Ricci, head of These norms provide a common social
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco’s C-Change program, found out early in foundation for a collaborative group that might
Creating Collaborative
Behavioral Changes Cisco’s collaboration efforts. At an executive span the globe. Individuals in such a group
meeting a few years ago, attendees were asked do not have the usual cues for socializing
Cisco on Cisco:
Transformational to define “strategy.” One by one, MBA after MBA, their interactions. To overcome this challenge,
Changes Through each person at the table gave a different answer. organizations must fill the void by providing a
Web 2.0
New Web 2.0 collaboration tools offer better common set of collaborative group norms for
communications options for disparate teams, such things as vocabulary and behaviors. Also,
and these capabilities make the basics of seemingly simple activities, such as running
communication more important than ever. virtual meetings, need new guidance
Individuals and groups working independently to compensate for the loss of face-to-face
from other groups within an organization do not social cues. > Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: Cisco on Cisco: Creating Collaborative Setting an example can be challenging. Like
Lessons in Behavioral Changes most employees, executives are comfortable
Organizational Most experts agree that change management with their old ways and have little time to invest
Collaboration begins with leadership, and the move to a in a theoretically better tool. But also like other
collaborative enterprise is no exception. The employees, executives need to try and test new
development of that all-important critical mass collaborative tools and start using the ones that
and full buy-in throughout the organization show the most promise for their jobs.
Cisco on Cisco:
hinges on leadership. If one branch office is
Implementing
Collaboration in collaborating a theoretical 100 percent while
Cisco’s Global Supply another branch office is collaborating 10
Chain
percent, then the collaboration level between
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco the two will be no greater than 10 percent. With
Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process collaboration, the lowest common denominator
Cisco on Cisco:
of participation determines (or limits) the overall
Watch Your level of cross-functional activity.
Language—Do Not
Overlook the Basics To avoid areas within an organization where
Cisco on Cisco: collaboration levels are low, the foundation of
Creating Collaborative a collaboration framework must begin with
Behavioral Changes
corporate executives. If leaders offer only
Cisco on Cisco: words, with no real action, in support of the idea, This was the approach taken by Cisco CEO
Transformational John Chambers. In the beginning, Chambers
Changes Through the rank-and-file employees will sense this lack
Web 2.0 of priority and respond accordingly. resisted suggestions to write blogs to
communicate with the company’s workforce.
Although a variety of communications and He recognized that even for fast typists, written
messaging tactics are appropriate, perhaps blogs can take a lot of time, so the benefits-to-
the best way for leaders to demonstrate the costs of such a collaboration tool were low, since
importance of new collaboration techniques is Chambers’s time is a very valuable resource.
through example.
> Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: But then video came along. Anyone who has new communication tools, and that blogging is
Lessons in seen Chambers in action knows that public an effective way to get your message out to a
Organizational speaking is his strength. The genial Southern broad and dispersed audience.
Collaboration salesman can easily capture an audience and
But promoting collaboration should not be left
keep them listening. So video blogging became
just to executives. Blair Christie, Cisco’s senior
Chambers’s collaborative tool of choice.
vice president for corporate communications,
Now Cisco employees regularly receive video says that getting employees—or anyone—to
Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing messages from this self-proclaimed convert. change their habits is extremely difficult.
Collaboration in Rather than receiving formal messages or third-
Cisco’s Global Supply “Cisco loves technology, but ‘deploying’
hand information from other employees about
Chain technology is much easier than ‘employing’ it,”
what Chambers thinks or says, employees get
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco she says. “We have 60,000 people. That’s a lot of
Creates an Executive
to hear it directly from him. More importantly,
different behaviors to manage.”
Collaboration Process through the video blogs discussion forum,
Cisco on Cisco: Chambers can gain direct and immediate
Watch Your feedback from his employees, allowing him
Language—Do Not
to gauge the mood of the company and to
Overlook the Basics
identify possible management challenges and
Cisco on Cisco:
Creating Collaborative opportunities.
Behavioral Changes
Such collaboration is now building an even
Cisco on Cisco:
tighter bond between Cisco employees and
Transformational
Changes Through their leader, helping the global company stay
Web 2.0 in tune with their CEO’s vision and strategy.
Most importantly, thanks to Chambers’s video
Christie says her group started a collaboration
blogs, employees understand first-hand that
website in 2006 to help educate employees
Chambers has personally embraced these
about the new collaboration technologies that

> Continued

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Cisco on Cisco: were then just becoming popular. The site also Incentive programs are a manifestation of a
Lessons in allows employees to share ideas about using belief system. If it is a good behavior, then it
Organizational the tools with other employees. “The site helped should be rewarded—this approach is not hard
Collaboration the best practices bubble to the top,” Christie to understand. But the dilemma is how to reward
says. collaborative behavior. Money is not necessarily
the best incentive. Often, simply gaining
recognition in a user’s own community can be
Cisco on Cisco: enough. If an engineer becomes the expert on
Implementing
a certain topic, that gives him or her meaningful
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply public recognition.
Chain
But whatever the incentives, collaborative
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco
Creates an Executive
progress needs to be measured. In fact,
Collaboration Process another Cisco motto, “If it moves, measure
Cisco on Cisco: it,” also applies to the Cisco Collaboration
Watch Your Framework. Besides assessing the quality of the
Language—Do Not
She said her group has worked in close interactions, organizations should know some
Overlook the Basics
partnership with Cisco’s IT group to “be basic metrics, such as how frequently tools are
Cisco on Cisco:
Creating Collaborative the megaphone” for the changes that new being used and in what way. Analytics can help
Behavioral Changes collaboration tools are introducing to the an organization identify healthy and anemic
Cisco on Cisco: company. “The act of communicating these social networks. Basic statistics can show blog
Transformational changes is half the battle,” she says. visitors, the number of wiki entries, and who is
Changes Through
Web 2.0 watching the most video blogs. Any and all of
Incentive programs are also a crucial step in
these types of statistics will give organizations
cultivating the kinds of collaborative behaviors
important insights for taking the next step
that will make best use of new communications
forward.
technologies. > Continued

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Cisco on Cisco:
Lessons in
Organizational
Collaboration

Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply
Chain

Cisco on Cisco: Cisco

Creates an Executive
Collaboration Process
Cisco on Cisco: Transformational all parts of the world, especially from people
Cisco on Cisco:
Changes Through Web 2.0 outside the traditional technology and venture-
Watch Your
Language—Do Not Cisco has seen first-hand the transformative capital communities.
Overlook the Basics
capabilities of Web 2.0 technologies. By The contest prize was US$250,000 and a
Cisco on Cisco:
harnessing the power of wikis, Cisco launched chance to join Cisco as a leader of the new
Creating Collaborative
Behavioral Changes the I-Prize, a global competition to come up business venture. In the end, a team of three
Cisco on Cisco:
with a concept for the networking giant’s next people from Russia and Germany won the
Transformational US$1 billion business. (A wiki is a collection of contest for an idea about improving electrical
Changes Through webpages designed to enable anyone with
Web 2.0
systems with networking technology. Cisco says
access to easily contribute or modify content, it will commit as much as US$10 million over the
such as on Wikipedia). next 3 years to fund the effort.
More than 2000 people from 104 countries While innovation contests are not new and some
contributed ideas to the Cisco I-Prize. As was companies have offered more prize money,
the intention, the contest attracted interest from > Continued

Creating a Collaborative Enterprise | © 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Foreword Contents Executive Overview Introduction Cisco Collaboration Cisco on Cisco
Framework

< 57 >

Cisco on Cisco: industry observers say no corporation has ever BrightIdea, an innovation management
Lessons in run a contest to start a major new business company, hosted the I-Prize site and used
Organizational operation. its WebStorm online brainstorming and
Collaboration collaboration software for organizing idea
Most previous corporate innovation
submissions and collaboration among
competitions have focused on products for
participants.
solving a specific problem. Cisco’s I-Prize
was wide open: Would this idea make a good Matthew Greeley, chief executive of the
Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing business for Cisco? Does it allow Cisco to use company, says the Internet and Web 2.0
Collaboration in its expertise in networking technology to full technologies have revolutionized the ability of
Cisco’s Global Supply
advantage? companies to collect ideas, helping boost what
Chain
he calls the “signal-to-noise” ratio for large-scale
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco The I-Prize was inspired in part by Cisco’s
Creates an Executive
brainstorming. “With these new networking
internal innovation wiki, the I-Zone. Any of
Collaboration Process tools, you can get more ideas faster from more
Cisco’s 60,000 employees can post business
Cisco on Cisco: areas with far less work and resources,” he says.
ideas, work collaboratively with other Cisco
Watch Your “And the more ideas you have, the more good
Language—Do Not employees to develop an idea, and, if lucky, be
ideas you have.”
Overlook the Basics a part of launching a new business. I-Zone was
Cisco on Cisco: working so well that Cisco wanted to open the His company, now 8 years old, started helping
Creating Collaborative concept to the public. companies generate ideas long before the
Behavioral Changes
days of Web 2.0. He laughs when recalling
Cisco on Cisco: The I-Zone is one of the new tools in Cisco’s
the overwhelming amount of labor involved in
Transformational Emerging Technologies group. Cisco formed the
Changes Through manually sorting through proposals by using
group in 2006 as an internal venturing operation
Web 2.0 sticky notes and highlighters.
dedicated to hatching all-new billion-dollar
businesses from within the company. The group But now the Internet and social networking
has already made its mark as the birthplace have eliminated those kinds of barriers. These
of the company’s extremely successful Cisco new tools dramatically improve or even replace
TelePresence video meeting system. intensive person-to-person meetings with
> Continued

Creating a Collaborative Enterprise | © 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. | This document is Cisco Confidential Information. For Internal use only. Not for distribution.
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Foreword Contents Executive Overview Introduction Cisco Collaboration Cisco on Cisco
Framework

< 58 >

Cisco on Cisco: university researchers, venture capitalists,

Lessons in individual inventors, and startups, Greeley says.
Organizational He says most of BrightIdea’s Fortune 1000
Collaboration customers use his company’s software for
managing internal innovation processes, and
about 35 percent of his customers tie incentives
to their idea collection programs.
Cisco on Cisco:
Implementing But the simple lesson for Cisco is that Web
Collaboration in
Cisco’s Global Supply 2.0 tools can indeed help the company do
Chain things it never did before. Now, more than ever,
Cisco on Cisco: Cisco companies do not know where the next idea will
Creates an Executive come from. Certainly, Cisco realizes that Silicon
Collaboration Process
Valley can no longer claim to have a monopoly
Cisco on Cisco: on technology innovation. But the I-Prize is
Watch Your
Language—Do Not giving Cisco the ability to find those new ideas,
Overlook the Basics no matter where they might be
Cisco on Cisco:
Creating Collaborative
Behavioral Changes

Cisco on Cisco:
Transformational
Changes Through
Web 2.0

Creating a Collaborative Enterprise | © 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. | This document is Cisco Confidential Information. For Internal use only. Not for distribution. C11-533734-00 05/09