{"id":19751,"date":"2015-07-27T17:06:48","date_gmt":"2015-07-27T17:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterprisestrategies.com\/?p=19751"},"modified":"2015-08-11T14:03:45","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T14:03:45","slug":"teeing-off-the-front-nine-of-internal-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterprisestrategies.com\/2015\/07\/27\/teeing-off-the-front-nine-of-internal-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Teeing Off: The Front Nine of Internal Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

The Course of Corporate Internal Communication<\/b><\/h1>\n

Picture a large corporation. \u00a0A corporation doesn\u2019t like the game of golf. \u00a0Sure- their associates, executives, and clients probably golf, but the corporation itself prefers their activity– the pursuit of progress and success– to move at the same pace I like my sports: momentum at a swift, more stimulating rate. \u00a0Stepping onto the course of communication and cultural change, the corporation only sees laborious effort that they simply don\u2019t have time for. \u00a0Shifts in the way business units connect with one another take time, training, and tedious hours of attention to reforming communication habits. \u00a0Mocked by overly saturated email chains, misplacement of documents, and the endless mystery of what information matters, the corporation inevitably spends hours upon hours traversing across 18,000 holes of miscommunication misery.<\/p>\n

Topgolf: Teeing Off<\/b><\/h2>\n

Last month I attended an intranet conference hosted by Igloo Software where our company\u2019s founder, Andy Jankowski, was the keynote speaker<\/a>. \u00a0Listening to the triumphs and trials of the other attendees, I was struck by the diversity of associate\u00a0positions who desired one thing: prosperous internal communications within each company. \u00a0One of the best stories was the inspiration for this post: Topgolf\u2019s quest for a successful intranet and the process of acquiring executive buy-in.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t golf- but if I did I would Topgolf.<\/a> \u00a0Imagine a wonderland of ultramodern technology, delectable cuisine, and boundless entertainment. \u00a0Imagine accessing this recreational paradise 365 days a year, never worrying about trivial things such as the weather. \u00a0Imagine a clubhouse where waiters bring sumptuous drinks, luxurious bars and entertainment centers engage your closest friends, and oh yeah, also consider the fact that this<\/i> clubhouse is on the edge of a state-of-the-art virtual golf course.<\/p>\n

So with a virtual field that dismisses the arduous task of walking in the hot sun, \u00a0different challenges make Topgolf\u2019s journey unique. \u00a0Instead of an average 18-hole course, Topgolf<\/a> has struggled through round after round of executive buy-in in order to make their intranet a functional company asset.<\/p>\n

Communication: Starting Off With a Shank<\/b><\/h2>\n

Topgolf first implemented an intranet called \u201cTophub\u201d to connect associates and to create a central location for document sharing throughout the entire company. \u00a0Unlike many corporations in which HR is responsible for the implementation of a functional intranet, the Topgolf IT department was the driving force. \u00a0Working with IT, the Chief Information Officer decided to spearhead a new project in creating equal and efficient communication for all. \u00a0The first goal was to simply find a central spot for all communications that was: easy to use; involved minimal training; had the look and feel of social intranet; and provided mobile integration for constant updates from CEO, news feeds, and social content. \u00a0Yet after adoption of \u201cTophub\u201d, communication within the organization was still fragmented. \u00a0No sunburns or dehydration afflicted the corporation, yet it was a struggle to move through the first half of the course.<\/p>\n

The Trials of Tophub: Stuck in the Sand Trap<\/b><\/h2>\n

1.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0The launch lacked executive support<\/a> or activity. \u00a0A junior-level communications associate with the availability facilitated Tophub\u2019s promotion and commencement.<\/p>\n

2.<\/span> <\/strong>\u00a0Instead of posting information on Tophub and actively investing in the intranet, inboxes were still crowded with associate emails.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0File organization was fragmented. \u00a0Documents were uploaded in different places and rather than searching to see if a file existed, duplicates were mindlessly created.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0While some departments invested time into shifting communication habits, others did not use the intranet at all. \u00a0This only solidified the silos<\/a>\u00a0that separated areas of the company.<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Communications didn\u2019t just struggle for the corporate roles, but also between shift workers at the golfing facilities. \u00a0Both part time and full time needed the same information to do their job well, but information was kept within its own faction.<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Approximately 5,000 workers at the Topgolf sites also lacked access to desktops or had company email addresses. \u00a0This led to disorganization and miscommunication, as many associates\u00a0attempted to use Facebook Messenger to piecemeal their tattered internal communication.<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0With a task force of workers with varying schedules, the associates\u00a0directory made an already difficult communication situation more muddled. \u00a0The directory was haphazardly updated and widely considered useless.<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Best practices for intranet adoption<\/a> were not being utilized to promote company-knowledge. \u00a0With new locations under construction, Topgolf was growing at such a rapid speed that it was a necessity for united information to be distributed to all members of the company.<\/p>\n

9.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Topgolf was growing frustrated. \u00a0Swings at a solution weren\u2019t practiced or patient. \u00a0The lack of support from upper level corporate in both fostering and modeling a solution was trickling down to a deluge of company-wide disorganization.<\/p>\n

The front nine was looking bleak. \u00a0No one was cheering or even faking it. \u00a0Executives were walking off of a green they had hardly played. \u00a0Associates and associates\u00a0were hitting balls blindly into a digital abyss. \u00a0The systems were there, yet communication was far from par.<\/p>\n

The reality of the situation is common: many organizations implementing an intranet undergo the exact same experience. \u00a0So how did Topgolf reframe their intranet bogey into a hole in one? \u00a0Keep following for Topgolf’s miraculous recovery: Driving Down the Fairway: The Back Nine of Internal Communication.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  The Course of Corporate Internal Communication Picture a large corporation. \u00a0A corporation doesn\u2019t like the game of golf. \u00a0Sure- their associates, executives, and clients probably golf, but the corporation itself prefers their activity– the pursuit of progress and success– to move at the same…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[347,346,56,352,95],"tags":[389,405,391,390,388,375,376,380,370,387,392],"class_list":["post-19751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collaboration","category-communication","category-enterprise-collaboration","category-enterprise-social-networks","category-internal-communication-blog","tag-business-communication","tag-collaboration","tag-corporate-communication","tag-corporate-email","tag-enterprise-collaboration","tag-executive-support","tag-executive-support-of-an-internal-social-network","tag-internal-communication","tag-intranets","tag-top-golf","tag-topgolf"],"yoast_head":"\nTeeing Off: The Front Nine of Internal Communication - Enterprise Strategies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The journey of using an enterprise social network within corporations to improve internal communication can be can be over par. 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