One of the more interesting parts of the analyst gig is that clients have the opportunity to ask pretty much any question they like through the inquiry process. Sometimes the results in aggregate are pretty fascinating, but by and large I find myself answering the same general questions over and over again.

This was not the case a few weeks ago when I took what I expected to be a typical inquiry asking about how to kick-start an Enterprise 2.0 initiative. Instead of run-of-the-mill questions about staffing, content management, governance, and employee participation the client asked a very pointed question: how do we keep employees from unionizing with our Enterprise 2.0 platform.

All things considered I’m surprised I don’t get this question more often. The popular perception is that Enterprise 2.0 software is about revolution, and flinging open the gates to creative chaos. Possible, but not necessary. And for many companies, unproductive. So what should you do to make sure that the conversation in your Enterprise 2.0 system is to your liking? Here are few simple steps:

1. Do not allow anonymous posting: The simplest way to ensure the conversation is on-topic and constructive is to associate each and every artifact with an individual. If an employee knows their boss, CEO, etc. may see the comments they will be a lot more careful about what they say. This is, however, a double edged sword; in many cases employees will resist saying anything at all for just the same reason.
2. Publish your rules of the road: If you expect employees to comport themselves in one way or another you have to make sure they know what is expected. You should already have rules developed so make sure they are in an obvious place on the site and remind people from time to time of what you expect.
3. Use the keyword flagging features aggressively: Since most Enterprise 2.0 platforms were developed out of customer facing community software they generally have robust keyword flagging and moderation features built right in. If you are based in Chicago you may decide to flag “Bears” and “Packers” to discourage discussion of the NFL. But be careful, posts that contain these keywords should be moderated, not outright banned, especially if you sell bear skin rugs, or work for a meat packing firm.
4. Work with your HR, Legal, and Labor Relations departments at the very onset: Be sure to have a plan in place to deal with inappropriate content and behavior before you get rolling — your existing communications policy will likely suffice. The last thing you want is to put the company in legal jeopardy by reacting too vigorously to an incident. Plus you’ll want to have any legal or union “peculiarities” in mind before you start sourcing technology.

Now, I should say that I wholeheartedly believe that an oversight strategy that treats employees like adults and takes an open stance to employee communications is the better approach. But many firms still restrict access to websites like ESPN, Hotmail, YouTube, and Facebook and for those firms the above steps should get you well on the way to an Enterprise 2.0 strategy that allows for more dynamic employee collaboration and productivity without flinging the gates wide open.

Note: The above picture comes from the “battle of the overpass,” one of the most infamous union clashes of Henry Ford’s rocky relationship with the UAW in my hometown of Detroit. It should in no way imply the inquiry came from Ford. For a fascinating look at the circumstances of the photos themselves check out the Iconic Photos blog.

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