Why Wikis?

In the early nineties, after receiving a management degree, I worked at Procter & Gamble in brand management. P&G's vastness was unfamiliar: Before management school I had coordinated a very small nonprofit creating campaigns for activists to come together and influence government policy.

At P&G (the Shelton, Connecticut P&G, formerly Richardson Vicks), I was able to get things done by walking around and talking to people, pulling together conference calls, writing the classic P&G memo (e.g. top left corner: Mr. P. L. Wilson via Mr. H.J. Kangis Subject: ______) but, as a junior person, I had a very proscribed sphere of influence—three levels straight up vertically, and laterally to my brand team.

Having previously worked in under-resourced environments, I was wide-eyed at P&G’s resources, yet so much of what was available was underutilized.

Much of the under utilization could be attributable to the fact that there was no conceivable way—back in 1991—of many thousands of P&Gers exchanging information in a way that each of our brains might be able to process it. Nor was there a way to coordinate the work of all of us, or find that person, or piece of information, that could unlock whatever problem we sat trying to solve in our cubicle or with our brand colleagues. (Photo by Stewf)

For others, I suppose, who had not previously worked in small organizations, a large lumbering hierarchy with prescribed information flows may have seemed normal. For me, it provoked a question: How can you get the largest number of the right people the right information so together they can make the best decisions and accomplish the task of the organization most effectively?

I suppose the punch line is clear: three or four years ago when I read about wikis being used inside organizations, I was hooked.

Since then, I have been reading about wikis, exploring wiki platforms, talking to people who have implemented wikis, helping others implement wikis, and educating people about wiki use in organizations.

I’m fascinated with the idea of bringing lots of people and ideas together. I love the idea of helping create more collaborative organizations that are also efficient.

I’ve started this blog to share information and thoughts. I’m hoping that I can make it of interest to people who are new to collaborative software and also to those who work with it daily. My interests/proclivities swing from detailed and pragmatic to idealistic and theoretical. I hope what I write will be useful for others.