Enterprise 2.0 adoption in Italian companies : analysis of the maturity level

Enterprise 2.0 is the concept and approach using technologies and business practices that provide the workforce access to collective, open and adaptive resources and solutions. Harvard professor Andrew McAfee coined the phrase Enterprise 2.0, defining it: “ the use of emergent social software platforms within companies or between companies and their partner or customers ”. This study starts with trying to understand the evolution in ICT and how it progressed towards Enterprise 2.0 touching topics of Web 2.0 and the virtual workspace. All the uses of digital technology that exist to help individuals, businesses and organisations use information are termed as ICT, more specifically ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. Literature Review The term Enterprise 2.0 derives from Web 2.0 and is often used to indicate the introduction and implementation of social software inside a company and the social and organisational changes associated with it. The term was coined by Andrew McAfee, a Professor at Harvard Business School, to refer to simple, free platforms for self expression (McAfee`s blog, 24 March 2006). He soon followed up with a refined definition, Enterprise 2.0 is the use of emergent social software platforms within companies or between companies and their partners or customers (McAfee's blog, 27 May 2006). Main difficulties in E2.0 implementation are not from the technical side but from a knowledge lack of opportunities, a difficulty in economic benefit identification and valuation, together with the need of organizational change. In other terms, the barriers are not technological but cultural ones: most of the companies manage the implementation project in a purely technical perspective without systematically facing the organizational and the change management aspects. From the cases studied three E2.0 models (Enterprise 2.0 Observatory, 2008) are identified as emerging in the companies Social Enterprise (SE), aims to create new collaboration, knowledge sharing and relation management models (24% of the cases). Open Enterprise (OE), tends to a great extension and opening of the Virtual Workspace boundaries in terms of access methods and external players (14% of the cases). Adaptive Enterprise (AE), focuses on flexibility and reconfigurability in corporate process management. The analysis points the application areas (Enterprise 2.0 Observatory, 2009), Social Network & Community (SN&C), Unified Communication & Collaboration (UC&C), Enterprise Content Management (ECM) which are specific to the E2.0 models. The Open Enterprise model stresses the dimensions of Global mobility, Open belonging, Social networking and Knowledge networks, while the remaining two dimensions are stressed to a lesser extent. Methodology To realize the concept of Enterprise 2.0, which is quite popular with companies and if the companies have followed through and translated the concept to its actual usage. To analyze the current initiatives and its impacts on the organization, an online survey was administered to a panel of CIOs of major Italian medium-large sized organizations. Their vision and opinions have enabled a view to the opportunities arising from Enterprise 2.0, the implications of the evolution of the information systems, the governance and management of organizational change. Results The results from the study explains the use of Enterprise 2.0 technology in organizations today, their investments and future plans. The insight gathered from the study helps gain an understanding of the technological trend taking place. The Maturity Levels The maturity levels have been created with the intention of aiding the better understanding the position/ success of Enterprise 2.0, its adoption and use today. We infer that most companies are yet to develope their Enterprise 2.0 technology and reach the level the top companies are at. Companies have been assessed based on the primary fields of Unified Communication and Collaboration, Enterprise Content Management and Social Network & Community. On investigation of the planned investments, the importance and demand of tools have been identified on the basis of primary sets of tools such as Unified Communication, Live Collaboration, Rating & Folksonomy, Forum, Blog & Microblogging, Podcasting & Video sharing, Project Centric Collaboration and Wiki. The ability of each tool to generate competitive differential can be better understood by crossing the beneficial impact with the spread and maturity of use, this makes it possible to cluster the groups of tools as 'Must haves', 'Differentiating', 'Question mark' and 'Marginal'. Case Studies Study on IBM's implemetation and use of Enterprise 2.0 solutions indicate its high level of maturity in Enterprise Content Management and Communication tools. AT&T indicates its emerging need of Unified Communication and Collaboration tools and the study shows the benefits of its application. Finally, Boston College impliments and encourages Social Network & Community tools with results benefiting students and the organization.