How an intranet platform supports team management
Over the past few years, the intranet has evolved from a less appealing internal communication platform into a space for meetings, knowledge exchange, and relationship building. Next-generation intranets, such as Workai, no longer serve merely as channels for delivering top-down information to employees; rather, their features effectively support team management and foster employee engagement.
Next-generation intranet – more than internal communication
The development of digital business tools dates back to the 90s, with a significant breakthrough occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations realized the limitations of internal networks and platforms hastily implemented technological solutions, revealing a new problem – the overload of applications and information chaos. It became evident that digital workplaces required more comprehensive solutions, leading to the emergence of modern intranet platforms.
What is a modern intranet platform?
Modern intranet platforms are tools that combine traditional intranets, internal social media, databases, and applications for teamwork and productivity management. These elements effectively support the execution of daily tasks, build employee engagement, and shape their digital experiences (Digital Employee Experience – DEX). They are not mere additions to daily work but integral parts of the digital workplace, shaping organizational culture.
How an intranet platform supports team management
Traditional approaches to collaboration and team management, involving document exchange, face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and email communication, no longer suffice for many contemporary organizations. It’s not just about the pace at which the average employee operates; it’s also about preferences and expectations regarding work and communication methods. Reading emails, sending files, laboriously analyzing results, or scheduling meetings can be time-consuming and ineffective. This is where the intranet platform comes in, transforming team management on various fronts.
Communication and information
Intranet platforms were initially designed to convey crucial company events to employees. This “bulletin board” now appears in next-generation intranets in a more attractive and engaging form. Employees have access to the latest news from management and other departments in the form of posts, graphics, photos, videos, and even memes, quickly and easily generated on the platform. The strength of modern platforms, like Workai, lies in the two-way nature of communication – employees can comment on and react to messages and contribute their content.
Intranet platforms also serve as real-time communication tools, enabling instant information exchange. Internal chats and messengers facilitate rapid communication among team members, allowing them to solve problems, ask questions, and provide answers almost instantly, thereby enhancing work efficiency.
Continuous Access to Knowledge and Information
A few years ago McKinsey, reported that employees spent approximately 20% of their time searching for information within a company. Intranet platforms allow the centralization of all data sources in one place, providing employees with quick and easy access. Documents, communications, procedures, announcements, and resources are stored in one location, with the speed and certainty of searching guaranteed by:
- The built-in Workai search engine is supported by AI.
- Content personalization – employees and their supervisors can subscribe to specific information categories, reducing information noise and allowing them to receive only relevant messages.
- The ability to share and distribute documents, files, presentations, or reports, reducing reliance on email and facilitating collaboration on shared projects.
Team collaboration
Modern intranet platforms enable the creation of a digital workplace for teams and project groups, whether working remotely or on-site. This shared workspace makes it much easier to manage tasks and resources through the ability to:
- Create schedules
- Track project progress
- Assign roles in the project
- Control the budget
- Continuously exchange knowledge and information, submit ideas, proposals, and updates
Security and data availability
Intranet platforms are designed to provide the highest level of security for sensitive business information. This is ensured through data encryption, authorization and authentication systems, and precise control over access to different levels of information. Team managers can grant access to specific documents, projects, or intranet sections, ensuring that the right information reaches only designated recipients. Additionally, most modern intranet solutions include an activity monitoring feature, allowing the tracking of user actions and quick detection of any security breaches or suspicious activities.
In summary, by improving communication efficiency, fostering collaboration, and providing the ability to track work progress, intranet platforms have become allies for leaders in team management and productivity enhancement. By creating communities within the company, they contribute to increasing employee engagement. As technology advances and organizational needs evolve, their role is expected to grow.