In preparing for the survey this year, I asked the members of NetJMC&Co on Linkedin the question "Who owns the intranet in your organization (which function or department)?"
The answers varied. They usually - but not always - included Communication and/or IT.
However, what I found most interesting was the way people answered the question. It is clear that there are different "mental models" around the concept of ownership. I say "mental models" because I am attaching a lot of importance to how the responses were phrased, the words that were used.
Here are the "mental models" I identified:
1. Single-owner - usually Communication or IT, but sometimes HR or Marketing. No reference to stakeholders in these responses.
2. Co-owned - almost always Communication and IT. Ditto re stakeholders: no mention of them.
3. Triangle - 2 owners with one major stakeholder (e.g. Communication, IT, with HR as "the major stakeholder"). The reference to "a major stakeholder" suggests to me that this stakeholder is as important as the owners, in the minds of the intranet teams
4. Single or co-owned, but strong importance given to multiple stakeholders (the businesses, for example). This feels quite different from the previous response because there's a sense of "we the team are working for many other managers".
5. Informal committee, informal joint ownership - agreement-based, consensus-driven, no strong sense of ownership or territory
I've worked with a lot of organizations over the years, and can practically picture some of my clients for each of the models above. In my experience, each "mental model" implies very different ways of working and therefore results. Some examples coming from my own professional experience:
- Model 1 is more and more rare. It tends to be found in organizations with intranets that are still in Stage 1. This is because the intranet is still perceived to "belong" to a single department.
- Model 2 suggests a spirit of partnership. Communication and IT are beginning to realize they need each other.
- Model 3 is one I've found in organizations where business and local entities play little or no role in the intranet. This model tends to exist in intranets driven primarily from headquarters, and the power balance between Communication, IT and HR lies behind the triangle model.
- Model 4 tends to bring fast-moving results because there is a strong sense of delivering to internal customers, who in turn put pressure on the intranet team and compete for attention and resources.
- Model 5 in a large organisation results in slow progress, sometimes actually coming to standstills on major decisions.
My quick analysis of the 5 models is not based on research, but on what I've seen and experienced over the years. I'd like to know what you think.
Do you agree that there are different "mental models"? Do you agree with my "interpretations"?
Do you fit into one of these "mental models"? If not, how do you perceive the ownership of the intranet in your organization?
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