In these difficult economic times, companies are continuing to look for ways to reduce costs and keep the workforce engaged in spite of layoffs all around us.  Leveraging Web 2.0 technologies is clearly one solution that addresses both of these issues.  McKinsey has just published a great article on “Six Ways to Make Web 2.0. Work” (February 2009) (sorry, premium membership required).  I’ll summarize them here, because I think these are vital activities for anyone partaking on any type of new initiative — not only Web 2.0 initiatives:

1. “The transformation to a bottom-up culture needs help from the top.”  Every initiative needs executive support.  Executives need to walk the talk… not just talk the walk…  Executives must model the behavior they want to see — in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, they must “be the change they wish to see in the world.”

2. “The best uses come from users—but they require help to scale.”  People are eternally creative.  They will find new uses for the technology or process being implemented that will exceed the ideas and plans of even the best management and/or deployment teams.  Seek out these uses and reward and support continual innovation. 

3. “What’s in the workflow is what gets used.”  Any new effort needs to be integrated into the day-to-day activities of the users.  Anything that is perceived as “extra” work on top of an already over-full plate will be rejected and ignored.  The new effort must become an integral component in getting a normal day’s work done effectively.

4. “Appeal to the participants’ egos and needs—not just their wallets.“  Setting performance metrics based on contribution may not always be the most effective way to incent behavior.  Creative individuals will find ways to “game the system” and quality will suffer at the expense of quantity.  Public recognition can be a strong and less expensive incentive.

5. “The right solution comes from the right participants.”  It is vital to identify the stakeholders involved in the effort and to support the “players” and “change agents” and to mitigate the influences of the “cynics” and “detractors”. Gaining involvement and buy-in from decision-makers and influencers is critical to the success of any initiative.

6. “Balance the top-down and self-management of risk.”  Fear of the unknown and concerns over compliance and exposure must be balanced with the effectiveness being sought through the new initiative.  Having HR, IT, Finance, and Legal all a part of the project ensures that all sides are properly represented in making the right decision.