The Yammer Blog

Difference Affords Opportunity

This is a guest blog post by David Thompson, Senior Principal Systems Engineer within the Chemistry Systems and High Performance Computing group at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In this role, David develops and applies novel computational tools to scientific problems. David is a passionate advocate for diversity in all things, a social media evangelist, and is interested in pretty much everything. Follow David on Twitter.

Ask anyone, in any field, and I am sure they would agree with the statement that “difference and opportunity go hand in hand”. In the pharmaceutical industry, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BI) is a great illustration of this. In 2010, BI celebrates its 125th birthday. It remains a privately held company with more than 41 thousand employees, in over 40 countries, all working together to improve the lives of the patient populations they serve.

Value through innovation

As a research-driven organization, innovation is BI’s lifeblood. It is the purview of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (ODI&E) to ensure that everyone appreciates the importance of all aspects of BI employees, thus directly contributing to an inclusive, open, and innovative environment.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an integral part of the ODI&E. These grassroots initiatives represent the diversity of BI employees, and aim to enrich both the workplace and marketplace within which BI operates. I am proud to be a co-chair of our most recently formed ERG, NxGen, a group aimed at leveraging similarities and differences between and within the four generations of BI employees. Generations are defined by their shared sense of values; they communicate differently, have different expectations from their work lives, and they are motivated by different things. An organizational awareness across this dimension is of crucial importance.

Innovation through diversity

As a result of a US initiative BI has a vibrant Yammer network with over 2000 members, and more than 100 groups. Representation in the network is as broad with respect to function, as it is deep in terms of hierarchy. During a recent presentation at the Network and Affinity Leadership Congress I described how NxGen had leveraged BI’s use of Yammer to promote and expand our group, and to engage our constituents. Many NxGen members are familiar with Social Media, and were quick to realize its benefits through Yammer:

• NxGen was the first ERG to create a group on Yammer, and it is currently the fourth largest group in our network
• We ‘own’ our space through hashtags, becoming subject matter experts through our contributions
• Openness and transparency

NxGen has used Yammer to align itself with BI’s strategic needs, organizing internal workshops around networking and mentoring and, most recently, innovation and innovation measurement. This latter event was organized in response to an offhand comment made on Yammer, and brought together thought leaders and the heads of our innovation groups for a robust and passionate discussion.

Enterprise social media tools facilitate discussion across time zones, functional lines, and up and down the ranks of an organization. As a passionate advocate of diversity in all things, what more could you ask for?

Deloitte Uses Yammer to Drive Innovation

In its May 2010 Social Media report, Deloitte identifies Yammer as a crucial tool for driving innovation within the company (see page 5 below). We're very excited about the results that Deloitte has derived from Yammer!

Here is an excerpt from the report about one of Deloitte's explosive Yammer networks. "The DTT global network today is recognised as having one of the world's largest Yammer networks with more than 14,000 members globally." Check out page 5 in the report below for more on Deloitte's use of Yammer.

Yammer Introduces Microsoft® SharePoint® 2007 Integration

We’re pleased to introduce Yammer’s Microsoft® SharePoint® 2007 integration. Now, with the Yammer SharePoint Web Part, you can access your Yammer feed directly inside SharePoint, eliminating the need to toggle between SharePoint and Yammer. This seamless integration brings your Yammer conversations into your existing workflow. You’ll be able to collaborate on a document in SharePoint and then instantly share it with your colleagues on Yammer without having to leave SharePoint.  The full list of features includes:

• Put a Yammer feed on virtually any SharePoint page.
• View and switch between Yammer feeds directly inside SharePoint.
• Post messages, links and files to Yammer directly from SharePoint.
• Works with Yammer Communities - your employees can securely communicate with external parties from inside SharePoint.
• Access profile information for Yammer members within SharePoint.
• Administrators control where Yammer feeds appear using SharePoint’s built-in Web Part controls and templates.
• Configure a Yammer feed to appear as read-only, and optionally make it visible to your SharePoint users without them needing a Yammer account.
• Search integration - Yammer messages appear alongside SharePoint search results.*
• Document list integration - post files to Yammer directly from SharePoint document lists.

* Search integration requires MOSS with Microsoft's Federated Search update.

To access the Microsoft® SharePoint® 2007 Web Part, please click here.

System Requirements:

• Windows SharePoint Server 2007 (WSS)* or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS). 

• Internet Explorer (the officially supported browser for accessing SharePoint 2007).
• You must have administrative access to your SharePoint Server to install this software.

Yammer integration with Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 is currently being developed and will be available this summer.

Have questions about the Yammer Microsoft® SharePoint® integration? Please view our help resources here.

Try Yammer; Maybe You'll Learn Something

This is a guest blog post written by Mike Petersell, Management Center for Learning & Performance Director at Pitney Bowes. His team is focused on management development for the Mailing Solutions business unit. Follow Mike on Twitter or check out his personal blog.

Without question, Yammer is a great tool for social networking. Since we’ve adopted it in Pitney Bowes, we’ve seen steady, organic growth in the number of users from all parts of the organization and a proliferation of communities built around areas of common interest. But my view of Yammer is a little different. As someone who is accountable for management development, I’m interested in its power as an engine for learning. You may find it surprising to think of Yammer as a learning tool but that’s how I see it. I scroll through a user’s activity stream like a miner, seeing discussion threads as veins of knowledge sharing, attachments as resource nuggets, and links as gems of information; all with the potential to help people meet their individual development needs.

Most of my career has been devoted to helping people meet their learning needs by meticulously analyzing those needs and addressing them through rigorous instructional design. And yet, with all the formal learning I have designed and delivered over the years, I recognize that what makes people most successful is not what they learn from the content of the programs we provide, but what they learn from one another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of the work that I have done and the significant impact it has had in helping people learn and grow at work. But I realize a lot of the value created in the classroom comes from the informal elements of the learning experience such as the dynamic of the group, the experiences each member brings to the table, and the tools and resources they share with one another. That is why, to me, Yammer is a learning goldmine. It enables those special connections we had created by bringing people together in the classroom to happen all the time. 

Learning guru, Jay Cross, defines informal learning as, “that which enables you to participate successfully in life, at work, and in the groups that matter to you.”  It is the “unofficial, unscheduled, impromptu way people learn to do their jobs.”  Isn’t that what Yammer provides?  Isn’t it really a mechanism for unofficial, unscheduled, impromptu learning opportunities?  That is what I see when I delve into my Yammer feed. And that is what I hope others in my company will see in their feeds as well.

To this end, my team plays an active role in our Yammer community. We create and join groups and use hashtags to post items on topics that are important to our learners such as #managing, #leadership, #remote-management, #change, and #engagement. We encourage everyone to do the same.  By sharing messages, links and attachments, we hope our employees find value when they go fishing in their activity streams. We recognize that they each choose when and where to cast their line. But we figure, why not seed the waters?

Making the Case for Enterprise Microblogging

This is a guest post written by Diane Gaines.  Diane works in Internal Marketing & Communications at Mentor Graphics, fostering employee adoption of IT products and services. Follow Diane on Twitter. 

With 4,500 employees spanning more than 70 countries, the term “globally dispersed” is an understatement in our organization. Work groups are separated by time zones, product groups are divided by focus and international employees can be isolated by language. We share work with one another through a host of collaboration tools, but rarely could we put a face to an email address. 

Yammer provides something our employees clearly needed: a personal connection to their colleagues and our business. Yammer’s adoption may have been viral and unexpected, but the reasons for its success are also clear:

(Almost) everybody is there. Nearly half our employee population is signed up with Yammer. Nowhere else within our business can you find engineers, administrative assistants, product marketing managers, IT help desk analysts and remote workers all in the same place. It just doesn’t exist in our culture—we work, eat and socialize within our own micro networks, almost always based on job function. Yammer is introducing many of us to one another for the first time, creating a human network that defies geographic boundaries and cultural differences. 

We have executive support. Two key executives in our organization, one being our CIO, really championed Yammer early on. They were super users before most employees had even heard of the service. They spoke conversationally about the business and shared links to technology news they found personally interesting. Employees who would otherwise never get the chance to speak to these executives replied to their posts, shared their own thoughts and received engaging responses back. There is as much value in executive support for Yammer as there is in Yammer breaking down hierarchical barriers.

It connects our existing collaboration tools. SharePoint provides document management and workflow, Google Docs provides document sharing and collaboration, our Intranet provides access to employee and company data, and so on. All of our collaboration tools are valuable, but the most common gripe I hear from employees is, “How do I know where to find anything?” Yammer provides a central location for redirecting employees to information found in other places. We’re also looking to integrate Yammer posts into our search functionality—furthering this “revolving door” experience for employees.

We don’t micromanage it. Social networking can be a tricky thing for businesses. There is a natural tendency to limit participation in the name of protecting intellectual property and keeping employees from becoming unproductive. Both are valid concerns—but our philosophy is that Yammer provides more value through connecting each other than can be found in “policing” the service. By trusting our employees, we create a comfortable place for them to engage and express themselves. After all, the guy creating the photography group will likely be the one answering a job-related technical question later.

Making the case for enterprise microblogging can be a challenging, new experience for businesses and employees. But the rewards of thought leadership, relationship building and global connectivity are proving to be full worth the effort. 

Yammer Wins "Hottest Companies in San Francisco" Award

Yammer is recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the Bay Area in Lead411's "Hottest Companies in San Francisco" awards.

Read the full story here.

       

      

Add Voice to Yammer with Skype

Imagine that you’ve got a big presentation due, and you’ve shared the deck with your colleagues on Yammer.  A vibrant discussion unfolds on Yammer, and you’re getting just the feedback you had hoped for.  You begin making edits when you realize you’re not entirely sure what your boss meant by one of her yams.  Which box in the diagram are you supposed to color yellow?  You need to have a quick talk with her to clarify.  As luck would have it, your boss is working remotely today, so you don’t have the luxury of walking over to her desk.  The deadline is tomorrow, and your boss won’t be back in the office until next week.  You’ve misplaced her cell phone number.  You start getting anxious – the palms of your hands beginning to feel clammy.  But then you see it.  On her Yammer profile, you notice the “Call Me!” button with the Skype phone icon.  You decide to go for it, clicking the button with conviction.  Instantly, Skype launches.  Good news, it’s ringing!  And then you hear it – your boss greets you, “Hello?”  Music to your ears.  Saved by Yammer’s integration with Skype.

That’s correct!  Yammer is now integrated with Skype.  With the click of the mouse, you can launch a Skype voice or video call.  Skype also offers screen-sharing, making it easy for your boss to show you just the box in the diagram she was referring to.  At Yammer, we understand that sometimes you just need to have a spoken conversation.  That’s why we’ve introduced Skype integration.

Setting up Skype integration is simple.  Just go to Profile > Edit Profile and add your Skype username in the appropriate field.  After you’ve saved your changes, anyone viewing your profile will see the “Call Me!” button and can instantly connect to you via Skype as long as they also have Skype installed.  Add your Skype name today! 

Yammer Selected as Finalist for MIT Sloan Innovation Showcase

Yammer has been selected as a finalist for the 1^st annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium – Innovation Showcase. The Innovation Showcase highlights ten outstanding early-stage companies that provide cutting-edge technology and offer new levels of value and advancement to Enterprise IT.

“MIT is all about innovation and leadership, and we developed the Innovation Showcase to highlight companies that embody these traits, Yammer is one of these such companies,” said David L. Verrill, Executive Director of the MIT Center for Digital Business, and the Co-chair of the Innovation Showcase. “The Symposium provides these early-stage companies with a platform to demonstrate their new thinking and approaches to vital challenges facing CIOs in today’s changing economy.”

See the official Press Release here.

Mining the #Value of Microsharing

This is a guest blog post written by Steve Nguyen, Technology Lead at Cargill, Inc. Steve specializes in the area of technology enabled learning. His skills and interest in social learning and social media are currently being used at Cargill, where their Learning and Development function is looking to transform the way people think about learning. Follow Steve on Twitter.

When implementing anything new in an organization, the question "What is the value?" invariably arises.  When it came to demonstrating the value of Yammer, we took that question directly to our users.  Like many organizations, our network growth on Yammer was grassroots and entirely word of mouth.  We were nearing one thousand users when it came time to decide whether to keep Yammer going, or to pull the plug.  We knew a big part of our recommendation to move forward had to show that the current population was deriving some kind of value.  It was far too early to show any monetary value, but we were sure there was something there.  So we asked our employees.

We engaged our employees outside of the Yammer network by sending an email to all current members.  We informed them that we would be making our case to a group of leaders at Cargill and needed their help by sharing what value they have gotten from their short time on Yammer.  This was also an opportunity to teach them about tagging, as we asked them to tag their response with #value so that all the responses were grouped together.  We also encouraged those that did not get any value to respond as well.

The responses poured in.  Some people who had never posted a message, actually took the time to post.  The lurkers, you know the ones, the people we perceive to get no value because they don't post.  Lurkers posted things like, "I hardly ever post, but I get a lot of #value from reading what others are talking about or learning from what others have to say."  Another person wrote, "Typically, I read posts more than I write posts.  I have gained useful information and in a way feel more connected to my global Cargill colleagues."

New employees posted that they were able to find and connect with people in a way they haven't been able to at other companies they worked for.  Finding people and answers to questions can be hard when you're new, and Yammer helped to facilitate some of those exchanges.  One person, looking for an expert on steam system design got responses from people in Iowa, Minneapolis, and Belgium. 

Others commented on how Yammer gave them a new sense of engagement.  One person shared, "It helps me feel that I'm more a part of a big, global company like Cargill."  Similarly another employee stated, "Reading the posts reminds me how large and diverse Cargill is, and it makes me feel connected and engaged in a way that I would not have felt without Yammer."

We learned a couple things from this.  We figured out that we can and should engage our network outside of Yammer itself.  It helps to rejuvenate people every now and again.  More importantly, we are learning as a culture that single people or silo-ed groups do not understand the true value of something until you go to the masses.  With the value information that we gathered, we went into our presentation armed with data that showed our employees were connecting, sharing, and learning from one another.  As a result, before we even began our presentation, one of our VPs said, "Do we know what the cost would be to our employees if we shut this down?"

Yeah.  They see the #value.

Q&A: ConnCAN’s Top User Crowned “Yammer Lord”

All over the world, Yammer champions are spreading the Yammer gospel throughout their organizations – one Yam at a time.  Marc Porter Magee, Chief Operating Officer at ConnCAN, an education reform nonprofit organization in Connecticut, is no exception.  At the center of ConnCAN’s internal communications strategy is Yammer, facilitating teamwork across departments during rapidly changing legislative campaigns.  There has been a “fanatical use of Yammer,” with Marc leading the pack.  He recently crossed the 2,000 Yams mark.  To reward him, his colleagues crowned him “Yammer Lord.”  We invited Marc to answer a few questions about how he earned the coveted title.

How did you become Yammer Lord? 

Yammer posting is one metric our communications department tracks to assess the quality of our internal communications.  When they saw I was approaching the 2,000 mark, they decided, in keeping with ConnCAN’s culture of fun and friendly competition, to commemorate it with some sort of award.  The “Yammer Lord” title and accessory crown is what they came up with.  It was a surprise, but now I am determined to keep it!   

What prompted you to post on Yammer so frequently? What impact has it had on your organization’s business processes?

As an advocacy organization, the success of our work depends on our ability to communicate in “real time” with one another.  Our overall campaign strategy evolves according to the ever-changing status of our legislation, and changes in overall strategy, in turn, affect each department’s assignment.  Yammer is a great way to quickly adapt our strategy and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Without it, our response to developments at the state capitol would be clumsier and harder to coordinate.   

What does the future hold for ConnCAN, and how do tools like Yammer fit into your plans?

Later this year, I am launching a new venture called 50CAN – the 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now. Starting with a campaign in Rhode Island this spring, 50CAN hopes to reach one-third to one-half of the 50 states by 2015.

Connecting these state campaigns into a national office that will provide communications and research and development support is going to require a huge investment in internal communication. Yammer is the starting point for that effort as we strive to create a transparent and real-time communication culture.