ROADMAP

Social
Understanding Architecture
Computing and Identifying Mitigating Ensuring
the Economic Planning Amid
the Disruption Collaboration Social Media Information
Potential of Technology
to Conventional Opportunities Risk Usability
Collaboration Change
IT Management

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 Investment decisions
in social computing
TENSION POINTS IN VALUE CAPTURE
and communications
technologies have to
navigate trade-offs
between potential
strategic advantage
and obstacles to value
Sources of Strategic/
realization. Obstacles to Value Realization
Competitive Advantage

Early adoption of innovative technology Change management required to

among employees incorporate new technology in workflow

Early enterprise implementation Ability to securely integrate new

of innovative technology technology within existing architecture

Early innovation in enterprise Ability to reconcile individual use of

operating/process models technology with enterprise advantage

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The velocity and

potential complexity
THE LIMITS TO CONVENTIONAL ROADMAPPING
associated with
social computing can Conventional Technology Roadmapping and Common Challenges
challenge conventional
roadmapping processes.
Conventional Technology Challenges to Roadmapping
Roadmapping Process Social Computing and
■■ Technology roadmaps Communications Investments
depict current technology
assets and those enabling
Technology
future capabilities, as well
as implementation and
retirement strategies for
bridging the two. External Surveillance 1 Velocity of technology developments
and Monitoring
prevents clear distinction between hype,
innovation, and mainstream.

Filtering for Business Need

2 Variation between enterprise- and
user-level needs increases potential
complexity of solutions.

3 Pressures for experimental,

Filtering for Architectural Fit
consumerized, or rogue implementations
increase deployment risks.

“This space is moving

so fast—we’re frankly
struggling just to keep
up with the latest technology Design and Deployment
4 Value potential is linked to changing
developments.” adoption and use patterns.
Chief Enterprise Architect
Fortune 100 Company

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Business Value Key Question—Which social computing and
communications technologies are most likely
to deliver enterprise return?
 The Social Computing
and Communications
Adoption Curve was
developed from
member experiences
with technology usage,
enterprise value, and
deployment risk.
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GENERATING A COLLABORATIVE SNAPSHOT
Social Computing and Communications Survey Modules
1. Scope of Deployment
Challenge:
Velocity of technology developments prevents
clear distinction between hype, innovation, and
mainstream.
Solution:
Identify which technologies are becoming
mainstream across industries through information
on enterprise deployments.
3. Deployment Risks
Challenge:
Pressures for experimental, consumerized, or rogue
implementations increase deployment risks.
Solution:
Assess consensus on risks to deployments among
enterprise adopters.
2. Usage by Target Population
Challenge:
Variation between enterprise- and user-level needs
increases potential complexity of solutions.
Solution:
Identify extent to which technology is actively used
and whether use has met business case targets.
4. Enterprise Value
Challenge:
Value potential is linked to changing adoption and
use patterns.
Solution:
Assess consensus on value realization from
deployments among enterprise adopters.
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The Corporate Executive

Board would like to
SPECIAL THANKS
express its appreciation
to all survey participants. Partial List of Survey Participants

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 Survey respondents
represent a wide range
SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS
of revenue bands,
industries, and user
base sizes.
Company Revenue Number of End Users Supported

■■ Participants include CIOs,

vice presidents of IT, and 16% 7%
More Than 18% 21% Fewer Than
heads of infrastructure, $50 Billion Less Than More Than 2,000 Users
enterprise architecture, $5 Billion 50,000 Users
21% 31%
and collaboration. 2,000–
$25 Billion–
27% 24% 10,000 Users
$50 Billion
$5 Billion– 20,000–
$10 Billion 50,000 Users
18%
$10 Billion–
17%
$25 Billion
10,000–
20,000 Users

Industry1

4%
Transportation
10%
8% Retail/Consumer
Energy/Utilities Products Manufacturing

8%
Government
10%
12% Pharmaceuticals
Computer Hardware and Health Care
and Services/
Electronics 14%
Nonprofit/
Media/Leisure/
14% Business Services
Aerospace and
Defense/Industrial
Manufacturing/Chemicals
18%
Insurance/Banking
and Financial Services
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1 Pie does not equal 100% due to rounding.

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SOCIAL COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS ADOPTION CURVE

Deployment Across Companies (X-Axis) End-User Adoption Within Companies (Y-Axis)

A function of the percentage of organizations that have deployed The average percentage of end users who regularly use the technology as
the technology, the scope of deployment, and the length of time the part of a recurring workflow need at organizations that have deployed it
technology has been in place

Enterprise Value Deployment Risk

Enterprise value is measured by the following factors: Deployment risk is measured by the following factors:
■■ Enterprise cost reduction ■■ Information security risk

■■ User or team efficiency/time savings ■■ Ease of architecture integration

■■ Quality of user or team output ■■ Marketplace maturity of product offerings

■■ Increased frequency of knowledge transfer ■■ Implementation and support cost

■■ Innovation in team, business unit, or enterprise operating model

High Risk Medium Risk Low Risk

High Medium Low Minimal

Value Value Value Value

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 CURRENT ENTERPRISE DEPLOYMENT AND USAGE LEVELS—JUNE 2010
High (30–45%)
User Adoption

Presence Awareness
Accelerated Adoption
Mobile Applications
Support—E-Mail/
Communications
Unified Communications
End-User Adoption Within Companies

Location Awareness

Enterprise Search
Moderate (15–30%)
User Adoption

Virtual Worlds/Immersive
Workplaces Widgets Typical Adoption Path

Electronic Audio Room-Based

Transcription Telepresence
Synchronous Document Synchronous Project Planning
Creation and Editing
Blogging
Enterprise Social Rich User Profiles/ Mobile Applications Support—Productivity Tools
Bookmarking Social Networking
Mashups Wiki Creation

Podcasting
Desktop Video
User Adoption
Low (0–15%)

Microblogging Mobile Applications Support—

App Development
Desk-Based Idea
Telepresence Banks Delayed or Stalled Adoption

Prediction Markets

Approaching Extensive
Experimental
Mainstream Deployment
Deployment Across Companies
n = 51.

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Despite the attention

given to “social content”
FINDING #1: EMPLOYEES GRAVITATE TO “ALWAYS-ON”
technologies, end users
make greater regular
SUPPORT, NOT CONTENT CREATION
use of technologies
which improve Percentage of Social Computing/Communications Deployments That Meet or Exceed Adoption Targets
Percentage of Deployments
existing workflows
and communications
relative to business case
expectations. Mobile Applications Support—E-Mail/Communications 100%
Mobile Applications Support—App Development 80%
■■ Please see page 128 in the Room-Based Telepresence 78%
Appendix for a complete list Presence Awareness 77%
of technology definitions.
Unified Communications 71%
Technologies
Electronic Audio Transcription1 67% that complement
existing workflows
Location Awareness 67% have seen higher
Synchronous Project Planning 64% adoption success…

Enterprise Search 64%

Mobile Applications Support—Productivity Tools 61%

Idea Banks 40%

Virtual Worlds/Immersive Workplaces1 33%
Wiki Creation 33%
…while technologies requiring
Rich User Profiles/Social Networking 29% user contributions see
considerably less uptake.
Podcasting 10%
Prediction Markets 1
0%

n = 34.

1 Technology considered highly experimental; few companies have implemented.

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 Adoption of any social
computing technology
FINDING #2: EARLY ENTERPRISE ADOPTION DOES
is unlikely to reach
critical mass inside
NOT MEAN EARLY USER ADOPTION
an organization until
that technology sees Social Computing and Communications Adoption Curve
widespread deployments Selected Technologies
across organizations.

High-User
Adoption
■■ In the absence of consumer
trends shaping employee
Presence
behavior, IT organizations Awareness
will need to develop
substantial change
Unified
management campaigns Location Communications
End-User Adoption Within Companies

Awareness
to support adoption of any
technology considered
Few technologies see high-user
“ahead of the curve.”
adoption before cross-industry
diffusion, in the absence of
■■ Please see page 108 to significant change management. Enterprise Search
review the legend.

Synchronous Room-Based
Document Telepresence
Creation
and Editing
Blogging

= Technology underadopted Desk-Based

Microblogging
by end users relative to Telepresence
business case expectations
Idea Wiki Creation
Banks
Low-User
Adoption

Technologies past mainstream diffusion

may be challenged to realize target
adoption levels.

Experimental Mainstream Extensive

Deployment
n = 51. Deployment Across Companies
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Technologies approaching mainstream diffusion across industries reach a “hinge point”
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where adoption climbs toward target levels or is rejected by target population.

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It takes five to eight

quarters for social
FINDING #3: DEPLOYMENTS NEED ONE TO TWO YEARS
computing and
communications
TO SEE RETURNS
technologies to realize
target adoption levels Percentage of Deployments Meeting or Exceeding Target Adoption Levels and Average Value,
Relative to Time Technology Has Been in Place
or benefits.

Significant
100% Value
■■ The average time any Deployments That Meet or
technology has to be in Exceed Predicted Adoption
place to reach 50% of (Left Axis)

target adoption levels

is about five quarters. Percentage of Deployments That Meet

■■ The average time any 75%

or Exceed Predicted User Adoption

technology has to be in
place to realize moderate
business benefits is about Average Value

Average Value
eight quarters. (Right Axis)

Moderate
■■ Please see pages 143–144 50% Value
in the Appendix for data on
individual technologies.

25%

0% No Value
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Average Time Technology Has Been in Place (Quarters)

n = 34.
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 Analysis of current
deployment and
FINDING #4: NOT ALL TECHNOLOGIES WILL
adoption rates suggests
only a limited set of
“CLIMB THE CURVE” IN ADOPTION
technologies will “climb
the curve” between now Estimated Increases in Technology Adoption Rates, 2010–2011, Based on Analysis
of Current Deployment Levels and Adoption Rates
and mid-2011.

■■ The number of technologies

for which increases in Technologies Expected to Increase Technologies Expected to Increase
adoption will likely be Adoption Rates by More Than 10% Adoption Rates by Less Than 2%
minimal points to the
need for caution in 2010
investments. ■■ Location Awareness ■■ Virtual Worlds/Immersive Workplaces
■■ Synchronous Document Creation and Editing ■■ Prediction Markets
■■ Idea banks, blogging, and ■■ Enterprise Search ■■ Electronic Audio Transcription
wiki creation are unlikely to
ever meet business case user ■■ Enterprise Social Bookmarking
adoption targets. ■■ Idea Banks
■■ Blogging1
■■ Please see page 128 in the
Appendix for a complete list ■■ Mobile Applications Support—
of technology definitions. E-Mail/Communications

1 Blogging usage is anticipated to decline between 2010–2011.

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Organizations are
challenged to realize
FINDING #5: INDIVIDUAL EFFICIENCIES DO NOT MEAN
enterprise cost savings
from individual or team
ENTERPRISE SAVINGS
efficiencies created
by social computing Realized Value by Category
Average Across All 24 Technologies
and communications
technologies.
Significant
Value
■■ Secondary literature
indicates that time saved on Average level of cost-reduction
any project/process is likely benefits is about 30–40% lower
channeled into a greater than benefits realized in other areas.
number of projects per
individual.

■■ At the same time, this may

point to organizations’
inability to take advantage Moderate
of time savings, in the Value
absence of operating or
process model changes.

No
Value
User or Team Innovation Increased Quality of User Enterprise Cost
Efficiency/Time in Operating Frequency of or Team Output Reduction
Savings Model Knowledge
Transfer

n = 34.
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 While most social
computing and
FINDING #6: FEW TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDE VALUE
communications
technologies generate
ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES
team efficiencies, only
a few technologies Technologies by Value Category Provided
Technologies Included If They Provide an Average Value of “Medium” or Higher for Given Category
provide value across all
dimensions.
Efficiency/Time Increased Frequency
Savings of Knowledge Transfer
Presence
■■ The diagram includes the Awareness
three value categories that Mashups
have the highest returns Location Enterprise
for social computing Awareness Search
and communications Unified
technologies. Desktop Video Communications Blogging
Room-Based
Mobile Applications Telepresence
■■ Please see page 128 in the
Support—
Appendix for a complete list Productivity Tools Mobile Applications Wiki Creation
of technology definitions. Support—E-Mail/
Widgets Communications
Synchronous
Synchronous Document Creation
Project Planning and Editing
Electronic Audio
Transcription1 Virtual Worlds/
Immersive Microblogging
Workspaces1
Mobile Application
Support—App
Development

Idea Banks

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n = 34.
1 Technology considered highly experimental; few companies have implemented.

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Technologies with the

highest persistent risk
FINDING #7: VALUE COMES AT A PRICE
deliver moderate to high
value, raising key trade- Five Technologies with Highest Risk Classification
off questions for business
Technologies That Provide Medium or High
partners. Enterprise Value (Top-Two Quartiles)

Persistent Risks
■■ Technologies with high levels
of non-persistent risk on
Information Security Implementation and Support Cost
average provide minimal or
low business value. 1. Mobile Applications Support—App Development 1. Synchronous Project Planning

■■ Please see page 128 in the 2. Room-Based Telepresence

2. Mobile Applications Support—Productivity Tools
Appendix for a complete list
of technology definitions. 3. Mobile Applications Support—E-Mail/ 3. Enterprise Search
Communications

4. Synchronous Document Creation and Editing 4. Unified Communications

5. Rich User Profiles/Social Networking 5. Mobile Applications Support—App Development

Non-Persistent Risks

Marketplace Maturity of Product Offerings Architecture Integration Risk

1. Mobile Applications Support—App Development 1. Mobile Applications Support—App Development

2. Synchronous Document Creation and Editing 2. Mashups

3. Mashups 3. Enterprise Search

4. Rich User Profiles/Social Networking 4. Rich User Profiles/Social Networking

5. Mobile Applications Support—Productivity Tools 5. Synchronous Document Creation and Editing

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KEY TAKEAWAYS: ARCHITECTURE PLANNING AMID TECHNOLOGY CHANGE

Insights Actions

Focus first on helping employees to communicate. Invest in technologies

1. Despite the hype around social content creation potential, organizations
that are easier fits with existing workflows and do not require the degree of
are realizing the most immediate value from communications technologies
workflow change that other social computing technologies may require.
like mobile services and unified communications.

2. The dominant pattern of “Enterprise 2.0” technology adoption suggests Do not pursue early adoption of social computing technologies without
that successful value capture rarely happens for technologies that have yet major investments in change management to demonstrate benefits to
to see mainstream deployment across industries. end users and ensure uptake.

3. On average, social computing and communications technologies require

Allow between five and eight quarters for value realization when
five quarters to realize user adoption targets and eight quarters to
developing business cases for social computing investments.
generate moderate business benefits.

Absent signs of clear enterprise demand, take a cautious approach to

4. Based on current deployment and adoption rates, few technologies are
investment in social computing technologies that are considered ahead
likely to see adoption growth of 10% or more over the coming year.
of mainstream industry use.

5. Organizations deploying social computing and communication

Develop business cases based on individual or team efficiencies, but do not
technologies are realizing benefits primarily in the form of individual
promise enterprise cost reductions in the absence of operating or process
or team time savings. At the same time, few organizations can point to
model changes that may be required to capitalize time savings.
enterprise cost reductions as a result of these technologies.

Understand specific enterprise value objectives when selecting social

6. Very few social computing and communications technologies provide
computing investments. Consider specific demand patterns of target end
qualitative value—such as improved knowledge transfer—in addition to
users as well as their capacity for change management in identifying value
time savings.
and adoption targets.

7. Many of the technologies perceived to deliver value and see adoption in

Be alert to the persistent risks associated with social computing and factor
the near term—including mobile technologies, synchronous document
these considerations into change management plans within IT and with
creation and editing, and unified communications—are associated with
business partners.
high information security and support cost risks.

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