In June of 2015, I graduated from a year-long Leadership Academy progam at Excelsior College where I serve as Director of Digital Engagement Services. My project was titled ECCentral 2.0: Re-imaging Excelsior’s Intranet and looked at ways that the institution’s internal communications platform could become a strategic asset.
If you accept the metaphor of institution as organism, the front-facing “public” website is how the College wants to be seen and the intranet is how the College perceives itself. A poorly constructed intranet is akin to a damaged psyche where internal dialog is hampered, information is hard to find, out of date, or missing. It becomes a breeding ground for frustration and a helpless sense that the ‘system’ is broken and reflects a sense of negative institutional self-worth.
A well-developed intranet fosters a sense of belonging and connectedness. It constructively shapes an identity of positive institutional self-hood (we are a caring company that values our employees, honors diversity, and cultivates a climate of excitement around fulfilling its mission). I presented the poster below at the Leadership Academy graduation.
