This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: New blog articles in Microsoft Tech Community.
Sometimes we need to see examples of how things are done elsewhere to spark our own creativity and figure out how to use groups in our own networks.
Regardless if you are starting your Yammer network from scratch or re-igniting your Yammer network, thinking about your groups will improve the adoption of Yammer at your organization.
Groups in Yammer are the backbone of conversations. The core groups that your network has becomes the place to go for information about those related topics. You don’t need to think of every group before you get started, but a few of these with some seeded content and committed members will help your network start on the right foot. Once you’ve seen a few groups, start to brainstorm about your own organization’s communities and then the possibilities are endless.
From our customers, here’s the top ten list that we’ve pulled together:
- CEO Connection – Giving your senior leaders a voice is an important benefit that Yammer brings but providing a place for two-way conversation is even more important. A CEO connection group allows people to ask questions of senior leaders and for you to host live events in.
- Heritage – Your organization’s history and heritage play a huge part in the culture of your organization so why not create a place to foster the stories and pictures from over the years. This helps remind people of your company values and that they’re part of something larger than they may be used to.
- Diversity & Inclusion – D&I is an important part of every organization so making sure you have groups set up to support different communities such as LGBT, BAME, Women’s networks and similar groups is a great way of creating an open space in your organization to nurture these areas and create a supportive environment for everyone.
- Emerging Technologies - Bring the early adopters out of the woodwork and create a space for them to talk about the latest and greatest tech. This can be an engaging place for people to talk about the latest Hololens capabilities, impressions of the leaked iPhone XI, or the latest in blockchain. Better yet, how can these emerging technologies be applied within your company?
- New Hires – An employee’s first few days/weeks/months in a new organisation can be disorientating and no doubt filled with lots of questions! Create a group where they can find information, ask questions and be connected to the right resources to get them up and running quickly! You can event create Knowledge base in Yammer of those FAQs.
- Innovation – Yammer is built for sharing ideas and creating a group to foster and nurture some of ideas can be a great way for building a culture of trying different things. This group can encourage a wide array of ideas, big or small, but also give employees the opportunity to build on other colleague’s ideas who traditionally would never have connected.
- Social groups – Yammer is built for the workplace but that doesn’t mean Yammer just has to be business focused. Making Yammer a fun and interesting place through groups such as Pets, Cycling, Health and other key interests help boost adoption and make your organization a great place to work for which can help with employee retention.
- Departments/Regions/Offices – This could be a great place for you to move the email about new hires, promotions and events. Not that that information isn’t useful, Yammer can be a more efficient way to carry out those conversation in an accepted channel. Look at the top level that your company is organized a top level and see what key areas you could replicate in Yammer.
- Safety Moments– Safety of employees and customers is paramount to every organization, so how can you create a group where people can share things to be careful of, safe ways of working and create a culture of safety first.
- Parent Community – Pretty much every organization will have people who are parents/care givers or have some responsibility for children. Creating a community of people who can support each other through parenting challenges, return to work concerns or parenting tips can create a supportive environment for your employees.
These are the groups we’ve seen that showcase the power of Yammer and help to drive adoption. These examples could already exist, or they could use a bit of your help to get off the ground. Having influencers and purpose behind the Yammer group is a good first start.
Some of these groups relate to your core values and culture. Some of these groups focus on the diversity of your organization and the organic communities that may already exist. While other groups may focus on specific product improvement initiatives, leadership connecting directly with employees, and others may just be for fun.
So now what?
Once your organization determines these core groups, you may need to educate the people you’ve appointed as Group Admins. These employees responsible for the groups may need additional training on Yammer or they might need more help becoming the community manager for that specific group. Group admins also may need help recruiting champions to help build the community.
And one last group that might be good, is a group for the Yammer group admins, community managers and champions. These employees could share their tactics, ask questions as their groups kick off, creative ways to engage members, or share about how they solved specific challenges. If you need more inspiration, check out this related blog post, 7 tips to run a successful Yammer group.
What are some of your networks most active and engaged groups? Any groups that have popped up and surprised you with their level of adoption?
Additional Resources:
Related Blog posts:
7 Tips to run a successful Yammer group
Building Trust through pet pics? Are you barking mad?!
The magical cultural ingredient in a Yammer community