Business today is a complex environment with new challenges seeming to rise on an almost daily basis. It seems that new technologies and tools appear to meet those challenges almost as fast. However, throwing new tools at new problems may not be the way to go. It may be that the best solution is to use an established technology, like a wiki, that on the face of it appears simple, yet has the flexibility to solve, or at least ease, many business operational needs.
As illustrated in the Alamo example, a wiki can bring major benefits and in some cases even replace (or eliminate the need for) several separate software applications.
But wikis aren’t the answer to every business problem. The solution must match the needs of the organization and its culture.
You cannot just put up a wiki and expect everyone to start using it. The “build it and they will come” approach doesn’t work, nor does mandating the use of a wiki (see Appendix A: 10 Questions – A Checklist and Case Study 3: Meeting a Specific Business Need for more on this topic).
Experience has shown that wiki usage, no matter what the benefit to the group may be, is inevitably an organic process. That will be the main focus of this book.