Introducing PREP
March 15th, 2008
As more associations begin to wade into the roiling sea of global social technology usage, I’ve been thinking about a simple yet strategic approach that organizations in our community can use to fully prepare to maximize the value of these tools. The acronym for this approach is PREP, and each element is explained further below.
Purpose–Associations need to be clear about why they are pursuing the application of social technologies to their work. It’s important to establish a strategic connection to other organizational activities, otherwise the use of the tools risks becoming a tangential “bolt-on” activity that eventually will give way to other priorities. By making the link between social tools and organizational work explicit from the very beginning, it should also be easier to secure the on-going support of senior leaders.
Readiness–In concert with achieving clarity around purpose, associations need to honestly evaluate their readiness for adopting social technologies. This assessment must take place along several dimensions, including cultural factors, accessibility of necessary skills, management questions, antitrust and various legal risks, policy requirements and other considerations. Of course, the relative importance of any of these issues will depend on the specific organizational context and professional/industry landscape. For most associations, each of these issues can be addressed through clear thinking and intelligent planning.
Experiment–When getting started with social technologies, associations will want to engage in active yet focused experimentation with the tools in a manner consistent with their desired strategic outcomes. For example, associations planning to use wikis to create a space for sharing best practices can experiment with integrating online slides, audio and video into the wiki pages to add greater richness. Blogs can be used for both member-facing conversations, and internal knowledge creation and sharing. The process of experimentation will help associations learn more about the most appropriate applications of social technologies to their work, and also build organizational capacity for using the tools effectively.
Practice–This final element has a double meaning. First, as they grow more comfortable with social technologies, associations will want to make continued practice with using them a priority. Both staff and volunteer contributors will need time to build their skills and confidence with using the tools well. In addition, associations will want to ensure that, over time, social technologies are fully integrated into the day-to-day practices of the organization to achieve maximum impact.
To paraphrase Albert Einstein, the PREP approach is designed to be as simple as possible, but no simpler. Associations interested in applying social technologies to their work can benefit greatly by following the four steps of this strategic process to realize the full value of tools that are already transforming the future of their organizations and the industries and professions they serve.
What do you think? How does the PREP approach resonate with you? Please leave a comment below!
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Ben Martin and P.I.
Association exec Ben Martin, CAE is P.I.’s Architect of Participation. Jeff and Ben help clients harness the power of the Web through the strategic application of social tools.
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