Navigating the Change

By Duncan Rein
January 1, 2007

Most new advances in technology simply improve upon technology that is already there. High-definition TV on a large plasma flat screen brings about greater resolution and a fuller viewer experience than an older black and white version, but it’s still a TV. The newest version of the laptop computer is sure to be smaller, faster, and with greater storage capacity, but it is still fundamentally a laptop computer.

However, on occasion, a new technology is introduced that doesn’t merely improve on an existing technology, but which introduces something novel and brand new into the equation. Such a technology alters the landscape and fundamentally changes the rules of the game. What starts as a new invention or a new product eventually spawns new companies, new industries, and new ways of doing business, which eventually filters down to the average person, bringing permanent changes in how they conduct their day to day lives.

Such disruptive technologies, in an ultimate sense, are greatly beneficial to society as they can dramatically improve quality of life for millions of people. However, they are often accompanied by a great deal of pain and challenges in the short term, as people, organizations, and businesses are required to adapt to a landscape that is constantly shifting, and the new realities presented by these advances in technology.

It is indisputable that the Internet fits the definition of a disruptive technology. In the field of communications, we believe it is the biggest advance in our ability to replicate and distribute content since the invention of the printing press almost 500 years ago. To illustrate this point, a company called Google, that did not even exist seven years ago, is in the midst of an ambitious project to digitize entire libraries, making all of recorded human knowledge searchable and accessible at the touch of a button. It took the Internet only four years to attract an audience of 50 million people. Today, over a billion people worldwide, or 15% of the world’s population, are regular users of the Internet, only eleven years after the introduction of the browser in 1995 which brought the web into the mainstream.

In our opinion, the revolutionary and disruptive nature of the Internet was not overstated during the dot com bubble of the late 90’s. Rather, expectations as to how quickly these changes would be realized were unrealistic.

As the web has begun to mature in recent years, the initial response has been for an organization to fit the web into its pre-existing communication strategy, as illustrated in the diagram below:

Under this model, an organization’s web strategy is largely driven by its already developed communication strategy.

However, the web is a new communication medium, which has introduced new possibilities for the ways in which individuals communicate with each other, and the ways in which organizations communicate with their members and constituents. Some of the highlights include:

• Integration of formats - text, images, audio, and video can be combined in creative ways to communicate and reinforce a message.
• Interactivity – the web is not a traditional one-way broadcast medium, but it’s two-way and interactive, allowing for online conversations between individuals, and between an individual and an organization.
• Personalization – As the Internet is a one-to-one medium, as opposed to one-to-many, there is the opportunity to present customized content based on the profile of the visitor, allowing for more targeted messaging.
• Immediacy – The web and email allows for real-time publishing, which is especially helpful during times of crisis.
• Intelligence – in theory, it’s possible to track every click. The trick is to know what to test and what to measure. Well-designed tests can lead to valuable intelligence about how constituents respond to different messages.

Clearly, it is not good enough to simply plug the web into an existing communication strategy, as this misses out on a lot of this new potential. Rather, the new possibilities made possible by the web should at the very least inform its communication strategy. A key takeaway is to never have another strategic meeting without the perspective of a web strategist.

But as a disruptive technology, the web will eventually do more than inform an organization’s communication strategy. Rather, it will fundamentally change it, and even drive a new approach for communication. And if it hasn’t already, the impact of the web will be felt at an organizational level as well, requiring changes even in the ways in which organizations are structured.

First, effective online communication requires complex interactions between strategy, messaging, design, technology, and quantitative analysis. Gaps in knowledge or expertise in any area, or the inability for these skills to be blended in the right way, can deal a fatal blow to an organization’s online communication efforts. Just as the invention of the electric motor over 100 years ago created the need for electrical engineers, and a whole new field of expertise needed to be developed, the rapid rise of the web has created the need for new expertise. Existing staff must either adapt by learning new skills, or new staff or new partners, possessing new skill sets need to be added to your existing team.

Second, the web is an effective silo-smasher. Whether it’s a technology department needing to work together with a marketing department on an online campaign, or a communications team and development team needing to cooperate on an approach for communicating with donors, or ministry programs and development departments moving more in lockstep, the web both facilitates and requires greater collaboration. As a result, teamwork is at a premium as never before.

An Organizational Approach to the Web

As with any disruptive technology, the web represents great power and potential over the long term, but in the short term it makes things more difficult for most organizations. We’re seeing seismic shifts in the ways in which organizations do business, but the old structures don’t disappear overnight. Old systems, infrastructure, technology and processes must be maintained, even as new ones are developed and instituted. New capital must be allocated to this new medium in healthy proportions, even though it might take awhile for these investments to show positive return.

I am not one often given to hyperbole, but I believe that a non profit organization’s response to the web as a disruptive technology is a large driver of whether it will exist ten years from now. We are still in the early stages of the digital revolution, so there is still time to develop and execute a strategy for change, but this window will not remain open forever. The organizations that embrace change early on, with all its challenges, difficulties, and disruptions, will be the ones that thrive in the 21st century.

Silas Partners is a full-service web agency that has been built to help non profit organizations navigate these changes. The red sail filled with the wind in our logo is reminiscent of the type of sails used by the boats that carried Paul and Silas on their missionary journeys. Together, Paul and Silas navigated stormy seas on their way to foreign lands. The web is bringing disruptive change to non profit organizations. The destination is exciting, but the road to get there is fraught with challenges. Silas desires to be a reliable guide and a “faithful brother,” helping your organization find a unique approach for navigating this transition.

Silas Partners stands ready to help you do more than develop a new website. We’ll help you develop and implement an effective online communication strategy. An organizational approach to the web will start with an overarching strategy informed by the possibilities and potential that the web represents, as well as an understanding of the operational realities and what will be required to successfully execute such a strategy. Some of these elements include:

• Integration of Online and Offline Communication
• Messaging and Content Development
• Design and Usability
• Alignment of Technology Infrastructure with Business Requirements
• Development of New Systems and Processes Around New Technologies
• Strategy for Staffing and/or Use of Outsourced Third Parties in light of expertise requirements
• Ongoing Training and Education of Staff
• Integrated Reporting and Analytic Framework

An effective web presence is more than just a new website. It is a new approach to communication that incorporates the power and potential that the web represents. Working together with offline initiatives, an effective web presence drives organizational growth and supports an organization’s overall goals and strategic priorities.

If you would like to find out more about how to implement these strategies and ideas in your organization, please take a moment to let us know a little about your needs.