The Secret to Intranet Success? Shared Ownership
An intranet can be more than just a digital bulletin board. When it becomes a space built and owned by everyone, it transforms into a powerful engine for collaboration, innovation, and unity. At the recent Bright Conference, industry leaders from Northern Ground, Zendesk, Indeed, and Publicis Sapient came together to discuss how to foster this sense of shared ownership.
The conversation revealed that turning an intranet into a shared responsibility isn't about top-down mandates; it's about building a foundation of trust, clarity, and collective purpose.
Let's explore how to create a unifying vision, make decisions together, and inspire a culture of experimentation.
From Platform to Purpose: Key Strategies for Shared Ownership
Building a truly unified digital workplace starts with a solid strategic framework. The panel highlighted three core strategies that organizations can adopt to shift the perception of an intranet from a simple tool to a shared asset.
1. Build a Manifesto: Your Intranet's North Star
The first step toward shared ownership is defining your intranet’s purpose. A manifesto is a concise, aspirational statement that serves as a guiding light for every decision you make. It’s more than a mission statement; it’s a declaration of your digital workplace's identity and its role in achieving broader organizational goals.
As discussed during the session, this manifesto should be both directional and unifying. It should align with your company’s brand and internal culture while providing a clear vision for what the modern intranet aims to be.
For example, a manifesto might state the goal of creating an interactive space where communities can crowdsource ideas or enabling teams to stay competitive in a challenging market.
To ensure this vision resonates across the company, it's crucial to involve a steering committee of key stakeholders from different departments. Their validation ensures the manifesto reflects a collective vision, not just the perspective of a single team.
2. Embrace Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making
Once you have a guiding manifesto, decisions about the intranet’s evolution should be a team sport. The roundtable speakers emphasized the power of including cross-functional teams in the decision-making process. By facilitating workshops focused on identifying pain points and brainstorming solutions, you give everyone a voice.
This approach builds consensus and ensures that improvements are grounded in real user needs. Tools like voting sessions can help prioritize what to fix and what to build next.
One speaker suggested asking teams a simple but powerful question: "If you could add one feature to the intranet, what would it be?" This opens the door to collaborative problem-solving and co-creation. When employees see their feedback directly influencing the platform's development, their sense of ownership grows.
3. Assign Dedicated Roles to Drive the Vision
A shared vision needs dedicated champions to bring it to life. The panel identified the crucial role of a dedicated intranet manager. This person is more than a content publisher; they are a change manager, content strategist, and the keeper of the intranet's unique brand voice. They ensure every initiative aligns with the manifesto and fosters an emotionally engaging employee experience.
Beyond the intranet manager, new roles like Employee Experience Designers are emerging. These individuals focus on crafting seamless digital journeys, making sure the platform is not only functional but also a place where employees feel connected and valued. Having dedicated roles with clear responsibilities ensures that the intranet receives the strategic oversight it needs to thrive.
Tactics to Bring Shared Ownership to Life
With a strong strategy in place, you can implement practical tactics to cultivate a culture of collective ownership. The roundtable offered several innovative ideas that any organization can adapt.
Focus on Empathy and Real Use Cases
Effective intranets solve real problems. Start by digging into platform analytics and employee feedback to understand what challenges your teams face daily. Ground your decisions in empathy by developing use cases based on user stories.
For example, you could start with 10 high-impact use cases and test solutions iteratively. The panel also suggested engaging your most critical employees—the ones who are vocal with their feedback. Including them in a steering committee can turn their passion into a constructive force for improvement, as their investment in the platform’s success shows their commitment.
Create an Intranet Guide and a Transparent Roadmap
Treat your intranet like a product. It needs a clear brand, a consistent tone of voice, and well-defined standards. An internal guide for content contributors ensures that all communications align with the organization's goals and maintain a cohesive feel. As speaker Lisa Capra noted, "A great intranet should have its own brand voice—even with all the advancements in AI, that voice comes from the person behind the intranet."
Complement your guide with a transparent roadmap that outlines short-term goals and long-term developments. This roadmap demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and keeps everyone informed about what’s next.
Foster a Culture of Experimentation
A static intranet quickly becomes irrelevant. The panel encouraged a culture of innovation by continuously testing creative ideas. Regular experiments keep the platform fresh and show employees that it’s an evolving space.
Examples shared during the session included themed page takeovers for events like Star Wars Day or interactive online scavenger hunts. These initiatives create fun, memorable experiences while showcasing the platform's versatility. The key is to ensure each experiment aligns with long-term engagement goals and isn't just a one-off gimmick.
Building Unity, One Step at a Time
The journey to shared ownership is built on a foundation of trust. When employees see that their concerns are heard and their contributions are valued, they become active partners in the intranet's success. The insights from the Bright Conference roundtable make it clear: a successful intranet isn't just a platform—it's a community.
By building a unifying manifesto, making decisions collaboratively, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, you can create a digital workplace that truly belongs to everyone.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Organization:
- Draft Your Manifesto: Gather a cross-functional team and define the "why" behind your intranet.
- Form a Steering Committee: Invite stakeholders from various departments to guide the intranet's evolution.
- Start with Empathy: Identify one major pain point your employees face and co-create a solution with them.
- Launch an Experiment: Plan a small, fun initiative to boost engagement and test a new idea.
What steps has your organization taken to foster shared ownership of your intranet? Share your thoughts and experiences—let's continue the conversation.
Blair Williamson is the Global Content Marketing Manager at LumApps, where she leads content strategy to help organizations transform the way they connect and engage with employees.
She creates thought leadership and practical resources on topics like internal communications, employee engagement, and the future of work.
Passionate about helping companies align teams and strengthen culture, Blair brings insights that inspire action and spark conversation around the evolving workplace.
