From Blogs to Augmented Social Networks: Applications enabling enhanced communication and collective intelligence in Pharma R&D

How can emerging “social software” tools help Pharma companies leverage KM assets and accelerate R&D innovation? Will they emerge in ways that strengthen the collaborative enterprise? What are the tools and their potential uses? Where should one start exploring?

“An organization’s data is found in it computer systems, but a company’s intelligence is found in it biological and social systems.” Valdiz Krebs

In today’s highly adaptive organizations the tools and processes have to support the people networks. The interest in augmented social networks is encouraging the development of new social software tools that are reframing how we connect, share, invest and develop information assets. These lightweight tools, many of which are open source or free (Blogs, Forums, Wiki’s, Newsreaders, IM, Technorati, Feedster, Ryze, Friendster, FOAF, Spoke) are being connected together in new ways to organize, shape, exchange and accelerate information flows and connectivity.

We will illustrate using corporate blogging examples how recent initiatives are just at the edge of a revolution that will harness the collective intelligence of organizations in new ways. We will see blogging has moved beyond its “personal publishing roots” and use K-logs as a starting point to uncovering their value to KM tools. Still that is an opening foray into a tremendously exciting area with the potential to overcome many of the limitation and failings of the traditional online enterprise.

Additional links will enable participants to explore and try out actual tools during the conference week. Particular attention will be placed on blogs, and newsreaders. This will help participants scope an action list for further investigation for personal, team and enterprise needs.