Great intranets save employees time

Measure time savings, not web hits or page views, to determine if your site delivers value

“The source of material civilization is developed power,” Henry Ford wrote in 1926. “If one has this developed power at hand then a use for it will easily be found … The way to liberty, the way to equality of opportunity, the way from empty phrases to actualities lies through power; the machine is only an incident.”

The intranet is just an incident. What it represents is a shift away from less productive work practices involving two or more people in face-to-face interactions to a self-service model. This self-service model allows employees to complete tasks on their own. Properly done, self service makes the employee and the organization more efficient.

Henry Ford combined the availability of developed power (electricity) with the scientific management principles pioneered by Frederick Taylor. Ford and his like made the 20th Century the American Century. The American worker became more productive than any other worker in the world.