Renovated intranet breaks the usual mold

Introducing a whole new intranet at Sport England—an organization committed to helping people and communities in the UK create sporting habits—provided staff member Matt Phillipson with the opportunity to tackle a host of challenges. It also led to a first place prize in the “Intranet/Value to Employees” category of Ragan’s 2015 Employee Communications Awards.

The Sport England intranet was like intranets in too many organizations—impossible to search, stuffed with outdated content, and bare of interaction capabilities. Navigation was far from intuitive. Sport England employees offered feedback that Phillipson used to create a list of upgrades. At the top of the list: Greater sharing mechanisms for horizontal communication. 

Phillipson responded to the feedback by introducing Inside Track. The new intranet didn’t just appear one day; employees were prepped so their expectations could be managed. It included a platform to enable collaboration, along with more intuitive navigation, better search capabilities, and other sorely needed improvements. 

Employees have reported that Inside Track has made their day-to-day work easier. They’re publishing news and blogs (both personal and group) that help everyone stay up to date; the group blogs, rather than just articles from the top, have made online content highly relevant. Even the administrative tools have enhanced workflows, including financial processes. 

The ability to collaborate has had a considerable impact on the organization’s culture, making working together easier and inspiring more communication in general. 

Inside Track is what an intranet should be: a platform for getting work done. Congratulations to Matt Phillipson for doing the work.