Microsoft Viva
As the digital workplace continues to evolve, Microsoft has been at the forefront of empowering organizations to manage their knowledge assets more effectively. Microsoft Viva, the employee experience platform within Microsoft 365, is a key player in this transformation. At the heart of Viva lies the Viva Topics feature, which aims to revolutionise the way knowledge is captured, curated, and shared within an enterprise.
Viva Topics
Concept and Structure
Viva Topics is a powerful AI-driven tool that helps organizations harness the collective knowledge of their employees. By automatically identifying and organising relevant information across various sources, Viva Topics creates a centralized hub of knowledge that can be easily accessed by employees in the flow of their work.
The foundation of Viva Topics lies in its ability to identify and categorize topics within an organization’s data. Using advanced natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, Viva Topics scans through documents, emails, chat conversations, and other content, and automatically detects and groups related information into distinct topics. This process not only surfaces the most relevant knowledge but also establishes clear connections between different areas of expertise.
Knowledge Management
One of the key benefits of Viva Topics is its ability to transform an organization’s unstructured data into a structured knowledge repository. By organizing information into well-defined topics, Viva Topics makes it easier for employees to find the knowledge they need, when they need it.
Furthermore, Viva Topics empowers employees to become active knowledge curators. Users can refine and enhance the automatically generated topics, adding additional context, resources, and expert insights. This collaborative approach ensures that the knowledge base remains up-to-date and relevant, reflecting the collective expertise of the organization.
Content Curation
The curation process in Viva Topics is a crucial step in maintaining the accuracy and relevance of the knowledge base. While the initial topic identification is powered by AI, human experts play a vital role in refining and enhancing the content.
At Microsoft, the internal deployment of Viva Topics has involved a two-pronged approach to content curation. For authoritative or regulated content, such as HR policies and legal guidelines, a dedicated team of knowledge managers oversees the curation process. For the vast majority of the organization’s knowledge, however, Viva Topics embraces a crowdsourced model, where any employee can contribute and refine the content.
This collaborative approach to curation not only ensures the quality of the knowledge but also fosters a culture of knowledge sharing within the organization. Employees are empowered to take ownership of the topics they are passionate about, and their contributions are recognized and rewarded, further strengthening the knowledge-sharing ecosystem.
Knowledge Sharing
Knowledge Repositories
Organizational Knowledge
Viva Topics serves as a centralized repository for an organization’s knowledge assets, consolidating information from various sources and making it readily accessible to employees. This consolidated knowledge base can include everything from procedural guides and technical documentation to best practices and institutional memories.
By providing a single, unified platform for knowledge storage and retrieval, Viva Topics eliminates the challenges associated with siloed information that often plague large enterprises. Employees no longer have to navigate through multiple systems or rely on personal networks to find the information they need, improving productivity and decision-making.
Tacit Knowledge
In addition to the explicit, documented knowledge, Viva Topics also aims to capture the tacit knowledge that resides within an organization’s workforce. This tacit knowledge, often in the form of unwritten practices, experiences, and insights, can be a valuable asset but can be difficult to codify and share.
Viva Topics addresses this challenge by enabling employees to contribute their personal expertise and insights to the knowledge base. Through the curation process, employees can add their own perspectives, tips, and contextual information to the topics, transforming tacit knowledge into a shared resource.
Knowledge Transfer
Collaboration Tools
Viva Topics seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft 365 collaboration tools, such as Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, making knowledge accessible in the flow of work. Employees can discover relevant topics and information directly within the applications they use daily, reducing the friction associated with knowledge-seeking tasks.
This integration also facilitates the exchange of knowledge among employees. Colleagues can easily share topic-related content, collaborate on refining the information, and engage in discussions to further enhance the knowledge base.
Informal Learning
Viva Topics also supports informal learning within the organization. By surfacing relevant topics and expert insights, the platform encourages employees to explore new areas of knowledge, stay informed about the latest developments, and learn from their peers.
This self-directed learning approach empowers employees to take charge of their professional development, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth. As employees engage with the knowledge base, they can discover new areas of interest, identify skill gaps, and proactively seek out opportunities for upskilling and cross-training.
Content Management
Content Creation
Authoring Workflows
Viva Topics provides a streamlined authoring experience for employees contributing to the knowledge base. The platform offers intuitive tools for creating, editing, and structuring topic pages, making it easy for subject matter experts to share their knowledge.
The collaborative nature of the curation process also enables multiple contributors to work on a topic simultaneously, promoting a shared understanding and ensuring the content remains up-to-date.
Content Lifecycle
Viva Topics manages the entire content lifecycle, from initial topic identification to ongoing refinement and updates. The platform’s AI-powered algorithms continuously monitor the organization’s knowledge landscape, identifying new topics and detecting changes that warrant updates to existing content.
This dynamic approach to content management ensures that the knowledge base remains relevant and responsive to the evolving needs of the organization, providing employees with timely and accurate information.
Content Discovery
Taxonomy and Tagging
At the heart of Viva Topics’ content discovery capabilities is a robust taxonomy system. The platform’s AI-driven topic identification process leverages pre-defined taxonomies and ontologies to categorize information, making it easier for employees to navigate and find the knowledge they need.
Additionally, Viva Topics employs advanced tagging and metadata management to enhance the discoverability of content. Each topic is associated with relevant tags, subject matter experts, and other contextual information, enabling employees to quickly filter and refine their searches.
Semantic Search
Viva Topics goes beyond traditional keyword-based search, leveraging semantic search capabilities to uncover relevant knowledge. By understanding the meaning and context of the user’s query, the platform can surface related topics and information that may not have been found through a simple keyword search.
This intelligent search functionality helps employees to quickly find the most relevant knowledge, even when they may not be familiar with the specific terminology or phrasing used in the content.
IT Adoption
Change Management
User Onboarding
Successful implementation of Viva Topics requires a thoughtful user onboarding strategy. Organizations must ensure that employees are aware of the platform’s capabilities, understand how to effectively navigate and contribute to the knowledge base, and feel empowered to make the most of its features.
This onboarding process may involve a combination of training sessions, self-guided tutorials, and in-application guidance, helping employees seamlessly integrate Viva Topics into their daily workflows.
Training and Support
Ongoing training and support are also crucial for driving long-term adoption of Viva Topics. Organizations should provide employees with resources and guidance on best practices for content curation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, ensuring that the platform’s full potential is realized.
Additionally, dedicated support channels and responsive IT teams can help address any technical or usage-related questions, ensuring that employees feel confident and empowered in their use of Viva Topics.
Governance
Compliance
As with any knowledge management system, Viva Topics must adhere to strict compliance and regulatory requirements. Organizations must establish clear policies and guidelines around data privacy, information security, and content governance to ensure that sensitive or confidential information is properly managed and protected.
The integration of Viva Topics with other Microsoft 365 security and compliance features, such as Microsoft Information Protection and Microsoft Cloud App Security, can help organizations maintain a robust governance framework and mitigate potential risks.
Security and Privacy
Viva Topics’ security and privacy considerations are of paramount importance, as the platform deals with an organization’s most valuable asset – its knowledge. Robust access controls, data encryption, and audit logging features must be in place to ensure that sensitive information is protected from unauthorized access or misuse.
Furthermore, organizations should align Viva Topics’ security and privacy measures with their broader IT and data governance strategies, ensuring a comprehensive and consistent approach to information management across the enterprise.
As the digital workplace continues to evolve, the power of Microsoft Viva Topics in fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration cannot be overstated. By transforming an organization’s unstructured data into a structured, AI-powered knowledge repository, Viva Topics empowers employees to discover, curate, and share critical information, ultimately driving innovation, productivity, and success. For IT professionals and knowledge managers, embracing the capabilities of Viva Topics can be a game-changer in their quest to unlock the full potential of their organization’s collective intelligence.
