Decentralise your web team

In a time when many web teams are feeling increasing budget pressure, I’m beginning to see talented web people emerge in positions throughout the organisation; not just in the central web team. Departmental managers have prioritised web experience when hiring recently and seen it as an opportunity to take control and get things done on the web. However, this has rarely happened with the blessings of the web team, which have been concerned that they would lose power.

Web teams and web managers in particular have always worked hard to balance the needs and priorities of the organisation with influential departmental managers and their many initiatives. In general, many web managers tend to feel a lack of support. Most organisations have had their fair share of non-coordinated web initiatives, e.g. for smaller events, campaigns, local country sites or other activities. Often, departments with a sizable budget and organisational clout have decided not to follow the usual complex procedures for launching a new web site. Instead they have simply gone ahead with their own independant web project.

A decentral web team might offer the fast track that some influential managers need for their projects. However, if you don’t have the appropriate governance and management structures in place, having decentralised web people could well cause havoc and also be a real threat to the central web team.

Lisa Welchman points out that it is high time to start managing the web and stop playing around. Success very often depends on trust and good relations with management. Decentralised colleagues will be well-placed to bring on a better understanding of their local and specific requirements together with a helpful perspective on some of your stakeholders. A decentralised team can be turned into a competitive advantage for the entire organisation. If you are the corporate Web Manager, you can work with the local resources to get more things done. Well-informed colleagues should really be considered a valuable ressource rather than a liability.

I encourage you to embrace those in your organisation that are experienced and willing to make a difference.