1.1. VeriSign's Goals for a Technical Community

To engage employees and build connections among them, we needed a program that would cross organizational boundaries to help the globally distributed workforce meet the company's mission. The program we launched was called the VeriSign Technical Community. This community included all technical employees, representing all engineering disciplines as well as technical project management and technical management, who came together both face to face at an annual symposium and virtually, through an online platform called the Matrix.

The VeriSign Technical Community program had several goals:

Improve employee engagement, professional development, and job satisfaction. Engaged employees feel a sense of purpose and connection with the corporate mission. They invest their free time in the company and increase morale by exciting others. They are also less likely to leave and more likely to care deeply about their work. To feel a sense of engagement, employees need opportunities and a platform to share their ideas, accomplishments, and plans. And those who truly excel need rewards and recognition.

Foster a culture of knowledge sharing, collaboration (within and across projects), joint problem solving, and innovation. People may be naturally inclined to work together, but the company must help employees find one another, form lasting connections, and, perhaps most important, develop trust in one another. Trust is especially essential for innovation; employees will not share their new ideas unless they feel safe doing so.

Better integrate newly acquired, geographically dispersed companies. When new groups show up on an org chart armed with nothing more than a press release, a new set of benefits, and a new logo on their paycheck, there are many more questions than answers. Legacy employees may not seem interested in the new acquisition, and the new employees may feel isolated, unsure how they fit in and what to do to fix the situation. Giving all employees ways to connect and share is essential to a more complete and functional integration.