Microsoft SharePoint can contribute to more streamlined processes in the workplace. Eventthough this is the case, it is hard to change employee actions and perception. The following five tips will help your workforce adapt and accept portals as collaborative, successful ways of working.

Each organization will have its own unique culture, which can become a fundamental driving force. Portals such as SharePoint shift the way that people work -- for the better, but the culture change that occurs can be exhausting. In order to alleviate some of these challenges, Fast Track IT Training(http://fasttrackitc.com/sp2.html) suggests:

1. Create compelling reasons for employees to go to the sharepoint portal

Is the employee's day made easier or more productive? What action does the sharepoint portal cut from multiple steps down to one? The ability to automate a single report /notification or recover a lost document can be big wins in the eyes of many end users. Managers need to find out what works for their department teams. Find out what works good and use those methods and tools. Adapt to what works best -- if a team likes discussion boards, managers should encourage their use explicitly.

2. Make the sharepoint portal the "front door" to the business

Put everything an employee needs on the sharepoint portal (HR docs, phone numbers, certifications, documents, benefits, project management information). If someone is not using the sharepoint portal, they are not really part of the business. Use security trimming that keeps in mind the different audiences within your business (executives, managers, admins, etc.) toinsure that the experience is relevant for the employee at every click.

3. Lead as an example: Management adoption

Having management adoption and frequent use are keys to corporate culture change and existence. Simple managerial acknowledgement goes a long way to rewarding the sharepoint collaborative effort. Management needs to care and want to participate in the sharepoint portal. Blog postings by the CEO and awards for content and use are just a couple ways management can show they support the company's decision to use  sharepoint collaborative technology.

4. Create an defined taxonomy organization tree

It's important to not have too many loose files hanging everywhere. From the outset, anyone who is organizing a shared sharepoint portal should have a clear understanding of the files the company uses and how best to organize them using folder structures and metadata.

Once that structure is in place, the organizer/administrator should promote sending links as opposed to attachments. Employees should navigate to the work as opposed to pushing the work around while leveraging key features of sharepoint such as check in/check out and version history. As a consequence, a whole series of great things may happen. Corporate memory may happen. If one person leaves, they don't take the information with them. If a new person comes on board, there is a method to the chaos and madness -- this makes for an easier learning curve.

5. It's OK to have  a little fun

Items such as sports updates, what's for lunch, webinars/classes, upcoming events, photos of the day, etc. alongside the business data are all great draws to the sharepoint portal. It's crucial to create the attention that will pull employees towards the sharepoint portal.