Commonly, in human communication theory, people of a like group develop what is referred to as a closed language or closed dialect. This is as true of a generic dating couple, transcending nation, culture, or race, as it is of entire socially isolated tribes in say…, Papua New Guinea. We use words within the context of our group which represent the understanding upheld by those within the borders defined by that mass. For example, I can get away with telling my good friends to “Go to Hell”…and they’ll get the implied meaning of the phrase without becoming anxious or guarded. Not that my imposing 5′9 frame should present such threat, but, you get the idea. This is very much part of the same idea that a company which has become ‘Process-Aware’ would begin to use certain specific dialect or language as an internal sign that practice is maturing.

If you have made the decision to include ‘Process’, as defined by Eric, as a means to get the most from your web analytics investment, then you probably have an idea about the steps. The blueprint is simple but the work is hard, and knowing how to see where you’ve brought your practice to may require metrics of its own. The purpose of this post is to help illustrate a behavior which people exhibit in their communication which may help to define the progress of your adaptation by simple observations.

In eCommerce; the marketing department, business intelligence department, or an entire small business usually has a group of people who share similar goals. As a retailer, the primary goal is to sell a product above its costs to the extent that when all considerations are made, a portion of money remains to sustain the livelihood and lifestyle of the investors, shareholders, and resource contributors. With these shared goals come discussions about goals and how success is measured. With discussions come descriptive, business and operations specific language which affirms goal alignment and participates in something called “uncertainty reduction“. By reducing risk and uncertainty, communication becomes more clear and ideas flow freely without the risk of tangles in semantics or other noise. Language, essentially closes within the group.

Simply stated, this is the cycle in an interpersonal relationship when two persons are getting to know each other. When this is applied to a group, it is referred to as ‘Organizational Learning’. This is defined as an organization which..”actively creates, captures, transfers, and mobilizes knowledge to enable it to adapt to a changing environment.”(2) This, itself is a process.

As a web analyst, the idea of instituting process to gather, organize, and disseminate information for its use for valuable improvement is both cyclical and self-seeding. Our reports are built on information which we have ensured for accuracy, structured and analyzed for purpose. Our scheduled delivery becomes essential and regular for the fulfillment of the practice expectations from our group of readers. It meets with its audience on a level with which they can both comprehend, and inspires action for the best outcome of the group. (This is John Stuart Mill’s principle of Utilitarianism) The result is, that, with consistent value being wielded for the improvement of their own success and the success of the organization (’Game Theory’), that its content becomes useful and relative. As these messages are reinforced, the behavior of the social structure continues to align. With the alignment of goals and the advent of group communication, feedback begins to trickle in to the analyst. The feedback ought to reflect a dialect which was initially sown. (NOTE: Any feedback is a sign of adoption, but valuable feedback is a sign of adoption & success.)