Fluor Connects Its Global Workforce And Drives Innovation With IBM Social Business Software

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Jan 29, 2013, 08:00 ET

ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR), a global leader in engineering, construction and project management, is using IBM social business technology to connect its global workforce, unifying its 43,000 employees around the world. Fluor Corporation is using IBM social software to empower its workforce to more effectively communicate, collaborate and spur innovation across its construction sites and engineering offices.

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Fluor attributes its industry leadership in the engineering and construction market to the innovation and creativity of its employees who help to design, build and maintain many of the world's most challenging and complex capital projects. The ability to share knowledge and expertise across the organization in real-time is crucial when decisions need to be made at a moment's notice on a job site.

Using IBM's industry leading enterprise social networking platform, employees across 60 global office locations on six continents are now united, able to find colleagues with unique expertise to develop and implement innovative solutions for project issues in diverse industries, including chemicals and petrochemicals, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, power, renewable energy and much more. By helping its engineers, professional staff and construction workers collaborate, Fluor is encouraging a deeper level of innovation and knowledge among its workforce.

In a matter of weeks, more than half of Fluor's global workforce joined the social networking platform, uploading profile pictures, detailing expertise and making new connections. The intranet, powered by IBM Connections and IBM WebSphere Portal, contains more than 11 news and information portals and more than 1,200 collaboration spaces with almost 2,000 active forum participants in the Connections tool allowing the Fluor workforce to be more collaborative, responsive and innovative. They are unlocking new sources of value every day.

"In 2012, Fluor celebrated its Centennial, prompting us to evaluate how to maintain an edge in an increasingly competitive global marketplace," said Say Lim, vice president of IT, Fluor Corporation. "A social intranet powered by IBM is transforming how we do business and creating a more connected workforce across departments, geographies and the world."

Today, organizations that are using social technology to engage and empower their employees are improving productivity and unleashing innovation to gain competitive advantage. According to a recent report, people-focused businesses generated 26 percent more revenue per employee and had 40 percent lower turnover rates.*

"Social business has really changed the way organizations of all kinds interact with their clients and their employees," said Alistair Rennie, general manager, Social Business, IBM. "Today, organizations are thinking entirely differently about how to activate employees to drive business outcome. Social business is driving a smarter workforce. When you've got a smarter workforce, you're changing the way the core processes in your business run, leveraging the incredible talent in your organization to meet your clients' most critical needs."

For more information about IBM's social business initiative and creating a smarter workforce, please visit http://www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness or follow #IBMSocialBiz and #IBMConnect on Twitter.

*Bersin by Deloitte, "The Science of Fit: Using Psychology to Replicate High Performance," May 2011, Research ID: 14037

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SOURCE IBM