See why culture-fit is key to intranet adoption and how to design SharePoint for real engagement .
A SharePoint intranet is a secure, internal website built on Microsoft SharePoint that helps employees communicate, collaborate, and access resources. It serves as the digital front door to your organization, housing everything from news and HR policies to department-specific dashboards and shared files.
But too often, intranets are underutilized, clunky, or ignored altogether. Why? Because they don’t feel relevant to the people using them.
Intranet adoption isn't just about technology—it's about people. When a SharePoint intranet reflects your company’s internal culture—its values, tone, structure, and workflows—it becomes far more than a tool. It becomes a trusted, daily resource.
Signs Your Intranet Doesn’t Match Your Culture:
An intranet should feel like your company. It should speak your language, support your workflows, and highlight what makes your team unique.
Here are practical steps to align your SharePoint intranet with your company culture and boost team engagement:
Interview team leaders, HR, marketing, and IT to understand how they work and what they need. Ask:
What tools do they use most?
What frustrates them about the current intranet?
What should the intranet do to make their work easier?
Tip: If you're a company in regions like the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic U.S., include geographically relevant tools and resources.
Use your brand’s colors, fonts, tone, and voice. Incorporate team photos, employee spotlights, and local office updates. If your company is casual and people-first, let that personality shine through in the design and content.
One-size-fits-all rarely works. Build departmental hubs that speak directly to teams like:
HR – Onboarding, policies, and benefits
Marketing – Campaign calendars, brand assets
Sales – Battlecards, playbooks, lead dashboards
Finance – Budget tools, forecasts, reports
Make Navigation Intuitive
Employees should be able to find what they need in two clicks or less. Use audience-targeted navigation and personalized content by role or region.
Example: For a growing company with offices in Atlanta and Denver, consider localizing news or alerts by location.
Integrate Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Planner, and Power BI to encourage seamless collaboration inside SharePoint. Let your intranet become the launchpad for cross-functional productivity.
Don’t launch it and leave it. Promote your intranet in company-wide meetings, offer quick training videos, and collect regular feedback. Make continuous updates based on how teams evolve.
When your SharePoint intranet aligns with your company’s internal culture and structure, you’ll see:
Higher engagement and content usage
Fewer shadow IT systems and rogue file sharing
Improved collaboration across departments
Faster onboarding and clearer communication
More scalable knowledge sharing as your company grows
If your business operates in regions like the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Atlanta, or Denver, you may have hybrid or multi-site operations. A culturally-aligned SharePoint intranet can bridge those geographic gaps—keeping regional offices informed while uniting them under a shared brand and strategy.
SharePoint is powerful—but only when it's designed with your people in mind. If your intranet reflects your culture, supports your teams, and evolves with your growth, it won't just be used—it will be relied on.
Talk to our digital workplace consultants to explore how to build an intranet that fits your organization and grows with your business.