Knowledge Management projects live or die on the quantity and quality of information that system users share. Intuitively, the higher percentage of users participate would seem like a critical factor. This is one of the situations where intuition can lead you astray

Pareto’s Law: The 80-20 Rule

A century ago, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that roughly 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Roughly 80% of the peas came from 20% of the pea pods in his garden. The Pareto Principle, also known as the “80-20 rule,” or “the law of the vital few” is believed to at least very roughly apply across a wide variety of endeavors: 80% of the arrests come from 20% of police officers, 80% of sales come from 20% of customers, and so on. 

Most likely, your intranet contributors will sort themselves out similarly. The more contributors the better, but it’s not a mark of failure if a relatively small number provide a disproportionate share of the value. Don’t fall into the trap of spending too much time trying to motivate the unmotivatable. Concentrate on getting a healthy level of contributions from your “vital few,” and don’t be too disappointed if most contribute little.