Social Media Primer (Part 2): The Juggernaut is Bigger than You Think

Do you think ...

 

a) the terms social media and marketing can be used interchangeably?

b) social media’s main (or only) applications are marketing/branding, sales, customer service and/or public relations?

c) social media is primarily for consumer-focused (BtoC) businesses?

d) social media and social networking mean the same thing?

e) the social media universe is comprised mainly of public social network services like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions – and especially if you answered yes to all of them – you need to read this blog entry!

 

Click here or scroll to the bottom of this entry to access the SlideShare version

 

Parts 1 & 2 of the Social Media Primer part were updated in December 2010

Click here to access the update on the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog  

Click here to access the update on SlideShare

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UPDATE: Book Coming Soon...

Rather than continuing to develop the Primer in parts, I've decided to concentrate my efforts on creating a book (click here for details). In addition to writing new material, I plan to consolidate and edit the existing Primer parts, as well as other related posts (e.g., this piece on Twitter “worst practices” and this piece on Social Screening). To stay current about the book’s development and release later this year, please join SMinOrgs on one of its platforms (see links in the left column), subscribe to the blog, and/or add your name to the mailing list (see links in the right column).

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In part 1 of this primer, I clarified the distinctions between social media, web 2.0, and social networking. In parts 2 and 3, my goal is to help people understand that the potential impact of social media on organizations, especially in the form of 2.0 technologies, is far greater than many people currently realize. The external applications of social media via the public social networks may be garnering most of the attention today, but they represent the tip of a very large iceberg. When all is said and done, these applications will be dwarfed by all the other ways social media will impact how goals are achieved in organizations.

 

That’s not to say that the external applications being emphasized today are unimportant. The focus on marketing/branding, sales, customer service, and public relations via the public social networks is critical in helping us see what’s possible and in creating the cultural and conversational shifts necessary to enable individuals and organizations to approach the work that’s done inside organizations in new and more effective ways. These applications are blazing important trails.

 

In a similar fashion, although the dominant assumption is that social media is best applied in the for-profit sector, to transform the ways that organizations that have a BtoC focus interact with their customers, the reality is that every organizational type can potentially leverage new technologies to pursue their strategic goals and objectives. I’ll address this idea in greater detail in part 4 of the primer, but for now it’s important to remember that virtually all of the ideas discussed in parts 2 and 3 of the primer can be applied across all organizational types.

 

In part 3 of the primer I’ll address the ramifications of social media inside organizations, including management, legal, training, and IT considerations. But first I want to provide a high-level overview of the intra-organizational applications of social media. Because my intent is to provide a big-picture introduction that emphasizes the breadth of the potential transformative impact of social media, this overview is necessarily a mile wide and an inch deep. If you would like to learn more about any of these applications, I encourage you to join the SMinOrgs Community, especially our LinkedIn group, where resources on each are shared regularly. 

General Applications

The general applications of social media technologies inside organizations are knowledge management and the employee intranet. Some people may consider private social networks as another general application, but ultimately these networks are likely to be integrated into the knowledge management/intranet applications rather than functioning independently. From an organizational perspective, to maximize efficiency and effectiveness, that should be the goal.

 

Knowledge Management 2.0

 

The potential for exploiting 2.0 technologies to enhance knowledge management has already been acknowledged by many, most notably Andrew McAfee, the author of Enterprise 2.0. These technologies can facilitate knowledge management through the use of tools such as technical wikis, blogs by subject matter experts, project management platforms, chat rooms, discussion groups, microblogging and messaging. The potential benefits of using these tools can be realized at multiple levels. Examples include the following:

 

Organizational

• Capturing institutional memory and know-how
• Facilitating knowledge transfer
• Keeping knowledge current through real-time updates
• Reducing unnecessary redundancies and data storage requirements

Group and Interpersonal

• Identifying and leveraging subject matter experts
• Developing communities of practice for technical issues, specific products/services, individual clients, etc.
• Enhancing collaboration across functional areas and geographic boundaries
• Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of communication processes
• Bridging generational differences

Individual

• Increasing efficiency, effectiveness and productivity
• Expanding knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Enhancing employee empowerment and engagement

In addition to enhancing knowledge management from a purely intra-organizational perspective, 2.0 tools can also be used in an area that has not yet been explored or developed in a significant way: boundary-spanning communities. These communities, which can be located behind the firewall, provide a terrific opportunity to explore ways to improve existing products and services, as well as to develop and test new ideas. They can be especially valuable to organizations that have a BtoB business model and/or to work on proprietary initiatives before they’re ready to be shared in the public domain.

 

Intranet 2.0

 

Recognition of the potential to use 2.0 technologies to improve organizational intranets is still developing. Lots of organizations still don’t have first-generation intranets, and for many that do, the reality of intranet 1.0 has hardly met its intended promise. That promise can now be realized through the implementation of 2.0 technologies such as the creation and maintenance of a private social network for employees, leader blogs, administrative wikis, chat rooms, discussion groups, microblogging and messaging. The potential benefits of leveraging these technologies include the following:

 

Organizational

• Keeping information current through real-time updates
• Reducing printing and production costs for employee communications
• Reducing unnecessary redundancies and data storage requirements
• Maximizing flexibility to modify communication strategies and approaches when goals and objectives change
• Promoting cultural values and keeping employees informed about the organization’s strategic direction and priorities

Group and Interpersonal

• Freeing up the time of administrative services (e.g., IT, HR, purchasing) to focus on more complex issues
• Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of communication processes
• Bridging generational and other cultural differences

Individual

• Increasing usability, usefulness, and USE of the intranet
• Addressing diverse needs and desires of employee populations
• Increasing employee satisfaction and morale
• Promoting individual responsibility and initiative
• Enhancing employee empowerment and engagement

 

Specific Human Capital Applications 

Knowledge management and intranet systems that incorporate 2.0 technologies can be leveraged in a variety of ways. One of the most significant ways is with respect to how an organization interacts and communicates with current, past, and future employees. When combined with the use of public social networks, 2.0-based internal systems can change virtually every aspect of human capital management.

 

Talent Management 2.0

 

With respect to talent management, the area that has made the most advances in leveraging 2.0 technologies is recruiting/talent acquisition, followed closely by learning management.

 

Talent Acquisition. Talent acquisition has leveraged 2.0 technologies primarily by capitalizing on the information and communication channels offered by the public social networks. These networks, especially LinkedIn and Twitter, are being used to post jobs, as well as to search for, learn about, and communicate with candidates. Organizations are also recognizing the potential value of using other social media platforms – like YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook – to promote their employment brand and provide candidates with more information about their culture, employees, and organizational activities. Some organizations are also incorporating 2.0 elements into their applicant management systems to allow for more efficient and effective interaction between candidates and recruiting staff. And some employers are recognizing the value of alumni networks to maintain strong relationships with former employees who may return and/or can provide referrals from their professional networks to enable the organization to fill future openings.

 

Learning Management. Learning management systems are beginning to incorporate 2.0 technologies in many of the ways described above with respect to knowledge management. Organizations that recognize the value of informal learning in particular can use their knowledge management capabilities to create practice groups, identify and leverage subject matter experts, and facilitate problem solving and collaboration. Organizations are also increasingly incorporating 2.0 technologies into the development and delivery of specific training, and are allowing employees to play an enhanced role in identifying their knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as their needs and desires for future training. When connected to individual profiles on an organization’s intranet, it may finally be possible to develop and maintain a more complete and accurate skills database.

 

In addition to talent acquisition and learning management applications, there are a number of other ways in which 2.0 technologies can be leveraged that have not yet been explored or exploited in any significant way. These applications include new employee orientation/onboarding, career development, and leadership development.

 

New Employee Orientation/Onboarding. Helping new employees make the transition into their roles and responsibilities, as well as learning the culture of the organization and the way things are done, is a great application for 2.0 technologies. Virtual new hire groups can be formed in the intranet, with chat and/or discussion features that allow them to help each other navigate their initial experiences. The intranet can also be used to facilitate virtual buddy systems and/or mentors. And “new hire” wikis can focus on the things that are most important for new employees to learn and know.

 

Career Development. As noted above, the implementation of 2.0 technologies, particularly those that allow employees to create and maintain their own organizational profiles, can enhance an organization’s efforts at helping employees develop themselves as professionals and manage their careers. With a more complete and accurate skills database and employees who have better tools and more motivation to engage, organizations will be able to assess the skills of their workforces more efficiently and effectively. When combined with a dynamic organizational structure system, individuals will be able to identify potential career paths and prepare for them. More effective systems that are better populated with current and accurate employee data provide a stronger foundation for organizations to create more reliable and flexible succession plans. And as noted above, organizations can enhance their mentoring systems by adding more opportunities and channels through which mentors and protégés can communicate with one another, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their interactions.

 

Leadership Development. There are several ways in which the implementation of 2.0 technologies can enhance an organization’s leadership development efforts. Leadership blogs, for example, can help more junior leaders learn from the philosophies and styles and experiences of more senior leaders. Leaders at all levels can form virtual support groups with their peers to discuss specific challenges and opportunities in more efficient and effective ways. Both within specific tiers and across tiers, leaders can also form groups to share best practices. And of course junior leaders can access leader wikis and/or other tools to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to increase their effectiveness and be more successful.

 

Human Resources Administration and Internal Communication 2.0

 

Two of the most under-developed areas with respect to the implementation of 2.0 technologies are Human Resources (HR) administration and employee communications. Like the other applications discussed above, however, there are a number of significant ways in which these areas can be enhanced by leveraging social media, including benefits administration, health and wellness initiatives, and general HR, communications and payroll activities. Specific applications and benefits include the following:

 

• Combining 2.0 technologies with digital technologies allows organizations to provide a central repository of information (e.g., employee handbook, policies and procedures, benefit plan details) that is current and easily accessible, and significantly reduces production, printing and distribution costs. Up-to-date forms can also be accessed conveniently and in real time, using self-service approaches. 
• Leveraging wikis is a great way to educate employees and increase their self-sufficiency in obtaining answers to their questions. Providing better and easier access to current information enables employees to take more responsibility for managing various aspects of their employment and make more informed decisions.
• The new communication channels connected to the intranet enable HR to provide reminders about upcoming deadlines more efficiently and effectively, using channels that employees prefer. And many of these channels can also be used for dialogue between employees and HR staff to address specific questions.
• When the intranet can be accessed remotely, an employee and/or his her spouse – who may be the primary decision maker in the family – has access to the information he/she needs around the clock.
• Employees can form interest and support groups that focus on extra-curricular activities and/or specific issues that may affect them or a loved one.
• Using various 2.0 communication tools, organizations can engage in real-time dialogue with employees, in addition to facilitating dialogue (or multi-logues) among the employees themselves. Talking at can truly be replaced with talking with, and the conversations can evolve in more organic, dynamic and meaningful ways. 

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier, this overview is not intended to be exhaustive, but hopefully I’ve achieved my goal of conveying the breadth of the potential applications and benefits of leveraging social media inside organizations. If something seems unclear, please let me know. And please feel free to add to the overview by sharing your thoughts on potential applications and/or benefits. I look forward to your feedback!

 

Social Media Primer Part 2 - from the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog

View more presentations from Courtney Hunt.

Comments

[Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD]

Thanks to SMinOrgs Community Manager Heidi Burkley for sharing the following article with me: http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/27/06/73/index.php. It's a great example of many of these ideas in practice!

Note: you need to be a member to access the article, but memberships are free.

[Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD]

Here's another piece that demonstrates how the ideas above can be implementd: http://stevemurthey.com/2010/03/30/social-media-for-open-enrollment-and-ongoing-benefits-communication/?goback=%2Envr_3761_5

If you know of other great examples, please share them by adding a comment. I know folks would appreciate having concrete examples. Thanks!

[@DianaWei]

Awesome! Love how you list Organizational, Group and Interpersonal, Individual Accomplishments. Is that how you are measuring or creating your goals?

I understand tracking is a different situation. Do you have a blog post leading to tracking your goals?

Thanks again for this awesome post, found it via SocialMediaToday:
5 Differences Between Social Media and Social Networking
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/194754

--@DianaWei
www.facebook.com/halfemptywallet

[Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD]

Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Diana. I really appreciate it.

I refer to monitoring and measurement in Part 7 of the primer (http://tiny.cc/SMinOrgsPrimer7), but I haven't had a chance to address that issue exclusively. It's on the list, though! If you subscribe to the blog and/or the SMinOrgs mailing list, you'll get notified as soon as it (and other parts of the primer) are published.

Thanks again.

[content writing]

Thanks for sharing the ways on how to do it. I have a small business and I use social media. I'm the only one who maintains it, I do the blogging, the articles, etc. And I always seek for an online advise and tips. And I find your blog so useful and helpful.

[lubricant oil]

Helpful advises above. I have noticed that many people are using twitter for marketing. I would love to try this too for my business.

[Gwendolyn19Brady]

Some time ago, I did need to buy a good house for my corporation but I didn't earn enough cash and could not order anything. Thank goodness my brother suggested to get the business loans from reliable bank. So, I did that and used to be satisfied with my sba loan.

[Nur Indah HL Murni]

Is there any way for me to get this skill? thank you