Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community

The Social Media Garden: A 2.0 Organizational Research Study

"What do you think are the main barriers for organizations in embracing social media practices and what ideas do you have for overcoming them?" This is the question at the heart of a public research study being conducted by Silverman Research, which uses a social research methodology rather than a survey format to capture and develop collective insights on important questions. Everyone is able to view and evaluate the responses from others, in addition to contributing their own perspective.

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As the Founder of the Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community, I am pleased to offer my support to this project. I learned about the study when Michael Silverman posted an invitation to participate in the SMinOrgs LI group. Obviously, the question is one that is near and dear to my heart, but I am also very impressed with and intrigued by his approach to building a dataset and representing the results.

I invite everyone to enter the Garden, take a stroll through the responses shared by others, and plant a bloom of your own!

- Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD

 

Study Overview and Invitation

The Social Media Garden is an open-access research project that has been designed to generate insight about the barriers organisations face in adopting social media practices – and solutions to overcome them. This new approach to online research eliminates unmanageable lists of comments and uses data visualizations to help participants navigate the conversation and develop their understanding. Algorithms then rapidly filter insightful comments based on input from other participants. Here’s a screenshot of a typical page:

 

Of course, there is already a mounting body of research on the use of social media in organizations. However, none of these studies have been conducted using social media methodologies. When one considers the opportunities provided by social technologies to share information, develop ideas and generate insight, I find it immensely frustrating that so much social research is still conducted using surveys. For all the big consultancies, research agencies and academics espousing the benefits of social media, it’s unfortunate that they have stuck to a standard survey approach. This is one the few research studies on social media in organizations to employ a social media approach. We therefore expect to produce many new insights that would not be possible using traditional survey approaches.

The study is being sponsored by Unilever to help push forward the social media agenda in organizations, and to build on their efforts to “social mediatize” employee research across the company (see below for more information on the methodology). The Garden will be open throughout February 2012 and has already received over 450 participants. A full report of the overall research findings will be publically available towards the end of March 2012. All participants will be emailed a copy of the report (containing a combined text, sentiment and statistical analysis), which will also be available on the Social Media Garden website. Please click here to enter the garden and plant your bloom.

A leaderboard of the top authors will be posted in the Garden towards the end of the project. Currently, the top author is ‘philwoodford,’ who wrote:

The two biggest factors preventing organisations embracing social media are: (1) Difficulty in measuring return on investment (2) Fear of loss of control Using social media successfully requires an investment of time and human resources. If organisations cannot see or quantify an immediate and obvious return, they get nervous. Social media is profoundly democratic. This takes power away from managers, marketers, HR professionals and others within the organisation that might be expected to sponsor its growth. Both of these factors will become less of an issue with each passing year, as social media becomes more and more embedded in the fabric of business and society as a whole. Business owners and managers who are resistant to change probably won't be convinced and there's little that can be done to shape their attitudes. The world will simply change around them.

 

Methodological Background

Despite their prevalence, surveys are riddled with problems. The most serious of which, and the one that is most often overlooked, is that they are incredibly boring for participants and consistently fail to provide participants with a compelling and engaging experience. The fact that participants complete surveys in isolation provides people with a very solitary experience. Worse still, a valuable opportunity is missed to capture the insight that comes from measuring what people think of other participants’ comments. This is where surveys really fall down. If participants knew their comment would be available for others evaluate, they would not only be more likely to write a response, they would also be more likely to write a thoughtful and considered response.

In addition, if participants are able to evaluate others’ comments, it becomes possible to identify the authentic voice of that community and see what themes are achieving consensus. Text analysis software is great, but we often forget that we have an even more powerful text analysis tool than any computer – the combined wisdom of our brains. I like to think of this as a form of crowd-sourced text analysis.

However, linear lists of comments that are used in traditional discussion forums and message boards are difficult to navigate and soon become unmanageable as the number of participants increases. This means that many comments never get read. Coupled with the widespread use of over-simplistic binary thumbs-up or five-star ratings, lists favor early birds or those with extreme views and conceal the real diversity of opinion.

Unilever was one of the first organizations to employ this approach internally, using a pre-cursor to the Social Media Garden called “Opinion Space” (see screen shot below). This project engaged Unilever’s 1,800-strong international assignee employees in providing feedback and suggestions to improve its policies for this community. The project won two HR industry awards and has led to the adoption of this approach to employee research and collaboration in different parts of the business.

 

In addition to providing new insight into the use of social media in organizations, we also hope that the Social Media Garden will raise awareness of new ways of generating insight and facilitating mass collaboration.

Michael Silverman is Managing Director of Silverman Research, a company specializing in applying social media principles to social research. A psychologist and organizational research specialist, he was previously Global Head of Employee Research at Unilever.

 

For more information please contact: michael.silverman@silvermanresearch.com

 

The Social Workplace: The Future is Now

In this SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog guest post, Jerry Carducci offers his thoughts on the future of the social workplace. Building on the ideas in the latest S.M.A.R.T. News Digest – Social Media and the Workplace - What’s In Store for 2012? – he anticipates the impact of new digital technologies on organizational culture, employer branding, consumer listening, and organizational policies.

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As a follower of social media in the workplace, one thing remains clear: many organizational leaders are still apprehensive about social media’s potential to enhance operational effectiveness, increase stakeholder value and engage employees. 

We’ve seen how the global community used social media to connect and gain support for humanitarian and political issues. What if your organization could generate that same strength of internal community to enhance its value propositions for current and future stakeholders? What if your organization could unleash its hidden talents and creativity through an open, engaging and collaborative environment that increases value and competitive advantage? 

Looking at 2012 and beyond, more organizations will start using social media as a way to optimize the power of consumer-based networks to increase productivity, communications and collaboration. We should see changes in four core areas:

• The “Social Workplace.”  The “social workplace” constitutes the next generation of organizational change, combining social technical tools, culture and physical design to enhance communications and create a structure that is flexible, collaborative and connected to the organization’s mission, values and goals. Geneca, an IT consultancy in Chicago, provides one example of how this can be done (see: Corporate Culture Meets the Digital Era).

• “Employer Branding.”  Employer branding connects the organization to the talent market by providing not only a realistic view of the culture, expectations and work-life within the organization, but also the social and community involvement aspects. Organizations will begin to heighten their focus on employer branding through LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to create a community of followers and attract the right talent.  Involvement will grow to extend beyond Human Resource roles to include front line leaders and employees in all functional areas.

(Editor’s note: for more on social media and recruiting, see Recruiting in the Digital Era: Updated Guidance for Employers, Recruiters, and Candidates).

• “Social Listening.”  Consumer review sites are replacing formal “Focus Groups” in providing continuous qualitative feedback. Social listening represents analysis of feedback from these sites and using it as a source of continuous improvement, innovation and a means to identify hidden opportunities to increase value.  As a result, the role of the “social analyst” will evolve to include not only technical and intuitive analytical skills, but also product, process and internal operational savvy in aggregating, organizing and communicating information in a way that is meaningful throughout the organization.

• Formalization of Social Media Policies. As use of social media grows internally, formalization of policies, etiquette and training will become more prevalent. In her blog post entitled, A Matter of Policy: Protecting Employees and Your Brand on Social Media, Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann provides a practical, commonsense approach.

(Editor’s note: for more on social media policies, see Social Media Policies: Necessary but Not Sufficient).

The term “Value” has evolved to represent the total experience for consumers and employees alike. And creating value in today’s environment is a strategic imperative, requiring organizations to be continuously connected, engaging and transparent in ways that generate loyalty and a positive experience. Social media provides the means to establish the necessary formal and informal connections.

However, understanding how social media can change the way an enterprise does business and engages employees is a complex undertaking.  Leaders must fully understand their culture, mission and value system – and how their organization really works. Most importantly, they must select the right social media platforms to support and achieve their organization’s objectives.

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Gerald E. (Jerry) Carducci is the President of Carducci & Associate,; an organizational consultancy that helps small and mid-sized businesses energize their workplaces through a supportive culture and progressive people practices. He is a widely published author and guest editor for the Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) S.M.A.R.T. Blog, where he explores the use of social media as a means to enhance internal communication, collaboration and processes. He is also a frequent guest on WGN Radio.

12 Hopes for 2012: Enhanced Adoption of Digital Technologies

As the Digital Era progresses, technological capabilities continue to outstrip our willingness and ability to address the opportunities and challenges they present. In this post from the Digital Era Thinkers Blog, I offer 12 hopes for 2012 that are rooted in the psychological challenges we face and are built on our willingness – both individually and collectively – to tackle them in thought, word, and deed. As always, I welcome input from others.

Click here to read the post.

via www.gcdel.org

The “End” of Email: Reflections from a Digital Era Thinker

A recent statement made by Thierry Breton, CEO of Atos, about the "elimination" of email at the company churned up quite a bit of controversy in cyberspace. Many of the pieces sharing the news included misinformation, and much of the commentary reflected misunderstanding. This post clarifies what Atos is actually doing, offers insights on why it’s the right move, reflects on some of the reasons for resistance, and highlights the importance of strong leadership in enabling organizations to move ahead in the Digital Era.

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Last week there were a number of articles and blog posts about “the end of email” after news of a statement by the CEO of Atos (a large French technology company) went viral. Almost all of these items generated a number of impassioned responses rejecting the use of “social” tools and defending the use of email for a variety of purposes.

Unfortunately, many of the pieces written about the announcement included sensationalistic headlines and/or misinformation, and many people took the news quite literally – which seemed to cause much of the harsh, knee-jerk reactions. So let’s start by clarifying what CEO Thierry Breton was really referring to:

• His decision was focused on internal email only.
• Atos will not be using a public platform like Facebook for internal communication. Rather, they will use similar tools that are designed for private social networking.
• Atos will not replace email with internal social networking and instant messaging exclusively. The idea is to leverage a variety of 2.0 tools to improve employees’ ability to communicate and collaborate.

Expanding on the third point, many of the comments I read seemed to reflect a poor understanding of the kinds of communication and collaboration tools that are now available for organizations of all types (not just large, high-tech firms). Social business platforms can certainly include social networking and real-time chat features, but those are just two of the many capabilities most of them offer (for more on social business technologies and their applications, check out slides 7-19 in this presentation). With respect to the replacement of email in particular, the key features to focus on include asynchronous chat streams (including status updates and microblogging), discussion forums, wikis, file sharing and editing, and the ability to create centralized group and project worksites.

It’s probably unfortunate that terms like social business, social enterprise, and social intranet have emerged to describe the application of 2.0 technologies inside organizations. Many people interpret words like “social” and “chat” to indicate frivolity, shallowness, time wasting and a lack of professionalism. Arguing about semantics can be such a distraction, but relabeling and reframing the tools may help skeptics get over their resistance and focus on their “work value.” We could, for example, refer to:

• Private Digital Networks r/t Internal Social Networks
• Quick Collaboration or Quick Exchange r/t Chat
• Announcements and Queries r/t Status Updates

 

Email’s Inefficiencies

In many respects, email can be considered the granddaddy of today’s social business tools – it certainly meets the basic definition of social media I shared in Part 1 of the Social Media Primer (updated here). But, relatively speaking, it’s fairly unsophisticated and clunky. And, more importantly, it’s often misused and abused.

Given its inefficiencies, the goal behind shifting away from email is a valid one. For example:

• Lots of exchanges (e.g., when/where do you want to meet?) don't need to be preserved, and each message in the back and forth gets saved, causing lots of unnecessary duplication. Having a centralized chat feature - which can be asynchronous - can eliminate that.
• For cases where the conversation should be preserved, a centralized discussion thread is probably more appropriate than dozens of email exchanges with duplicate – and often disconnected – content. Not only does a single discussion thread save resources and minimize confusion, it's also easily accessible to/by others for whom the discussion may be relevant.
• Exchanging documents via email is a colossal waste, and it can create a lot of confusion. Rather than passing a document around, it's better to put the document in a central, shared location and let people come to it. Doing so is not only more efficient, it also better enables people to know what the latest version is and can prevent two people from attempting to revise the document at the same time. History on the document can also be tracked.

Today's social business platforms offer both individuals and organizations more efficient and effective ways to get their work done. For me the key advantage of these platforms is that rather than having the work distributed to the workers, the work is centralized and the workers come to it. That reduces unnecessary duplication, confusion about what version of something is the most current or what the latest word/decision was on a particular issue/conversation, and many other benefits.

Email won’t go away, but that doesn’t mean we should continue to use it the way we do today. Instead, we should recognize where it has the most value and where another tool can be more effective. We should all be open to using new technologies to help us work smarter. And yet…

 

Email Attachments
(and I’m not Talking about Documents)

One of the most powerful realities of the world we live in today is that the capabilities of the communication and collaboration technologies available to us far outstrip our human ability to harness them. It's not that we can't use these tools – they are widely available, inexpensive, and relatively easy to implement and use – we simply don't. This list of reasons is long, and include

• Our tendencies to resist change, stay inside our comfort zones and take the path of least resistance
• Fear (of the unknown, of failure...)
• Our unwillingness to risk learning something new
• Our short-term focus and tendency to be in a hurry ("get it done now" rather than "do it right")

Another key element that is too often overlooked is the fact that we're still using Industrial Era models and modes of working, even though we're well into the Digital Era. For example, rather than collectively creating and refining a single repository of relevant knowledge/information using wiki technology (think barn raising), we prefer a more linear, assembly-line approach of passing around a document that we "manufacture."

There's also an ironic contradiction in how we function in our personal and professional lives. On a personal level, many of us are very comfortable working in a divergent, non-linear fashion – which I would argue is natural for our brains – but when it comes to work we kick into structured, Tayloresque factory mode. Why? Because this is what we’ve been taught throughout both our academic and work lives. The habits are deeply ingrained and tough to change.

So what’s a Digital Era worker to do?

 

It All Boils Down to Leadership

I commend Thierry Breton and other business leaders who recognize the value in leveraging new digital technologies to enable their employees to work more efficiently and effectively. As demonstrated by the reaction to his recent comments, however, this type of Digital Era leadership is still extremely rare. Most leaders do not understand the potential power and uses of new technologies – or how important it is to educate themselves about both their applications and implications (both external and internal). Those who do recognize they need to:

• Make the increased use of digital technologies a strategic and operational priority
• Support the creation/adoption of new tools and technologies
• Allocate necessary resources (both money and time) to enable employees to use these tools effectively

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in 2012…

-  Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD

Corporate Culture Meets the Digital Era

A case study about the role social media plays in maintaining and growing a powerful, engaging, and results-producing culture at a Chicago area custom software development firm, Geneca. Written by guest blogger Jerry Carducci.

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A few months ago, in his most recent SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. News Digest, Jerry Carducci shared ideas and examples of how social media can be used to build and reinforce organizational culture. As promised, he now follows up that post with a case study about the role social media plays in maintaining and growing a powerful, engaging, and results-producing culture in a Chicago area firm.

In addition to the take-aways Jerry shares below, I’ll offer my own observations about what this case study highlights:

• Social media can be used not only to reinforce an organization's cultural values, but also to promote employee engagement.
• When used effectively, digital interactions mirror in-person interactions. An organization’s “digital” culture shouldn’t be different from its “physical” culture.
• As noted in Part 4 of the Social Media Primer, organizational size is neither a barrier to nor a key determinant of the effective use of social media. 
• Social media can and should be fully integrated into an organization’s communication and collaboration efforts. It shouldn’t be viewed as a simple add-on to or substitute for other interaction activities. The keys are to focus on using the channels that offer the most efficient and effective means of achieving both individual and organizational goals and to ensure that “high tech” approaches are also “high touch.”

I always appreciate Jerry’s contributions to the S.M.A.R.T. Blog, and have enjoyed seeing him add to his collection of News Digests by creating and sharing a case study. If you would like to be a guest blogger and/or share a case study of your own, please email blog@sminorgs.net.

-  Courtney Hunt

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In an environment filled with economic uncertainty, restructuring and doing more with less, I think we all would agree that aligning employees and actively engaging them with corporate values and belief systems is an increasingly challenging task. 

Social media has found its way into many organizations, formally and informally, as a means of communicating and collaborating with and among employees, customers, and other key stakeholders. Since culture defines an organization and requires continual communication and reinforcement, I couldn’t help but think about whether social media could help connect the complexities of an organization and its culture. Can it serve as a platform to strengthen and reinforce an organization’s cultural value system, build community, and provide a method for inclusion and transparency – both internally and externally? And do best practice examples exist where an organization intentionally designs their social media strategy in a way that enriches their culture?    

The answer to these questions is “yes.” I had an exclusive opportunity to explore how Geneca, a Chicago area custom software development firm, uses social media to manage one of its most valuable intangible assets -- its culture.   

To the naked eye it would appear that each social application works independently. However, when you look deeper, one begins to see the strategic thought process underlying the individual approaches. I saw and heard firsthand how Geneca has designed its use of social media as a tool to protect, enrich and manage its culture and how it has become a source of differentiation and competitive advantage.

Click here to access the full case study: Geneca's Culture Goes Digital

Key points I drew from the discussions and observations are:

• From its beginnings in 1998, Geneca’s culture represents the strength of the organization and provides the foundation for all the organization does. It is based on three fundamentals; serving clients, honoring commitments, and serving employees. Culture is so important that Joel Basgall, CEO says, “If we have to choose between growth and culture, culture wins.  Without culture, the company goes nowhere.”
• Geneca’s culture is about inclusion and transparency. Absent are egos, personal and hidden agendas, and “sacred cows.”
• Protecting Geneca’s culture is a shared accountability throughout the organization and reflected in the way it sources for new talent and skills, connects with clients, and designs its workspaces.
• Geneca leverages social media, both internally and externally, to promote and extend its cultural values.

Internally Yammer serves as the company’s “water cooler,” providing a virtual platform for open discussion, innovative ideas and sharing interests. 

• It brings together on-boarding, special interest groups, employee development and knowledge transfer, corporate goals and innovation in a way that is engaging and creates buy-in.
• Employees actively engage in forming vision, mission and goals on initiatives along four strategic imperatives; Culture, Clients, Organizational Structure and Organizational Growth. By taking a role in their development, employees take ownership and accountability for results.
• Employees are able to post ideas on Yammer, which through collaborative exchanges develop and evolve into “great” ideas.

Externally Geneca extends its culture to continually build and strengthen relationships outside the organization. The message about Geneca’s culture and what it means to all stakeholders comes across loud and clear.

• Geneca uses its website (www.geneca.com), LinkedIn (Geneca and Geneca and Friends), Twitter (@genecapeople and @geneca) and its blog, Getting Predicable, to convey its cultural values in the form of shared practices and discussion.
• Through these media, prospective job candidates can get a firsthand look at what work life is like at Geneca, meet Genecians and see personal interests and philosophies.
• Geneca also uses these channels to share best practices with others in the industry.

Geneca uses social media in ways to reinforce, convey and extend its culture. It has successfully connected these media in a way that is cohesive, delivers a consistent message and creates a virtual community that generates value not only for its bottom line, but for employees, clients and the industry.   When everyone comes through the door, they are focused on one common objective: making software development predictable.

The results are impressive and have enabled Geneca to sustain its growth through the economic turmoil during the past four years. Geneca continues to be widely recognized for its progressive people practices and is among the Best Places to Work in the Chicago area and Illinois.

Social Media: Beyond Marketing and Throughout Your Career

This post links to a presentation deck on SlideShare that highlights how social media and other digital technologies are impacting organizational functioning beyond marketing. The presentation also highlights the implications of new technologies for job and career options, as well as career management for employees of all types.

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On November 11, 2011, I participated in Social Media Immersion Day at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. In addition to administering and debriefing the SMQ (Social Media Quotient) Quiz, I gave a presentation that highlighted:

• The applications and implications of social media and other digital technologies beyond external applications like marketing.
• The ways in which the marketing profession and related job opportunities have been – and will continue to be – transformed by new digital technologies.
• How new technologies will impact the employment experiences of all individuals throughout their careers.

I have made my presentation deck, which also includes many resources for further reading, available on the SMinOrgs SlideShare channel. You can view it below or directly on SlideShare.

 

Ross Social Media Immersion Day

View more presentations from Courtney Hunt

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

- Courtney Hunt

PS – One of the other speakers was Geoff McHale, a Vice President at comScore. I have also uploaded a white paper he referred to – The Power of Like – to SlideShare. Click here to access it.

 

10 Digital Era Truths

This post reminds readers – especially technology hold outs – of Digital Era truths that individuals, organizations, and communities must accept and (eventually) embrace.

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Like many active technology users, I take its integration into my life for granted. But I’m often reminded that most people do not embrace it the same way I do. In particular, many people still love to disparage social media, especially social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I regularly hear disdainful comments about what vast wastelands they are, full of vapid, narcissitic oversharing about what people had for lunch and other banalities. Like many prejudicial statements, the criticisms contain an element of truth, but that doesn’t mean they accurately reflect reality…

I recently wrote a blog post about the vital role new technologies played in the planning and execution of my summer vacation, a road trip in the American West. This post builds on that one by recasting my reflections in broader terms. The following Digital Era truths extend beyond tourism and are important not just for individuals and organizations, but also the communities in which they’re embedded.

TRUTH 1: Interacting via social media and other digital technologies is not a substitute for “real life” interactions. In the Digital Era, it IS real life.

TRUTH 2: Digital communication should not be viewed as an adjunct to other communication forms; rather, it should be fully integrated into the ways in which we connect with others.  We should rely on ALL forms of media – both traditional and new – to achieve our goals and enhance our experiences.  

TRUTH 3: Time spent in cyberspace is no more a waste than time spent on any other activity that brings people pleasure and enriches their lives. The value of the time spent should be determined based on a person’s own goals and objectives – and not the judgments of others.

TRUTH 4: At a fundamental level, digital technology doesn’t dramatically alter what we do, but it does give us “new tools for doing old things” (the SMinOrgs tagline). The idea isn’t to use the new tools just because they’re shinier and everyone else seems to love them. We should use them because they allow us to accomplish things in better ways by enabling us to access a wider range of (more current) information, minimizing bulk, reducing paper production, etc.

TRUTH 5: Digital technology can increase both efficiency and effectiveness. Most activities can be planned and executed via traditional means, but doing so can often take more time and limit flexibility. Traditional approaches can also inhibit the serendipity, immediacy and intimacy of our experiences.

TRUTH 6: Its benefits notwithstanding, we shouldn’t become overly reliant on digital technology and lose our ability to rely on more traditional media - sometimes you gotta kick it old school. Flexibility and adaptability may be better markers of a Digital Era sophisticate than someone who voraciously consumes new technologies.

TRUTH 7: The more we all engage with digital technologies, the more we all benefit. Technology isn't a cure-all and there are certainly challenges, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. In addition to pursuing opportunities, we must also address challenges. Costs and risks are inevitable, but they shouldn't be used as an excuse to avoid progress.

TRUTH 8: The over-reliance on the distinction between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” is counter-productive. Fluency is a state of mind, not a factor of chronological age. Anyone can be as digitally sophisticated as they choose to be.

TRUTH 9: The idea that digital technology levels the playing field is not a myth. Individuals and organizations of all sizes and types can benefit from enhancing their digital profiles. The biggest barriers to entry are self imposed.

TRUTH 10: The ability to leverage new technologies both strategically and tactically is important for organizations of all types, not just for-profit or consumer-oriented enterprises. These technologies have powerful implications for economies and communities of all sizes throughout the world. In addition to direct beneficiaries (e.g., commercial enterprises), we have to remember the indirect beneficiaries (e.g., governments, citizens) as well. Leadership is critical, not just from individual organizations, but from Chambers of Commerce and government too. We need to remember the interconnectedness of our communities and look at opportunities from a holistic perspective.

What would you add to this list?

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

-  Courtney Shelton Hunt, PhD

 

For more on Digital Era leadership, see:

Digital Era Leadership: The Role of Business Schools

Digital Era Leadership: Opportunities for Cities, States, and Regions

 

Digital Era Leadership: Opportunities for Cities, States, and Regions

What does it mean for a city (or state or region) to be a Digital Era leader? This post provides ideas to stimulate thinking and discussion by promoting a broader focus than the technologies themselves, specific applications like consumer marketing, high-tech start-ups, and the digital sector. Advocating a more strategic and holistic approach, it introduces other ways in which Digital Era leadership can and will manifest itself in the decades to come, and invites others to share their thoughts (as well as examples) on how to turn possibilities into realities.

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A few weeks ago I sent an opinion piece to Crain’s Chicago Business (CCB). I’d like to share the ideas in that piece with a larger group to stimulate thinking and discussion about what it means for a city (or state or region) to be a leader in the Digital Era. I’m particularly interested in identifying examples of these ideas in practice, and am especially keen on learning about communities that are already taking a more strategic and holistic approach to defining Digital Era leadership.

 

New York: Roadmap for a Digital City

Before I move on to what I sent to CCB, let me say a few words about a recent report, Roadmap for the Digital City: Achieving New York City’s Digital Future, which was published by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Obviously, given the piece I had submitted to Crain’s, I was quite curious about the report and New York’s initiative when I read about it in this TechCrunch article. Had I been scooped? Not exactly… Did New York beat Chicago to the punch? No, not really…

Aiming to become “the world’s top-ranked Digital City” is certainly an ambitious undertaking. New York deserves credit for its commitment and for appointing Rachel Sterne as its Chief Digital Officer. But as broad as their scope is (addressing access, open government, engagement, and industry), it’s still fairly narrow. Specifically, there’s a heavy emphasis on technological infrastructure, as well as on enhancing the ways in which the city engages with its inhabitants and promotes open government. And with respect to industry, it appears the focus is primarily on the digital sector. Though all those things are important for Digital Era leadership, the reach and potential impact of new technologies on people, organizations, society and the economy are much greater than that.

 

Thinking Bigger

As the Founder of the Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community, I’ve spent the last two years trying to help people understand the applications and implications of social media beyond marketing, sales, public relations and customer service, particularly in the business-to-consumer context. Targeting organizational leaders who are social media rookies, for example, the Social Media Primer I’ve been developing provides a conceptual foundation, helps put Digital Era realities in perspective, and offers strategic guidance.  Through blog posts and white papers, I’ve written extensively about human capital management issues and  legal concerns (see this post, for example, and this one). And most recently, I’ve started addressing the need for social media expertise and the ways in which education and training can help develop that expertise (here and here).

My own thinking has evolved beyond social media, to focus on digital technologies more broadly, for several reasons.

The term “social media” creates a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. Even though the denotation is clear (see Part 1 of the Social Media Primer, updated here), connotations vary widely. Many people (including so-called experts) treat distinct terms (e.g., social media and social networking) as if they’re synonymous, confound applications of the technology (e.g., marketing) with the technology itself, and erroneously assume that the most well-known platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) comprise the entire social media universe.

The rise of mobile technology has been dramatic. Handheld mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, readers) and related applications have been more successful and evolved much more quickly than many people anticipated. Even though there’s tremendous overlap between this rise and the increase in 2.0 technologies, mobile devices and their applications themselves don’t meet the literal definition of social media.

Cloud computing continues to expand. This is another independent but related phenomenon that is likely to become a large and permanent part of the digital landscape. Yes, there have been threats and challenges recently, but they are an inevitable part of the development process that will lead to better risk management technologies and processes. The cloud will not evaporate.

The juggernaut is even bigger than you think. In Part 2 of the Social Media Primer (updated here), I describe many organizational applications of social media that extend beyond the possibilities most people are aware of. But as I continue to read and learn, I become increasingly aware of related applications of technological advances beyond social media, as well as myriad implications for individuals, organizations, and society. And when we consider that everything is in a constant state of flux with no end in sight, the transformative potential of these advances becomes even greater.  

As an umbrella term, therefore, digital technologies is much more accurate in describing the fundamental force behind the (r)evolution in which we find ourselves.

 

The Submission to Crain’s

Given Crain’s length restrictions on opinion pieces (425 words), I couldn’t provide a lot of detail in my submission. I thought about expanding it for the purposes of this post, but then decided it might be better to leave it “as is.” Here’s the unedited version…

Chicago’s commitment to supporting homegrown technology start-ups is admirable, and it’s been encouraging to read recent news about the increased activity of venture capitalists, incubator programs, entrepreneurs, and others in support of local web-tech firms.

It’s important to remember, however, that there are many other ways in which Chicago can demonstrate Digital Era leadership. Rather than trying to replicate Silicon Valley’s model, perhaps we would be better served by forging a path that builds on our unique history, capitalizes on our economic and cultural strengths, and emphasizes our academic community and traditional Chicago enterprises.

One way in which we can do that is to employ best practices in leveraging digital technologies to communicate with customers and other stakeholders. This effort has already begun, but there is more we can do to demonstrate leadership in various industries, especially those strongly associated with Chicago like consumer products, healthcare, museums, and financial services.

We can also demonstrate leadership with respect to new legal challenges related to intellectual property, commercial activity, employment practices, e-discovery, and social issues like privacy. Similarly, we can offer expert guidance in addressing the new human capital management challenges organizations are now facing.

We can provide examples for how traditional enterprises like media companies and manufacturers can develop new business models and find new ways to be competitive in response to economic threats and changing global realities resulting from new technologies. Chamber groups and various economic development entities can offer resources and guidance to help both new and established businesses better integrate digital technologies into their strategies and plans. Foundations can provide similar services for non-profit organizations.

Our academic community can become a hub for training Digital Era leaders and providing expertise by conducting research that addresses new realties and challenges. And with the new mayor’s commitment to open government, Chicago could become a model of Government 2.0.

We should create a coalition to ensure an integrated approach to establishing our city as a Digital Era leader. Perhaps the city’s economic development office could establish a Digital Era Leadership initiative. Or we could create a Council for Digital Era Leadership, similar to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs or the Chicago Council on Science and Technology.

Pursuing a Digital Era leadership agenda would provide a great economic boost to the area, in addition to enabling us to create a best-practices model for other communities. To my knowledge, no other community has thought about Digital Era leadership in broader terms. Why not us?

 

Your Thoughts?

A version of this opinion piece could probably be written for almost any metropolitan or regional area. Though areas differ in terms of their size and access to resources, and the specific ways in which digital leadership might manifest itself vary based on a region’s history, economy, academic institutions, citizenry, etc., those factors can be viewed as parameters within which to work and opportunities to capitalize on rather than immutable obstacles that can’t be overcome. The traditional barriers to success (e.g., access to capital and other resources) are in many respects a lot lower in the Digital Era than they’ve ever been. We are more restricted by the limitations imposed by lack of vision, inspiration, leadership, strategic focus, and discipline than we are by a lack of finances, technology, or human capital.

At least, that’s how I view things. How about you? Do you share my vision? Can you provide examples of that vision in action? What ideas do you have for moving forward? What leadership role do you plan to assume to help your city/state/region capitalize on the opportunities new digital technologies present?

As always, I welcome your feedback and input.

-  Courtney Hunt, PhD

 

Digital Era Leadership: The Role of Business Schools

This post is intended to start a dialogue about the role business schools should play in fostering Digital Era leadership. It describes the importance of education in preparing professionals in all business disciplines (not just marketing and sales) to address the opportunities and challenges new digital technologies (in terms of both social media and mobile devices) present.  It offers suggestions for changes to both curriculum and pedagogy and provides recommendations for business school leaders.

Although focused on business schools, it can promote similar dialogues for professionals in non-business fields, through the application and extension of comparable ideas with respect to schools of public health, social work, education, public administration, etc.

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Last December, Bill George and Rosabeth Moss Kanter noted in this HBS Working Knowledge piece on 2010's Biggest Business Developments that changes in digital technology, particularly social media, have tremendous implications for organizations and how they function – not just externally, but internally as well. Proper management of the rise in digital technologies is critical to ensure that organizations respond effectively to the opportunities and challenges these changes present. Professionals in a range of disciplines need to provide leadership and support for various initiatives, in addition to preparing for the impact on their own career development.

Despite media hype and early adopter enthusiasm, we are still in the early stages of understanding social media and its implications and applications, and most individuals and organizations have not yet leveraged it in significant ways. But things are changing steadily, and people are increasingly recognizing the need to move forward. As they do, many realize that hands-on experience alone is not sufficient, and they are starting to seek formal guidance through training and education.

Last week I shared an assessment of the current state of social media training and education, as well as a projection of what we can expect in the months and years to come. This analysis was based on research I conducted earlier this year in conjunction with the development of a Social Media and Online Communities Specialization for a Master’s Degree Program in Corporate and Organizational Communication for Northeastern University.

Though this assessment was fairly comprehensive in some respects, it was also limited due to my focus on developing a specific curriculum for a targeted group of professionals. In addition to preparing folks for whom social media will be a part of their primary job responsibilities, we also need to think about what efforts needs to be made to prepare individuals whose work may not be dominated by new technologies (at least in the near term!).

 

B School Priorities – Current and Future?

Over the past year, there have been a few pieces in the business press proclaiming B schools’ enthusiasm for digital technologies (e.g., this article and this article in Bloomberg Businessweek). Although courses are no doubt being developed and offered, based on my research earlier this year they are generally concentrated on marketing and sales applications and are hardly ubiquitous. In general, there is little indication that Digital Era concerns are a strategic priority. In recent articles on undergraduate business school rankings, for example, digital technologies were not even discussed as a distinguishing feature of any school or program (see here and here). The biggest emphasis by far, it seems, is on internationalization, as evidenced by this article ranking the best undergraduate programs and this article about a recent AACSB study on globalizing management education.

It’s impossible to argue with the importance of globalizing the B school curriculum, but it’s also difficult to continue thinking of it as a leading-edge issue. More importantly, perhaps, rapidly advancing technologies continue to flatten the world and transform the way in which we view and manage organizations from a global perspective, which means that we should not consider global business without emphasizing its digital character. Just like the articles ranking undergraduate business schools, however, the piece on the AACSB study is silent on the role of digital technologies in global business (note: I have not read the report itself).

Furthermore, as important as global business is, we must acknowledge that international issues are unlikely to impact the daily work lives or career trajectories of most business professionals. By contrast, however, only those closest to retirement might escape the need to adapt to, if not embrace, digital realities.

Fortunately, the news isn’t all bleak. Although there may not be strong institutional emphasis on digital technologies yet, many individuals are recognizing the opportunities and needs they create. In the summer of 2010, GMAC launched a contest for ideas to improve management education at the MBA level (see this article for details). They selected 20 winners from 650 entries (described here), and half of those entries addressed digital technologies either directly or indirectly.

 

Digital Era Impact: Curriculum and Pedagogy

Sound business principles in the Digital Era must reflect emerging technologies and their implications. To date, however, it seems that few academic institutions have recognized the need to revise their curricula and teaching methods to reflect Digital Era realities. As noted previously, the public emphasis on external applications of social media has prompted schools to develop and offer courses and programs focusing on digital technologies from a marketing/sales perspective, but there’s little evidence of comparable developments in other disciplines.

As I discuss in Part 2 of the Social Media Primer (updated here), external applications like marketing and sales are just the beginning. The internal applications and implications of new digital technologies are likely to be far more significant. Here are some of the ways various functions (other than marketing) are already being impacted:

• Accounting and Auditing
  • Enhancement of business intelligence through the use of 2.0 technologies
  • Changes in what auditors need to focus on
  • Impact of new technologies on behavioral accounting

• Finance
  • New regulations and requirements from entities like FINRA and the SEC
  • Increasing use of social media by activist investors, financial advisors and financial services organizations
  • Impact of social media chatter on share prices

• Business Law and Ethics
  • Changes in regulations and case law to reflect Digital Era realities (both commercial and employment law)
  • Inclusion of social media in investigations
  • Changes in the nature and scope of e-discovery
  • General social issues and new ethical challenges (e.g., privacy)

• Operations Management
  • How new technologies can be used to enhance supply chain efficiency and effectiveness
  • The use of wikis and other tools to enhance internal operations

• Knowledge Management
  • Enterprise 2.0 platforms and related initiatives
  • New ways of promoting innovation and creativity (e.g., crowd-sourcing)

• Information Technology
  • Cloud computing and mobile devices as alternatives to traditional IT systems/approaches
  • New risk management issues from mobile devices and cloud computing
  • New 2.0 tools for managing IT and other projects

• Leadership
  • New interaction expectations for leaders
  • New internal governance challenges and issues
  • Increased need to incorporate digital technologies into strategy development and implementation
  • Cultural and change management challenges arising from new initiatives and shift to new technologies

• Human Capital Management
  • New job requirements for social-media focused positions, along with related concerns about compensation, performance management, etc.
  • New methods for onboarding and mentoring new employees
  • Changes in approaches to training and development, in terms of both content and delivery
  • Shifts in administrative processes (e.g., payroll, benefits)
  • New requirements for staffing, leadership development and succession planning
  • New approaches acquiring and retaining talent

• Communications
  • New channels for internal and external communication
  • New normative expectations with respect to when and how people should communicate

Recognizing the shifts that are already taking place in the business world, B schools need to start modifying their curricula to better prepare future graduates to address the opportunities and challenges these shifts present. Although there could be specializations (e.g., community management) and specific courses (e.g., Digital Era legal issues) focused on some of these topics, what’s ultimately more important is integrating Digital Era realities into all courses in which they’re likely to have an impact.

In addition to addressing content, B school instructors also have to be prepared to incorporate new 2.0 technologies into their teaching methods and student assignments. Blogging, for example, is a great way to promote reflective learning. In addition to writing papers, students can create videocasts and podcasts and slideshows as means of conveying information and ideas. And wikis and other tools can be used to promote knowledge creation and sharing, manage projects, enhance communication skills, etc.

 

Recommendations for B School Leaders

There are a number of ways in which business school academia will be transformed in the Digital Era. In addition to the curricular and pedagogical changes highlighted in the preceding section, there are myriad opportunities to expand existing research agendas and create new ones, as well as enhanced roles for academic leaders to contribute to society via the development of policies, public service, and enhanced citizenship.  

To adapt to Digital Era realities, I recommend that deans and other business school leaders embark on four key initiatives as soon as possible:

• Send faculty to Digital Boot Camp: Most faculty can benefit from intensive training in new digital technologies, particularly with respect to the wide-ranging impact of these new technologies on organizations.
• Review/revise existing curricula: Both individual courses and programs of study at all levels (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, executive education) should be evaluated to determine how they can/should be updated to incorporate new digital technologies.
• Explore new pedagogical approaches: Faculty should engage in ongoing discussions about how digital technologies can/should be integrated into course delivery and assignments, as well as interactions with students.
• Create means to support new/expanded research agendas: Summer research and other grant programs, as well as various journals and conferences, can promote ways to increase the exploration of the impact of digital technologies on different aspects of business and organizational life. As much as possible, new research should emphasize practical implications and applications rather than a purely academic perspective.

 

Conclusion

What do you think? Do you agree that business schools should more explicitly incorporate Digital Era realities into their curricula, pedagogical approaches, and research agendas? What challenges and obstacles do you perceive? Are you aware of specific courses, curricular changes and/or degree programs that reflect these realities? Are there new/existing centers or institutes that emphasize digital technologies? Do you know of any schools that can be considered Digital Era leaders?

I look forward to your input and seeing where this conversation might lead.

-  Courtney Hunt

 

S.M.A.R.T. News: Social Learning … Enhancing How Folks Learn in the Digital Era

This SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. News Digest focuses on how social media technologies can be used to enhance learning in organizations, especially informal learning. It includes videos, presentations, and blog posts that discuss the increasing importance and growth of social learning, in addition to addressing commonly-held myths and providing guidance for leaders.

 

This is Jerry Carducci’s fourth News Digest. In his first guest post about 2011 predictions, he suggested that social media remains an underutilized resource to engage and develop employees. He extends those ideas here by examining the opportunities social media provides in developing new skills and offering suggestions for how employers can leverage new digital technologies to radically transform and create a culture of engagement and collaboration in the Digital Era. The piece is also a nice complement to the ideas I share in Part 2 of the Social Media Primer (updated here), which discusses the importance and potential extent of internal applications. Finally, as with other social media applications, the items included in this News Digest demonstrate that the ideas aren't as "new" as some people think they are, and that the underlying best practice principles haven’t changed.  – Courtney Hunt

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the items in this News digest directly via the blog, or start or join the dialogue on LinkedIn. We especially welcome other videos on the subject of social learning. We also appreciate your bringing items on other topics to our attention via LI, Twitter, or FB, or by emailing a link to news@sminorgs.net. Thanks!

Click here to learn more about the SMinOrgs News Digest feature and how you can leverage it to meet your goals and objectives.

If you'd like to receive a notice each time a new post is published, you can subscribe to the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog by clicking here or on the link on the right side of the website.

 

Introduction

Learning is a human fundamental, with as much as 80 percent of the knowledge and skills we acquire throughout life coming about through informal means, i.e. outside the classroom. Social media extends this method of learning as it allows individuals to identify and collaborate with others who share common interests. In the process, it transforms the ways leaders need to think about learning, acquiring knowledge, and developing skills.

Informal learning for personal and career development is taking hold thanks to social applications and low cost mobile technology. Social media is an excellent vehicle for professional development because participants are not just passive receivers of knowledge, but are actively engaged in the development of content.

We are entering the “Talent Age,” where people will be the value proposition of the future, making the skills and abilities they acquire the drivers of organizational performance.To keep up with the rapid pace of change, employees need the ability to gain fast and immediate access to skills and knowledge through sources tailored to their specific roles in organizations. Social media applications provide the means to meet these challenges.

Support for social media as a learning tool in the organizational context is growing. A survey of corporate training and learning leaders conducted in the fourth quarter of 2010 and published in January 2011 by the CARA Group, Inc. supports this view. The survey examined informal learning and how important respondents see its role in enhancing workforce skills and knowledge through social media tools.  And the findings were significant. 90% of respondents support informal learning, 81% feel social media affords valuable learning opportunities and 98% agreed that social media is changing how employees learn and access information. However, while these results suggest strong support for using social media as a developmental tool, respondents viewed it as an extension of, not a replacement for, instructor-led learning methods.

Social media enables individuals to identify their own subject matter experts rather than having the organization making these decisions through the type of course work and subject matter experts/instructors it provides. The latter contributes to what I refer to as “corporate think;” an inward versus outward view that supports existing practices and policies that can inhibit personal and organizational growth, creativity and innovation.     

There are many forces influencing the future of learning in the workplace. Here’s a YouTube video that features an interview with Mike McDermott (T Rowe Price), Karie Willyerd (Sun Microsystems), and Walt McFarland (Booz Allen Hamilton) discussing these forces, as well as the future impact of social learning:

 

 

Social media applications are accepted forms of communication for connecting, networking and exchanging information. To be effective, organizations must change the way they think about learning, acquiring knowledge and developing their workforce. The selected articles, blogs and slide presentations in this News Digest provide additional insight on the uses of social media as a learning tool. Specifically:

• Through his slide presentation, Dennis McCafferty defines social learning and demonstrates how social networking is helping employees learn, innovate and share knowledge.
• “Content Commerce; Halo Effect for eLearning” describes how content is consumed, retained and re-distributed on a just-in-time basis.
• Renée Robbins looks into her crystal ball to provide insight into the digital tools that will impact learning in the future.
• Meister and Willyerd discuss how Sun Microsystems, IBM, OneCA and other organizations use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to tag, rate, comment and network to develop skills among their workforces. They also offer best practice guidelines in creating, organizing and planning social learning initiatives.
• Owen Ferguson makes the case for social media’s role in learning, the common objections and how to overcome them.

Categories: applications, best practices, enterprise 2.0, human resources, internal communication, knowledge management, leadership, research, social media primer, strategy

For additional articles that address related issues, click on terms of interest in the category cloud on our website.

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Title: Education Slideshow: Social Media: A Workplace Learning Tool

Source: CIO Insight

Author: Dennis McCafferty

Lead Paragraph: Social media sites are considered by most enterprises only in terms of their potential as a marketing tool. It's obvious that Twitter, Facebook and other social networking outlets are channels through which your enterprise can deliver information and engage customers with an unprecedented level of reach and creativity. What is often overlooked is the power of social media when it comes to employee training, institutional learning and knowledge sharing,

Brief Commentary from Jerry Carducci:  Social learning has traditionally been geographically and generationally oriented: conferences, classrooms and other events structured to meet the needs of specific groups. As technology has progressed, this is no longer the case. As McCafferty points out in his presentation, social learning has become highly participative and engagement oriented, where everyone is welcome. The primary factor is deprogramming one’s self from a state of conformity to that which is receptive to new ways of thinking and disseminating knowledge. 

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Title: Content Commerce: The "Halo" Effect for e-Learning through Social Media

Source: Learning Practice Blog

Author: Unknown

Lead Paragraph: While we are talking of Web 2.0, enterprise 2.0 and the various technologies, the e-Learning industry also caught the buzz word to call e-Learning 2.0 as a new trend. Is it really true? As e-Learning vendors, we do the same thing - Instruction Design, Instructional Writing, Visual design templates, content population and delivery in standalone or SCORM compliance files, Customize LMS, Launch courses through LMS, Add apps to make it collaborative, and plug in more modules to determine hierarchies, career paths, plan, skills now vs needed, etc. What is news in these?

Brief Commentary from Jerry Carducci:  Informal learning includes casual conversations, but like any word-of-mouth message, it often gets distorted as it is passed along. Social media provides continuity and consistency in the message which can be conveyed through multiple channels, stored and accessed by “information consumers” on demand anywhere, any time. 

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Title: Making the Case for Social Media

Source: GoodPractice for Leaders and Managers

Author: Owen Ferguson

Lead Paragraph:  The big question this month is about the value of social media in learning and, once again, it tackles a problem that’s being experienced by learning professionals attempting to move beyond being a traditional, classroom focused training function.

Brief Commentary from Jerry Carducci:  There are many myths about loss of productivity and the passing of incorrect and sensitive information through social media applications. However, as Ferguson brings out, the same can be found in less advanced technology, (e.g., the telephone, which lacks the ability to store, retrieve and correct inconsistencies). Establishing protocols and challenging myths are important elements in setting any strategy. The message here is the establishment of practice standards and that social media tools allow for clarification and correction of erroneous information that is conveyed in a consistent message accessible to all.    

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Title:  Top 10 Ways Social Media Will Impact Employee Development and Training in 2010

Source: Learning Putty

Author: Renée Robbins

Lead Paragraph:  With only two months left in the year it is time to make some predictions on how social media will impact your employee development and training in 2010.  As I gaze into my crystal ball I can honestly say that these are the tools that will make the biggest difference for you and your learners.

Brief Commentary from Jerry Carducci:  The tools Robbins presents extend well beyond 2010.  As technology continues to evolve, the ongoing question will be: which tool, or combination, best fit the needs of the organization? Going back to fundamentals, the bigger picture must be continuously evaluated in view of the long term goals of the enterprise and corresponding workforce development needs to meet those objectives. In developing and deploying the strategy, current communication and learning channels need to be reviewed, and leaders should assess how employees want to have access to the tools and how they will supplement formal training. 

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Title: Social Learning Unleashed

Source:  Chief Learning Officer Magazine

Authors: Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd

Lead Paragraph:  Reinvented, redefined and re-imagined, social learning has the potential not only to shape tomorrow's enterprise, but also to powerfully enhance workforce performance.

Brief Commentary from Jerry Carducci:  Organizations have approached using social media to supplement their learning platform in many ways, from the simplistic (peer developed subject matter videos) to ones that are highly structured similar to that of LinkedIn. For large, complex and resource intense global organizations, a highly structured learning network is an effective way to share and ensure consistency across borders. For smaller, locally situated and resource limited organizations, a more simplistic approach such as blogs and wikis may be more practical.

Regardless of organizational size and geographical reach, the lack of a means to provide employees with rapid access to information and knowledge can represent a potentially significant opportunity cost in terms of growth, competiveness and capabilities.