Bg Social Networks

Deciphering Corporate Social Networks Thursday – 19 June, 2008 Mike Gotta Principal Analyst [email_address] www.burtongroup.com mikeg.typepad.com

Deciphering Corporate Social Networks
Agenda
Understanding The Evolution Of Social Networks
Leveraging Social Networks Within The Enterprise
Recommendations

Evolution Of Social Networks
Why social networks?
In General
Relationships
Community (including self-organization and teaming)
Information sharing (including backchannels and gossip)
Information harvesting
Collaboration
Influence (including brokering information & connections)
Situational awareness
Support, mentoring, advice, sense-making
Personal value
For consumers
Lifestyle (peer interaction, fun, education, personal finance, politics, social causes, sports, hobbies or other interests)

Evolution Of Social Networks
Some history, terminology and market trends
History
A long timeline of academic research (1850’s-1970’s)
Key terms
Social network, social networking, social graph
Actors (sometimes referred to as nodes or agents)
Relations (sometimes referred to as links or ties)
Strong, Weak and Latent Ties
Degrees of separation
“ Social Roles” (connectors, brokers, boundary spanners)
Consumer market trends
2003-2009: Facebook, LinkedIn and Myspace
2006 and onward: “lifestreaming”, data portability and interoperability

Evolution Of Social Networks A specific destination where connections are often declared and visible; acts as a social hub Social structures that are embedded within a variety of tools (e-mail, buddy lists) Analytical engines that assess and correlate relationship connections Combines all elements into a cohesive set of infrastructure services

Enterprise Evolution Of Social Networks

Deciphering Corporate Social Networks
Agenda
Understanding The Evolution Of Social Networks
Leveraging Social Networks Within The Enterprise
Recommendations

The Business Automation Dilemma What’s next?

The Business Of Social Transformation People as catalyst

Baseline (Background Context)
The modern-day world is a complex environment that supports multiple generations with different experiences and expectations related to technology
Age brackets according to a report published by The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College:
Generation Y (“Millennials”): Includes those born approximately between 1981 to 1999, (making them 8-27 in 2008)
Generation X: Includes those born approximately from 1965 to 1980, (making them 28–43 in 2008)
Baby Boomers: Includes those born approximately from 1946-1964, (making them 44-62 in 2008);
Traditionalists: Include those born between 1930–1945, (making them 63+ in 2008)
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Generational shifts are unleashing a variety of social dynamics
Strategic Talent Initiatives Boomers Gen X Millenials (Gen Y) Work Tools Career Supervisor Manager Vice President

Societal expectations are expanding ideas on value creation
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Do Business at Marriott Help Save a Rainforest Lilly Employees from Nearly 50 Nations Participate in Company's First-Ever Global Day of Service Starbucks Increases Commitment to Supporting Coffee Farmers and Communities Anheuser-Busch, National Fatherhood Initiative Launch Online Forum for Parents on MySpace Launch CSR-related Reports: Dow Engages in Dialogue on Future of Water at GWI Conference BD and Direct Relief International Launch Second Volunteer Service Trip to Improve Healthcare in Ghana

User-Led Innovation
Social interaction creates synergistic conversations
Assumption
Companies drive innovation by observing users
Research
Many commercially successful products first developed by users
Leveraging co-creation
“… users actually develop prototype products and show their value and use of what they really want.” - Eric von Hippel Professor of Management and Innovation at MIT

New work models rely increasingly on relationships
Web 2.0 And Enterprise 2.0 Participation, Community & Outreach Web 2.0 Enterprise 2.0 Knowledge Management Social Software (Tooling) Productivity Collaboration Content Communication

Social networks promise to catalyze participation, community and outreach across such strategic initiatives
Gen Y workers are attracted to companies that blend work and lifestyle and also those that are socially active with good reputations internally and externally…
Leadership teams are awakening to the idea that new work models and “good citizenship” adds top/bottom-line value to employee, customer, partner and supplier relationships…
Innovation is often something that occurs jointly among organizations and their customers, employees, partners and suppliers…
Advancements in social software enable people (regardless of generation) to communicate, share information and collaborate in new ways that are often informal, transparent and emergent…
Everything Is Intertwined

Benefits From Social Networks
Differences between consumer and enterprise environments
Productivity (business focus, activity-centric)
Communication
Information sharing
Collaboration
Knowledge Management
Expertise location
Community-building
Workforce Transformation
Connect people across work models and boundaries (organizational and/or generational)
Human Capital Management
Relationship Onboarding
Retiree, alumni and referral networks

Beware “Rose-Tinted Glasses”
Authenticity
Sponsorship and commitment over the long term
Business case and metrics
Governance program
Management practices
Workplace / workforce virtualization
Cultural factors (e.g., politics, generational tensions)
Security, identity, compliance and privacy
Technology maturity
Existing IT investments
Participation models (external and/or internal social networks)
Role of consumer social networks
Recommendations

Where to start
History is important, learn from it
Be aware of terminology, methods and practices
Assume a need for new skills and competencies in social network analysis
Monitor, track and analyze consumer market trends
New work models will likely emerge outside the firewall
The totality of a worker’s computing experience is more greatly influenced by their digital lifestyle vs. their digital work style
Implement governance programs
Address cultural aspects of social networks; c
Consider the impact and influence of management structures
Social relationships do not stop at the firewall
Don’t over-reach, prioritize solution areas
Avoid irrational exuberance, focus on adoption (not deployment); keep an open mind to possible technology solutions
Look for synergies with strategic business initiatives such as talent management, corporate social responsibility and user-led innovation
Recommendations

About Us
Burton Group provides in-depth, vendor-independent research and advisory services focused on enterprise IT infrastructure technologies. Known for our principle-based architectural approach and technical depth, each of our six highly-focused research services provide practical insights and direction for enterprise technologists and executives.
http://www.burtongroup.com/
http://catalyst.burtongroup.com/
http://ccsblog.burtongroup.com/
http://mikeg.typepad.com/
Deciphering Social Networks

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