Social Media Primer Part 3 - from the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog

Renaissance Strategic Solutions Helping Organizations Walk Their Talk . . . Social Media Primer Part 3: Reality Check – Four Mental ShiftsOrganizational Leaders Need to Make Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) S.M.A.R.T.* Blog *Social Media And Related TechnologiesClick here to read the full blog entry that corresponds with this SlideShare version

How to Use this Presentation as a Portal 1. This presentation is full of active hyperlinks that should be fairly intuitive. (note: if you download the file, make sure you view it “slide show” mode). 2. The hyperlinks are embedded in both pictures and text. For example, if you click on the photograph on the left, you’ll go to Courtney Hunt’s LinkedIn Profile. Or you can click on this text to go to the Renaissance Strategic Solutions website. Please email ss@sminorgs.net 3. In SlideShare, clicking on a link will open a new if you find a broken link. window. If you follow a link from the downloaded Thanks! file, you will need to minimize your browser window to pick up the presentation where you left off.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Previous Primer Parts Part 1: What is this “Fire” of Which You Speak? (clarifies the distinctions between social media, web 2.0, and social networking) – Full blog post Click here or – SlideShare version on the icon below to go to Part 1a: What is Your SMQ (Social the blog to see Media Quotient)? (discusses the “fast and fun” all entries SMQ (Social Media Quotient) quiz I created in the fall of 2009) – Full blog post – SlideShare version Part 2: The Juggernaut is Bigger than You Think! (discusses some of the intra- organizational applications of social media) – Full blog post – SlideShare versionCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Leadership Stumbling BlocksFor many organizational leaders – most of whom aresocial media novices – there are four major stumblingblocks to moving forward with social media initiatives: A lack of understanding of what social media is – Addressed in Part 1 of the Primer A lack of recognition of its potential benefits – Addressed in Part 2 of the Primer Concern over its risks – To be addressed in a future part of the Primer Uncertainty over resource allocation – Addressed in Part 5 of the PrimerCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Four Mental Shifts Leaders Must Make Leaders have to make four mental shifts to accept digital era realities and move forward with social media: Shift #1: Accept changes in the balance of power Shift #2: Embrace the loss of control Shift #3: Develop new perspectives on productivity Shift #4: View social media as “when/and” vs. “if/or”Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #1 (balance of power): Reality The balance of power between organizations and external stakeholders has shifted in significant ways due to social media. – Jeremiah Owyang has a running list of organizations that have failed to recognize how social media has empowered individuals and groups in his “Chronology of Brands that Got Punk’d by Social Media.” – Many consumer-oriented organizations have embraced this shift and learned to leverage social media to enhance the customer service experience. Some see the opportunity to capitalize on the problems experienced by others to increase their own revenues. Increased personal empowerment is likely to lead to expectations of increased professional empowerment. – As people experience more equal relationships with organizations they support financially, they will come to expect similar equality with organizations they support through their labor. – From an employment perspective, this could become a competitive differentiator.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #1 (balance of power): Benefits Though plenty of organizations and their leaders may lament the loss of power brought about by social media, the economic and social benefits resulting from the shift will be significant. For example: – Greater accountability, communication, and collaboration will lead to improved products and services. – Increased transparency and access to information will enhance competition, providing better goods/services at better prices. – Open dialogue and transparency, combined with more public accountability, should promote ethical behavior. Organizations that adapt best to the new operational requirements social media creates should reap the greatest rewards.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #1 (balance of power): Recommendation Organizational leaders should recognize that it’s in their own best interests to embrace the egalitarian ideals that underlie social media and leverage them to: – Form stronger partnerships with their employees – Open up the lines of communication – Develop and promote their employment brand – Improve their human capital practices – Attract and retain the most talented individualsCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #2 (loss of control): Reality Many organizational leaders are hesitant to engage in social media due to concerns that they will lose control of their brand and/or their message. But brands and organizations are addressed on social media channels regardless. Individuals affiliate with, talk about their experiences with, and share perceptions of organizations and brands in both ad hoc and organized ways: – Mentions in tweets and status updates – Unofficial Facebook pages, LinkedIn groups, and Twitter handles – Brand tags on blogs and social sites like FlickrCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #2 (loss of control): Reality Organizational leaders are even more hesitant to adopt social media principles to manage interactions with employees. But limiting conversations through official forums doesn’t stop the conversations – it just causes people to take them somewhere else. And when the conversations happen through unofficial channels, theyre much more likely to create and perpetuate – Inaccuracies – Misperceptions – MisunderstandingsCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #2 (loss of control): Recommendation Though organizational leaders cannot control the conversations taking place on social media platforms, they can participate in those conversations and respond in appropriate ways. The loss of control actually creates the opportunity for more control – maybe not of the conversation, but of the subject of the conversation itself. Especially when the conversation is negative, the following opportunities can be invaluable: – Learn important lessons – Share key information – Create needed changesCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #2 (loss of control): Guidelines Create a simple set of posting guidelines for official sites and apply them consistently. Allow comments on all platforms without pre- posting moderation. Don’t avoid sensitive subjects. Regularly monitor and moderate content, but be careful about deleting what might be considered inappropriate comments. Make sure staff are properly trained to handle conflict and crises.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #3 (productivity): Reality Many organizational leaders want to block employee access to public social networking sites, primarily due to a concern that people will spend too much time on these sites and not get their work done. There’s also a tendency to extrapolate this issue to a general concern about social media as a time waster. Problems with this thinking include the following: – As discussed in Part 2 of the Primer, the impact of social media on organizations is far more extensive than having an organizational presence on or allowing employees to access public social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Concerns about employees’ access to these sites is not a good reason not to move forward with social media initiatives. – Given how many people have access to social media sites via their mobile devices, blocking access using the organization’s IT infrastructure seems rather pointless from a productivity perspective. – The people who want to waste time don’t need public social networking sites to do so. They can just as easily waste time talking on the phone, talking to coworkers, playing solitaire, etc. – There is some empirical evidence to indicate that taking short breaks during the work day to ch .Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #3 (productivity): Reality It’s also important to remember that the lines between work and non-work have become increasingly blurred as technology continues to advance. We are wired (albeit wirelessly) 24/7/365, virtually no matter where we are in the world. Many organizations have capitalized on this by enabling and expecting employees to work beyond the confines of traditional work spaces and work hours. Employees are generally willing to accommodate those expectations, but they expect some reciprocity in terms of being able to meet some of their personal, non-work needs during the traditional work day. They rightfully fail to see the logic or fairness in limiting access to their social networks while they’re at work – and as they increasingly feel empowered, they’re increasingly likely to assert their rights, either directly or indirectly.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #3 (productivity): Recommendation Rather than focusing on what employees should not or cannot do, organizational leaders would be better off focusing on what employees should do. The potential distractions created by the social aspects of both public and private internal social networks can be minimized by: – Good management – Strong accountability – Robust performance management standards and systemsCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #4 (if/or vs. when/and): Reality Many people have not embraced social media due to time constraints – They continue to try to do more with less. – There are many competing demands for their time and attention. – Social media is viewed as something “else” that needs to be done. – It’s hard to imagine how to add more priorities and activities to already full “to do” lists. But social media is poised to become a fundamental aspect of how work is conducted. The sooner organizations recognize and respond to this inevitability, the sooner they will be able to reap the benefits. It is no longer a question of “if” but “when.” – As discussed in part 2 of the SMinOrgs Social Media Primer, social media technologies can and should be integrated into virtually all aspects of organizational functioning. – Viewing social media activity as an independent initiative not only fails to recognize the true value of social media, it will also cost the organization in the long run. If social media is not considered in the early stages of a project, people are likely to have to undo and redo some of their work to incorporate those elements later. – Though it may seem like more work in the short term, addressing social media in conjunction with various initiatives is in the long-term best interests of organizations.Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Shift #4 (if/or vs. when/and): Recommendation Rather than viewing it as an “or” (we should work on this project OR social media), social media should be viewed as an “and” (we should work on this project AND social media). Organizational leaders need to – Identify how social media will help them achieve their strategic goals and objectives – Incorporate social media elements into all initiatives that can benefit from them as soon as possible Laying the foundation for and leveraging social media technologies sooner than later can – Increase revenues – Reduce expenses by maximizing efficiency and effectiveness and increasing productivityCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Next Primer Parts Part 4: Ante Up – Organizational Factors Relevant to Joining the Social Media Game (discusses organizational/workforce characteristics to consider in deciding whether and how to move forward with social media initiatives) – Full blog post Click here or on the icon – SlideShare version below to go to Part 5: You Can’t Outsource Leadership (discusses the blog to see how leaders can prepare themselves to provide social media all entries leadership in their organizations, not just in the short term, but over the long haul) – Full blog post – SlideShare version Primer Part 6: Human Capital Management Challenges ... Leave No (Rosetta) Stone Unturned (discusses specific human capital management challenges organizations will have to address as social media technologies become more fully integrated into operations) – Full blog post – SlideShare versionCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Coming Soon to SlideShare … 11 Lessons about Digital Communities from Rome – A Photo Essay (using Rome as a metaphor for virtual communities, provides insights Click here or into the factors that should be considered when on the icon building, maintaining, and participating in digital below to go to communities) the blog to see all entries – Full blog post The Early Bird May Get the Worm, but the Brave Bird Gets ... the Fries?!?! (discusses the importance of taking calculated risks to achieve goals, and the costs associated with risk aversion) – Full blog postCopyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

For Further Information and/or Help Courtney Shelton Hunt Principal, Renaissance Strategic Solutions Founder, Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community 312.225.3365 (O) 312.752.7418 (M) cshunt@sminorgs.net cshunt@renaissance-solutions.com20 Copyright © 2010, Courtney Shelton

Social Media Primer Part 3 - from the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog

by Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) on Jul 20, 2010

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Social Media Primer Part 3 - from the SMinOrgs S.M.A.R.T. Blog Presentation Transcript

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