Creating a social company from
the inside out and the outside in
POST*SHIFT@LeeBryant / SMI Utilities / London

POST*SHIFT
ConsultingSoftwareResearch

major changes ahead in utilities markets

major changes ahead in utilities markets

major changes ahead in utilities markets

Trust improving, but from a very low base in the UK

barriers to entry no longer provide positional defence

platforms, ecosystems, relationships are the new power

why reform existing firms when we can create startups?

‘Industrial Internet’ & IoT : we cannot live by apps alone

we are making progress with digital transformation

but internal structure remains a barrier for large firms

11
combinatorial innovation demands real org change

11
combinatorial innovation demands real org change

agility is now the number one change goal for large orgs
Source: Jon Husband's logo for Wirearchy

typical target capabilities for an agile company
{ }
Example characteristics of a
social / connected company:
1. customer-centric culture
and an outside-in configuration
2. small teams, agile working
and a responsive structure
3. focus on tasks to be done,
not fixed positions / roles
4. networked, data-driven,
with intelligence at the edges
5. constant re-focusing
to meet changing markets
Hot iron! by Tinkerbrad

how can social media teams
help stimulate change ?

social engagement hard to achieve in a top-down culture
cubicle city by LongitudeLatitude
businessinsider.com

social engagement hard to achieve in a top-down culture
cubicle city by LongitudeLatitude
businessinsider.com

social engagement hard to achieve in a top-down culture
cubicle city by LongitudeLatitude
businessinsider.com

social on the outside, anti-social on the inside won’t work

social on the outside, anti-social on the inside won’t work

beyond cats and cupcakes: real business goals for social
Smirking Cat by Post Memes

4 ways your social team can influence org improvement
SOCIAL MEDIA
TASK FORCE
CHANGE AGENT
NETWORK
SOCIAL MEDIA
INTELLIGENCE
Birdland at Bourton on the Water 23-09-2013 by Karen Roe
Colours in the sky by Maarten Nijman
Parrots by Martin Pettitt
https://www.flickr.com/photos/karen_roe/13387510265
EMBODY NEW WAYS
OF WORKING

1. task force: find and connect islands of good practice

Maersk Line have
approached social by
empowering a panel of
employees to run their
corporate Twitter account.
This is a simple and effective
way to create transparency
and to bring out employees’
expertise and diversity.
Maersk’s award winning approach
Source: Maersk Line Social
example of the ‘task force’ distributed approach

employee advocacy: an authentic face to the market

reverse mentoring to get leaders on board & comfortable

2. capturing social media insights to change the firm
Catching a falling star by Peasap

insights for all, not just management reporting
Catching a falling star by Peasap

employees and customers as a ‘human sensor network’
Sheeren mosaic 2 by Paul Wells

create organisational health indicators for key capabilities

use this to drive rapid iteration and small-scale changes

3. spark the change by running a change agent network

you don’t need permission to improve the organisation

social teams make a great hub for change networks

the ‘Power of Small Things’ can create sustainable change

change agents are often the leaders of tomorrow

Shift*Groups.com : a community of change agents

4. start with yourself: experiment with new ways of working

what new ‘connected’ capabilities can your team create?

small agile teams driven by ‘market pull’
see http://www.organizeforcomplexity.com

there are many new ways of working techniques emerging

social media is not just
a.n.other marketing channel,
but also a ‘sense & respond’
tool to help firms evolve in
response to rapidly changing
market conditions

perhaps you can create more
value for your firm and your
customers by connecting internal
and external engagement to
create a more agile company

thank you for listening :)
{ }Please continue the
conversation with us:
• @leebryant / @postshift
• lee@postshift.com
• www.postshift.com
POST*SHIFT

Additional image credits and references
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinkerszone/3948664111
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kheelcenter/5279194177/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ranopamas/15021075201
http://verd2go.com
https://thington.com
http://www.tesla.com
http://www.slideshare.net/EdelmanInsights/2015-edelman-trust-barometer-energy-sector-results
https://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/52158537
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ideowl/4529488634/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/6219463656
http://www.businessinsider.com/huge-social-media-manager-does-all-day-2014-5?IR=T
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kheelcenter/5279194177
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakerdog/315377551
https://www.flickr.com/photos/christianhaugen/3527748298
http://i.imgur.com/Qr3xx.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fabolous/15728923718
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterkaminski/1688635/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/freelearninglife/7098001041/
http://www.organizeforcomplexity.com
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/002145.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4613540568/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vandalog/9445960751/
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/The_digital_tipping_point_McKinsey_Global_Survey_results?
cid=DigitalEdge-eml-alt-mip-mck-oth-1406