Will social platforms for business work?
Social platforms for business, also known as social collaboration, social business (#socbiz), open business, enterprise social, or their technical name Web 2.0 platforms are making there way into the enterprise.
People and companies are questioning the value of social media and more specifically should it be used internally, for a more social way of collaborating within the enterprise.
Although it is still the innovators and early adopters are leading the way with the rest of the market resisting the change.
We see it as inevitable.
Which company environment would you rather work in? One with social platform or one without?
After you started using social platforms, Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter and instant messaging – how often then use email to contact a friend or colleague?
Adi Gaskell wrote a great blog post on a similar topic Should social media be banned at work?
The late majority are asking should we be using consumer social tools within the workplace? What is the return on investment? What is the benefit?
Are you content with how your teams get things done at the moment? Are you getting along just fine using email and shared folders and files.
For me to get teams and companies working more efficiently, is quite simple.
It is akin to people questioning how can you have a positive mindset when there is so many negative things in the world.
Just like, why should you always adopt a positive mindset? Well it sure beats the alternative.
Likewise : Transparency, openness and a sharing knowledge mindset, sure beats the alternative.
Similar with open communication platforms now making their way into the companies everywhere. Now you have Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and instant messages – how often do you email someone?
Why would you not switch?
Businesses mostly seek to avoid risk. Take a chance.
Innovation and change do not happen without risk.
The risk of not changing and becoming stagnant is surely worse?
Look at the following list and state which alternative is better?
| Enterprise 1.0 | Enterprise 2.0 |
| Hierarchy | Flat Organization |
| Friction | Ease of Organization Flow |
| Bureaucracy | Agility |
| Inflexibility | Flexibility |
| IT-driven technology / Lack of user control | User-driven technology |
| Top down | Bottom up |
| Centralized | Distributed |
| Teams are in one building / one time zone | Teams are global |
| Silos and boundaries | Fuzzy boundaries, open borders |
| Need to know | Transparency |
| Information systems are structured and dictated | Information systems are emergent |
| Taxonomies | Folksonomies |
| Overly complex | Simple |
| Closed/ proprietary standards | Open |
| Scheduled | On Demand |
| Long time-to-market cycles | Short time-to-market cycles |
How much ROI and benefit do you get from the column on the right?
I’m afraid to say I’ve been around a few years, and noticed the exact same trend when email and internet access were introduced. Internet especially, people wont find any value in it, they will waste time etc etc. The same was said of email: Don’t give it to everyone, it will waste time, there’s no value or ROI. People for the last few years and still now are saying activity streams won’t work for business. Nonsense!
The big difference now is people usually have faster internet connections on their phone and can access all the latest software completely outwith IT’s control. People are used to social platforms, used to sharing and having open conversations, why not have it at work?
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