Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance

WHERE SOCIAL MEDIA HAS AN I MPACT 77

and exposure to various Web 2.0 tools, a win-win situation.

Employees learned about social technologies by using them in

their training, and Cisco experienced significant cost savings

on education delivery—a 90 percent reduction in training

costs per attendee. With nearly 2,500 attendees in this one

training session alone, the savings were substantial. Not to

mention, with the reduction in attendee travel expenses,

the learning solution also aligned with Cisco’s corporate

social responsibility goals for reducing carbon emissions.

The collaboration and partnership that resulted through this

experience reinforced a move that Cisco is making away from

hierarchical (command-and-control) management to a more

collaborative leadership philosophy.

Equally important, the training raised the awareness of

social computing technologies as enablers, a conversation

that has been transformational for the organization. As

CDO’s chief technology officer indicated, the engineers now

gained competencies, which were subsequently assessed with

quizzes that showed over a 97 percent training completion

rate. The use of Web 2.0 technologies was supported

and sponsored by the CEO and senior officers of Cisco, and

it fostered stronger partnership and collaboration between

organizations. The resulting trust needed for long-term

ef fectiveness within these organizations was considered one

of the biggest wins of all.

TRAILBLAZER

Capitalizing on Organizational Benefits

Cisco is not alone in its leading-edge use of social media. We have

been fortunate to talk to many organizations that are trailblazers

in this exciting era. Intel, British Telecom, Emergent Solutions,

and many others from a variety of industries are exploring the

ways in which they can leverage the new people power that social

media technologies make possible. In our many conversations

78 SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK

with these eager organizations, we’ve seen at least five specific

areas where they are capitalizing on social media to make a real

diff erence:

1. Attracting and retaining the best employees

2. Innovation and knowledge creation

3. Operational efficiency

4. Talent development

5. Employee engagement

When increased communication, stronger connections, and

greater collaboration are added to an organization’s daily oper-

ations, each of these areas becomes a force that can improve

organizational performance and effectiveness. Collectively they

influence many key aspects of an organization, such as strategic

planning, organization design, change management, leadership

development, performance management, and diversity. This is

especially true if we view the organization as a system that exists

within a larger system.

It is evident in today’s volatile economy that companies

cannot survive in the long term without attending to more

than just quotas and quarterly profit. Enron, WorldCom, AIG,

and Lehman Brothers are perfect examples of organizations that,

among other things, disregarded the long-term view, the systemic

nature of their own workforce dynamics, and the environment

beyond their own walls. Obviously, this myopic view can be fatal.

Many would expect greater innovation and knowledge as well

as operational efficiencies to contribute to a company’s short-term

or more immediate success. We agree. However, we also see these

forces interacting with the other three organizational elements

already mentioned. Attracting and retaining the best employees,

talent development, and employee engagement are activities that

create the kind of committed organization that can sustain its

success and meet the challenges of the future. Each of these five