Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance

PUTTING SOCIAL MEDIA TO WORK 137

found ways to overcome these challenges, and in some cases,

they are still exploring viable solutions. In short, the insights in

this guide are not ‘‘ours’’ alone; they are a compilation of the

research, risks, experience, and wisdom of many trailblazers. The

lessons will continue to unfold as we all gain more experience in

this ongoing journey.

The Process

Process activities are high-level tasks you can perform in shaping

the progress of social media adoption. We have identified the

following process activities:

1. Get intelligence

2. Clarify objectives

3. Design strategies

4. Implement the plan

5. Measure outcomes

6. Leverage learning

It is difficult to describe this process without the practices

that must accompany them. We have separated the two in order

to force a distinction, but in reality they are inextricable—what

we do and how we do it—just as science and art should go hand

in hand to create great masterpieces.

Get Intelligence

Perhaps this first step in the process should read ‘‘Become intel-

ligent by getting intelligence.’’ Begin your effort armed with

information about your environment and your organization.

Many strategic planning efforts begin with an environmental

scan or SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,

and threats). In an environmental scan, an organization gathers

information about both the external and internal environments

138 SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK

so that leaders can make better decisions in the planning pro-

cess. It is easy to imagine the benefits of gathering intelligence

about the external environment. For example, a consumer pack-

age goods company, perhaps a cereal company, might study

the demographics of potential customers, researching whether it

should develop products geared toward the Boomer population or

capturing the loyalty of Millennials? The product as well as the

marketing campaigns may vary drastically. And as a result, the

employees the company hires and the development it p rovides

will differ as well.

Internal environments are just as important. Work911, an

online business planning Web site, notes the importance of

internal scans and their connection with a systems model: ‘‘An

internal environmental scan involves looking at the present capa-

bilities of the organization (infrastructure, hardware, personnel,

abilities, structure, etc.) and that information can be compared

to what the organization will need in the future to achieve its

strategic goals.’’

1

Here’s what we think you should include in your intelligence

gathering effort and why. Table 6.1 describes key recommended

areas of information you will need to gather about your organiza-

tion’s population and how to use this intelligence in the adoption

process.

Clarify Objectives

A little enthusiasm can be dangerous. As more individuals

become comfortable with social media, organizations will increas-

ingly begin to investigate its advantages. Often new users’ enthu-

siasm may lead them to adopt strategies that don’t necessarily

address their true needs. Although we recommend experimen-

tation, we are strong advocates of clarifying the needs of your

organization and determining how social media can best propel

performance. This is particularly important for organizations that

are trying a top-down approach and those that are entering the

leveraging phase.

PUTTING SOCIAL MEDIA TO WORK 139

Table 6.1 Social Media Organizational Assessment

Gather

intelligence

about:

Description: Use your intelligence to:

Demographic

profile

Age, ethnic background,

tenure in the company,

industry experience

Position communications to

have greatest impact,

understand motivators,

and a nticipate resistance

accurately.

Social media

user profile

Comfort level with social

technologies and typical

activities related to using

it

Determine which social

technologies to implement

and how to target them.

Readiness for

complex

change

History of success in large

change efforts; change

leader capability; level of

trust in leaders,

technology, and each

other; shared view of the

need for social media; a

commonly understood

perception of problems

and causes driving the

need; an openness to

experimentation with new

solutions

Emphasize the need for

effective change

leadership practices,

identify and mitigate the

greatest risk a reas

involved in the

implementation process,

involve key people

effectively throughout the

effort, plan strategies for

building momentum,

maintain productivity as

change occurs.

Present state

of your

organiza-

tional

system

The components and

effectiveness of the

current organizational

system; how work is

accomplished and how the

organization is designed to

sustain performance

Anticipate how the use of

social media will change

the way the organization

will operate; plan for

intended and unintended

consequences; ascertain a

realistic picture of how

much ‘‘work’’ will be

involved in

implementation, what

level of social media use

you might expect to reach,

and the types of metrics

you might employ to

evaluate successful use.