How Do You Lead Socialutions?

We have been in dialog with numerous Fortune 500 corporations relative to the benefits of leveraging social media. Much
of our advice has been centric to ensuring that leadership understands
the dynamics of embarking on any social initiative before jumping in.

The common
issues we continue to run into are the comprehension of strategic
implications of doing the wrong things and doing things wrong. Many brands consider social initiatives as a tactical initiative to improve relations and enhance brand equity. While
fundamentally true the missing link is not considering the adoption of
social tools as a means to transform operations, culture and customer
interfaces. The other misunderstanding is the value to
internal resources learning how to use the tools to transform the
culture into an ongoing quest for Socialutions for all stakeholders
benefit.

When Does It Become More Than a Tool?

In any business
new initiatives are usually viewed by the employees as a flavor of the
month cause initiated by management to cut cost. Attitudes and real
transformation of culture and engagement from employees only comes when
leaders demonstrate real commitment for change. Commitment is demonstrated by being involved in change and allowing employees to engage in related conversations. Socialutions
are maximized when Leadership makes the adoption of social computing as
a new way of life within and outside the company

A recent Business Week story titled Big Blue Embraces Social Media
demonstrates how attitudes about social media internally can change.
IBM has been encouraging social networking among its employees with
in-house versions of Web 2.0 hits such as Facebook and Twitter

The Buzz on Beehive

Already, social scientists are
studying the benefits IBMers are getting from the network. They see
that it strengthens what are called “weak ties.” These are the people
employees might know only casually, some in a different division or
down a distant corridor. Getting to know these people, even if it
starts out with a Top Five list, widens employees’ range of contacts
and knowledge within the company.

Employees also use Beehive for
self-branding. It’s a way to strut their stuff for colleagues and
managers at the company—whether it’s for a promotion or funding for a
pet project.

When do IBMers decide to take
the plunge into social networking? Often when their boss takes the
lead. Greif says that in recent months a host of top executives at Big
Blue have jumped into Beehive, leading many others to do the same.

Leaders lead best by example. People learn best by example. Uniting people aimed at solutions that benefit all stakeholders can only be accomplished through relational examples. Leadership
demonstrating a commitment to a common cause and strong belief in a
vision of the possibilities is a strong motivation for people to follow. Especially if the vision is centric to a Socialution. After all, everything in business has social implications.

What say you?