E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez

KMers – Let Go of Control: Encourage and Monitor

Earlier on today, on my blog post around 10 Reasons NOT to Ban Social Media in Organisations I was eventually sharing a number of different arguments as to why social computing within the enterprise is a worth while effort to pursue further. Those arguments were trying to provide a reply to the original resource that stated why some businesses out there may not be that open and receptive, just yet, to social networking. So I thought in this blog entry I would continue to pick things up and share some further insights, specially around a number of those headings picked up by this meme itself. Namely, it’s about controlling the message, employees will goof off, social media is a time waster and employees can’t be trusted. How do I plan to continue the conversation? Well, with a little help of my friends, of course!

In the past, you would remember how I have been talking about a special group of KMers, right? A bunch of really smart, witty, incredibly insightful, thought-provoking, passionate and rather enthusiastic people about the topics of Knowledge Management, Collaboration, Communities, Learning and Social Networking. Yes, that’s right! That talented group of great thinkers! Well, every Tuesday at noon EDT they get together on Twitter (I try to join them as many times as I possibly can), pick up a topic and a moderator and they embark, in my opinion, on some of the most interesting and exciting conversations you can have around on the Internet at the moment, covering various different areas, but perhaps with a special focus on KM itself, after all.

Like last week’s, around the topic of "Let go of Control; Encourage and Monitor", moderated by my good friend, and KM extraordinaire, Stan Garfield. That one hour tweetchat event surely touched base on a good number of the arguments that could counteract most of the premises I mentioned above as potential issues why companies would not be interested in social networking in the first place. Lucky enough, we have got the chat transcript from the whole thing!

And that’s why today I thought I would continue further with that meme adding up a number of different reasons why each of those arguments would sound rather weak, after going through the several dozens of great insights, ideas, experiences, know-how and knowledge shared by each and everyone of those folks.

So I am going to keep quiet for now. I am not sure whether the chat transcript will stay there forever. You can have a look and read through it over here. But just in case it may disappear, and for the sake of saving some of those great conversations, I have reproduced below the tweetchat event as it happened. I would encourage you all go through it over a cup of coffee, or tea, since it’s on the long side of things… And enjoy it! Here it is:

"4:01 pm stangarfield: Welcome, KMers! This is Stan Garfield in Detroit – I will host today’s chat. Please introduce yourselves. #KMers
4:01 pm swanwick: It’s the noon hour and time for #KMers This week moderated by the venerable @StanGarfield #KMers
4:03 pm stangarfield: Is anyone getting error messages using TweetChat? #KMers
4:03 pm ChiefExecMom: Theresa Sullivan working in KM at Bain & Co for 8+ yrs. Lurking today, but love the topic so much I had to say YES to joining #KMers
4:03 pm 4KM: Hello everyone: Alice MacGillivray: used to mng #KM grad programs; int #KM #leadership #complexity links. Looking fwd to learning #KMers
4:03 pm swanwick: @elsua @4km @jmcgee @vivisimo @kcbower @rsamii @sapreston and many more. Thx for the promo of today’s chat via RT #KMers
4:04 pm stangarfield: @ChiefExecMom Welcome, Swan, Theresa, and Alice! #KMers
4:04 pm jmcgee: Howdy Stan – Jim McGee here in Chicago after some vacation time – KM and knowledge work consultant these days #kmers
4:04 pm kcbower: Kate Bower, grad student re: #KM @Northwestern. Currently researching #PKM; will be seekng study participants (read: you!) nxt wk! #KMers
4:04 pm curtisaconley: Hey all, Curtis Conley from Chicago here #KMers
4:05 pm stangarfield: Welcome, Jim, Kate, and Curtis! #KMers
4:05 pm kcbower: @swanwick Always happy to help promote. #KMers
4:06 pm kcbower: @stangarfield Thanks, Stan – looking forward to the conversation. #KMers
4:06 pm stangarfield: Let’s get started. Q1: In your organization, or in orgs you have seen, has the use of social media been embraced or restricted? #KMers
4:06 pm swanwick: @ChiefExecMom Big shout out to Theresa for doing some summaries of the #KMers chats. Theresa, promo ur blog. #KMers
4:07 pm 4KM: @stangarfield Not getting error msgs but delays and 1 post didn’t show #kmers
4:07 pm kcbower: @stangarfield You mean as an internal tool for knowledge sharing, and not as external outreach, correct? #KMers
4:07 pm swanwick: @stangarfield Q1: Little of both. Want to get feet wet, but a lot of caution/trepidation when it comes to #SM #KMers
4:08 pm 4KM: Over 50% of my work is w governments and restrictions seem to be increasing #KMers
4:08 pm curtisaconley: Embraced by some members of org., but have seen IT usually try to restrict or limit use of SM tools #KMers
4:08 pm stangarfield: @kcbower Either one. Internal use of tools such as wikis or microblogs, or external use of tools like Twitter or Facebook. #KMers
4:09 pm ChiefExecMom: @swanwick Disclaimer they’re quick & dirty, but find summaries of some previous chats & more forthcoming http://tinyurl.com/23zolmg #KMers
4:09 pm 4KM: I sometimes see enthusiasm, but misguided (e.g., have "launched a wiki" (i.e. made available) #KMers
4:09 pm pekadad: @stangarfield Lee Romero from Deloitte in Detroit here. Joining a few minutes late. #KMers
4:09 pm kcbower: Q1. Internal -neither embraced nor restricted – encouraged in some depts but employees disinterested. Culture v. slow to change here. #KMers
4:10 pm jmcgee: Q1: – mostly I’ve seen what I would call "cautiously embraced" – toe in the water stuff – unless it’s restricted by industry regs #kmers
4:10 pm 4KM: Welcome, Lee #KMers
4:10 pm pekadad: @curtisaconley I’m not sure I would characterize it as IT, but risk / legal throwing up walls, raising concerns. #KMers
4:11 pm swanwick: Q1: nobody wants to get left behind, but they also don’t want to spend money that is not clearly tied to revenue right now. #KMers
4:11 pm 4KM: In my exp, employee use off-hours off-radar varies hugely, often depending on field in which they work #KMers
4:11 pm stangarfield: How about central groups worried about not being able to control content such as in wikis? #KMers
4:11 pm ChiefExecMom: Q1 No we have not embraced #SM at all. A few pilots happen but nothing gets traction #KMers
4:12 pm 4KM: Oddly enough, recently saw an audit shop launch something and they seemed open to shared control (not tested) Q1 #KMers
4:12 pm swanwick: @ChiefExecMom Why do you think no traction for your #SM projects? #KMers
4:13 pm VMaryAbraham: Q1: Both internal/external use hv their issues: risk, what’s gd practice, dependence on email, privacy/confidentiality concerns, etc. #kmers
4:13 pm rsamii: @swanwick agree that no one wants to be left behind. Often new things r embraced if competitor is using it #KMers
4:13 pm kcbower: @ChiefExecMom Appears to be same here. Staff appear unwilling to learn unless mandated. #KMers
4:13 pm Vivisimo_Inc: @stangarfield Wikis seem to be green lighted. No issues with central group controlling content #KMers
4:14 pm 4KM: Know one ministry (Canadian dept) where use took off but pt of huge change project with sr exec support/#leadership #KMers
4:14 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield Stan, when you say central group, do you mean senior managers or KM managers? #kmers
4:15 pm pekadad: @jmcgee I think you highlight a specific concern – issues with regulated industries (or maybe other industry-specific issues) #KMers
4:15 pm swanwick: @Vivisimo_Inc Do you think there is a large uptick in wiki use? #KMers
4:15 pm stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham Usually KM managers used to controlling published content #KMers
4:15 pm rsamii: @kcbower @kcbower do your colleagues use #sm for non work-related stuff? #KMers
4:15 pm Vivisimo_Inc: @VMaryAbraham the thing is though SM tools promote the share of tacit knowledge – no risk no reward – fine line #KMers
4:15 pm jmcgee: curious is issues of content control are more about uncertainty over how to make use of new tools reluctance to lose face? #kmers
4:15 pm ChiefExecMom: @swanwick We’re not getting traction b/c we’re not showing full value by not going in with a clear strategy or value proposition #KMers
4:16 pm VMaryAbraham: So sad. Probably not rare. RT @stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham Usually KM managers used to controlling published content #kmers
4:16 pm stangarfield: Has anyone experienced having access blocked to external sites such as Yammer? #KMers
4:16 pm 4KM: In the successful ex I cited, ironically the "KM group" was only peripherally involved (which was good) Q1 #KMers
4:16 pm pekadad: @jmcgee I think that’s an important distinction. Some risks of information exposure can be very different in this context. #KMers
4:16 pm ChiefExecMom: I think there is also an attitude that we’re pretty effective without them and #SM tools are frivilous #KMers
4:17 pm VMaryAbraham: @jmcgee Is there also job security concern? If you’ve been the gate-keeper, yr job may disappear w/ distributed contribution via wiki #kmers
4:17 pm ChiefExecMom: hey, I’m supposed to be lurking! #KMers
4:17 pm kcbower: @rsamii I would assume yes, in personal life, but many #SM platforms blocked here – Fbk, for example. #KMers
4:17 pm stangarfield: I find it interesting that some members of KM communities like SIKM can’t access Yahoo! Groups, and others can’t access SlideShare. #KMers
4:17 pm ithorpe: Ian Thorpe working on KM in UNICEF joining the conversation late #kmers
4:18 pm ChiefExecMom: notice that I am updating "via web" now b/c I cannot get into other tools behind firewall #KMers
4:18 pm stangarfield: Blocking access to sites like that seems like it just hurts people’s ability to learn. #KMers
4:18 pm 4KM: One of my communities (about 20 orgs) could all access Yahoo groups a few yrs ago, and now very few can #KMers
4:18 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield External sites may raise confidentiality concerns — especially for regulated industries. #kmers
4:19 pm jmcgee: there’s no personal risk to "being pragmatic" and waiting for proof of value – being a pioneer into new territory = big risk #kmers
4:19 pm 4KM: That group (no access to Yahoo etc.) has been a labor of love and I’ve ploughed a ton of time into false starts w platforms #KMers
4:19 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield There’s a compromise: let them use external site, but don’t let them post client-confidential or firm-confidential info #kmers
4:20 pm stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham Isn’t is easy to circumvent such blocking by using smartphones? #KMers
4:20 pm VMaryAbraham: RT @jmcgee: theres no personal risk 2 "being pragmatic" & waiting for proof of value – being a pioneer into new territory = big risk #kmers
4:20 pm ithorpe: Luckily no tools blocked here, low takeup of external tools, moderate takeup, low but growing actual use of internal tools #kmers
4:20 pm stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham This is more about policy than technology, right? #KMers
4:20 pm 4KM: @VMaryAbraham Yes; makes perfect sense; but permissions to use can be mysterious, complicated & time-consuming #KMers
4:21 pm ithorpe: @jmcgee unfortunately yes, although hopefully big wins for those who gain advantage by using SM effectively (hoping) #kmers
4:21 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield Yes. But those of us dealing w/ confidential info hv to comply w/ the rules, whether or not we’re using firm equipment. #kmers
4:22 pm 4KM: Policy and technology joined at hip (in terms of impacts) but they don’t necessarily talk to each other well #KMers
4:22 pm stangarfield: Q2: What social media policies do you think are appropriate? How do they differ from other conduct policies, if at all? #KMers
4:22 pm VMaryAbraham: @4KM Understood, but that may the only way to permit learning in a safe manner. Can’t jeopardize client/firm confidentiality. #kmers
4:22 pm Vivisimo_Inc: @4KM @VMaryAbraham Perhaps depends on industry and business. I see a lot of resistance in banking for eg #KMers
4:22 pm kcbower: RT @4KM: Policy and technology joined at hip (in terms of impacts) but they dont necessarily talk to each other well — no kidding! #KMers
4:23 pm ithorpe: @stangarfield @vmaryabraham I think many orgs use technology blocks and IT security concerns 2 deal with what r really policy issues #kmers
4:23 pm Vivisimo_Inc: @kcbower Agreed KC! #KMers
4:23 pm swanwick: External #SM sites often harder to integrate with internal tools/processes unless IT does some integration work. #KMers
4:23 pm VMaryAbraham: Yes, policy. But Education is more important. RT @stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham This is more about policy than technology, right? #kmers
4:24 pm 4KM: @VMaryAbraham Agree on policy around what can be posted. Not advocating otherwise. Just frustrated by no progress in many orgs. #KMers
4:24 pm VMaryAbraham: @ithorpe @stangarfield That’s probably right. However, for some it may be a delaying tactic until they can create policy. #kmers
4:24 pm ithorpe: @stangarfield Q2 SM policies should be extension of conduct policies to contextualize them in terms of how social media works #kmers
4:25 pm kcbower: Q2 Byond stndrd internet usage protocols, not sure that company confidentiality clauses couldn’t also cover #SM use. #KMers
4:25 pm stangarfield: @VMaryAbraham Excellent point. How should training be delivered and what should it include in order to be effective? #KMers
4:25 pm swanwick: @elsua recently tweeted that he was working on updating IBM social media guidelines http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html #KMers
4:25 pm kcbower: @ithorpe Can you broaden your thought re: contextualizing them, please? #KMers
4:26 pm pekadad: @stangarfield I don’t think there’s much of a need for any differences. Policies should state expectation of being professional. #KMers
4:26 pm jmcgee: how do we get right people to get enough hands on experience with SM to formulate useful policy? #kmers
4:26 pm ithorpe: @VMaryAbraham yes, agree is a delaying tactic and possibly an over-draconian one #kmers
4:26 pm pekadad: @stangarfield The difference is that being "unprofessional" has potentially more significant impact with social media. #KMers
4:26 pm rsamii: @stangarfield #SM policy should be pretty much common sense. Guideline useful to share good practice + show how to exploit #sm #KMers
4:26 pm VMaryAbraham: @4KM Perhaps there’s only one policy rule: Feel free to post, subject to losing your job for errors of judgment. #kmers
4:27 pm pekadad: @stangarfield Meaning, "more visible" and "longer lasting" and so higher impact. #KMers
4:27 pm 4KM: Lots of common ground, but #KM and #SM often bring very new ways of thinking, so more detail & exp learning helps #KMers
4:27 pm jmcgee: Re @elusa and IBM SM policy – flows from meaningful engagement first, policy 2nd #kmers
4:27 pm ithorpe: @kcbower explaining how conduct applies in terms of social media – in particular highlighting common opportunities and risks #kmers
4:27 pm VMaryAbraham: @ithorpe But if you’re unsure, the cost/benefit analysis would support delay. Competitive pressures change the calculation. #kmers
4:28 pm Vivisimo_Inc: I disagree @rsamii that policy should be pretty much common sense. We cannot expect everyone to react/act with common sense #KMers
4:28 pm stangarfield: Has anyone seen actual cases of social media abuses, leaks, misbehavior, etc.? Or is it more urban legend than real risk? #KMers
4:28 pm swanwick: @jmcgee Yes, I think IBM struck a nice balance between freedom and guidelines #KMers
4:28 pm VMaryAbraham: @Vivisimo_Inc In other words, common sense isn’t as common as we might wish. @rsamii #kmers
4:29 pm pekadad: @stangarfield I have read newspaper stories of people being fired due to posts on their own blogs. #KMers
4:29 pm kcbower: @ithorpe I can see esp. emphasizing risks, given that breaking confidentiality via #SM likely to have significantly greater impact. #KMers
4:29 pm ithorpe: RT @VMaryAbraham: @Vivisimo_Inc In other words, common sense isn’t as common as we might wish. @rsamii #kmers
4:29 pm 4KM: One ex I saw was internal and sr exec handled brilliantly; turned into a conversation about learning, ethics, respect… #KMers
4:29 pm rsamii: @stangarfield take the example of CNN’s Octavia Nasar #KMers
4:30 pm swanwick: @stangarfield There are mini-abuses all the time. Ppl say "we" when really should not be representing the company in public forum. #KMers
4:30 pm 4KM: The CompanyCommand Washington Post ex wasn’t real, but perception is as important as reality #KMers
4:30 pm rsamii: @swanwick absolutely. IBM’s policy is one of the best, if not the best. Simple, straightforward and to the point! #KMers
4:30 pm ithorpe: Worried that any SM policy highlights risks and do nots. Should also encourage people to see this as an opportunity. #kmers
4:31 pm kcbower: @stangarfield Terminated an employee years ago for breaking confidentiality via #SM. #KMers
4:31 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield There were early media reports of companies tweeting financial information. That can run into legal issues. #kmers
4:31 pm kcbower: Yes!RT @ithorpe: Worried that any SM policy highlights risks and do nots. Should also encourage people to see this as an opportunity. #KMers
4:32 pm JoeRaimondo: Risks of SM abuse are subtle. The amt of industrial espionage out there is growing exponentially. 4Square is perfect for that #kmers
4:32 pm 4KM: Stan – hope you will jump in w stories if you want to and not feel confined to objective moderator role #KMers
4:32 pm ChiefExecMom: I did this on this chat today! RT @swanwick Ppl say "we" when really should not be representing the company in public forum #KMers
4:32 pm VMaryAbraham: The basic proper conduct rules have not changed. #SM just gives us additional opportunities to exercise good judgment. #kmers
4:33 pm Vivisimo_Inc: This is where the fine line comes into play RT @VMaryAbraham @stangarfield "companies tweeting financial information." #KMers
4:33 pm VMaryAbraham: @JoeRaimondo Speaking of 4Square, has anyone’s home been burgled because of it? #kmers
4:33 pm stangarfield: @ithorpe Agree, and training can help promote the benefits as well as the proper use of social media. #KMers
4:33 pm ithorpe: RT @VMaryAbraham:The basic proper conduct rules have not changed #SM just gives us additional opportunities to exercise good judgment #kmers
4:35 pm stangarfield: @4KM Social media guidelines – link to existing policies, take advantage of the known identity, rely on self-policing #KMers
4:35 pm kcbower: What do to in large org that is slow to embrace potential of #SM? #KMers
4:35 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield Training is critical. Especially when #SM platforms continuously change their privacy policies/settings. #kmers
4:35 pm jmcgee: RT @VMaryAbraham: The basic proper conduct rules have not changed. #SM just gives us addl optys to exercise good judgment. #kmers – or bad
4:36 pm rsamii: RT @VMaryAbraham: The basic proper conduct rules have not changed. #SM just gives us additional opportunities to exercise good judgment. #kmers
4:36 pm rdatta: RT @stangarfield: @4KM Social media guidelines – link to existing policies, take advantage of known identity, rely on self-policing #KMers
4:36 pm Vivisimo_Inc: Starts with culture…RT @kcbower What do to in large org that is slow to embrace potential of #SM #KMers
4:36 pm swanwick: @kcbower Seek to start an innovation engine. Something that gets top-level support for small projects. #KMers
4:37 pm stangarfield: Summary: Publish policy, monitor and follow up as needed, but don’t block, limit, or control. #KMers
4:37 pm rdatta: RT @stangarfield: Summary: Publish policy, monitor and follow up as needed, but dont block, limit, or control. – completely agree #KMers
4:37 pm 4KM: #KM #SM RT @stangarfield: Summary: Publish policy, monitor and follow up as needed, but dont block, limit, or control. #KMers
4:37 pm rickladd: RT @VMaryAbraham Basic proper conduct rules haven’t changed. #SM just gives us additional opps to exercise good judgment. #kmers http://www.ibm.com/ibm/gio/us/en/ourselves.thinkplace.html #KMers
4:38 pm kcbower: @swanwick Innovation engine going. Think prob is that ldrshp states support but doesn’t practice. #KMers
4:38 pm stangarfield: Q3: Have you been told ?no? when making a request or suggesting an improvement? How did this make you feel? #KMers
4:39 pm rsamii: Great mantra! RT @stangarfield: Summary: Publish policy, monitor and follow up as needed, but don’t block, limit, or control. #KMers
4:39 pm rdatta: We are also going through a cultural shift – the immediate reactions tend to be overblown – like turning off access-throwing out baby #KMers
4:39 pm kcbower: @VMaryAbraham Will have to research competitors specifically; know that general case studies have failed to inspire change. #KMers
4:39 pm 4KM: One of the #cxapps sessions (#complexity wkshp) was about extreme programming-like practices internally for PM. Super responsive. #KMers
4:39 pm stangarfield: @kcbower Try to show a good example that others will want to copy. #KMers
4:40 pm swanwick: @stangarfield Q3: I’m not good at "no". Generally makes me think of new ways to state case and/or pursue. #KMers
4:40 pm VMaryAbraham: @4KM Xtreme programming? Can you tell us more, Alice? #kmers
4:41 pm 4KM: As employee, was always being told the org wasn’t ready for ideas. Framed as compliments sort-of. Made me feel like going independent #KMers
4:41 pm rsamii: @stangarfield sure.. but that has never stopped me from putting into practice the "suggestion and/or improvement" #KMers
4:42 pm stangarfield: Q4: Have you ever been the one saying ?no? to requests or suggestions? #KMers
4:42 pm rdatta: Q3: that’s where technology can help a little – by letting anyone put forward their idea and make it visible – but culture decides #KMers
4:42 pm ithorpe: @stangarfield Q3 not direct no as much as a lack of support, resources or interest when it’s needed. Harder 2 take than a direct no. #kmers
4:42 pm 4KM: Presenter central to Scrum; does big projects. Treated projects, clients, programmers in similar ways. Excitement, respect, speed… #KMers
4:43 pm VMaryAbraham: @stangarfield Q4: Had to say "no" in my pre #E20 days. Smart #SM tools makes it easier to say yes. #kmers
4:43 pm rdatta: Q4: rarely, you want to encourage people to think and put forward their ideas- so best way is let self-selection process do rejection #KMers
4:43 pm Vivisimo_Inc: @stangarfield Q3: It depends on how the "no" is given. No with a valid reason is easier to accept #KMers
4:44 pm 4KM: Sorry, last tweet was in resp to @VMaryAbraham Q #KMers
4:44 pm ithorpe: @stangarfield Q4 occasionally, although usually in terms of "if you can find the resources then yes" #kmers
4:45 pm 4KM: I’ve been good at finding other ways (permissions for pilots etc.) but those sometimes backfire in long term #KMers
4:45 pm swanwick: @stangarfield Q4: of course, but always try to explain why and give person a sense of what might be better received. #KMers
4:45 pm VMaryAbraham: @4KM Thanks, Alice. Excitement, respect + speedy response = happy customer #kmers
4:45 pm VMaryAbraham: @4KM What’s the long-term danger of a pilot? #kmers
4:46 pm 4KM: @VMaryAbraham Use of #SM and other tools, and remarkable record for meeting time lines #KMers
4:46 pm swanwick: Q4: these days there is less flat out "no" because pilots can be done so cheaply. #KMers
4:46 pm rdatta: @swanwick problem with that is that you assume you know more/better than the person with idea – open collective process is better #KMers
4:47 pm rsamii: Check this out: 10 top reasons to ban social media in the organisation! http://bit.ly/9u8QWu #kmers
4:47 pm 4KM: @VMaryAbraham: long-term danger of pilots was sr exec eventually saw cumulative work & I think saw me as rebel despite results #KMers
4:47 pm swanwick: @rdatta Agreed, but a crowd is not always available. Crowdsourcing takes work/effort. #KMers
4:47 pm kcbower: (All making me feel as if I need to be in one of your orgs – seems I’d be more likely to get yeses! Lol) #KMers
4:48 pm stangarfield: If there is some way to say yes, even conditionally, it’s better than no. As Kate said, it avoids making people feel defeated. #KMers
4:48 pm Vivisimo_Inc: I like! @rdatta @swanwick – open collective process is better #KMers #KMers
4:48 pm kcbower: Absolutely. RT @stangarfield: If there is some way to say yes, even conditionally, its better than no. #KMers
4:48 pm 4KM: RT @stangarfield: … yes, even conditionally, is better than no. As Kate said, it avoids making people feel defeated. #KM #KMers
4:48 pm swanwick: Would be ideal to operate like Google and let all kinds of things grow and just see what flourishes, but not reality in most orgs. #KMers
4:49 pm stangarfield: Combining "just say yes" and "try things out" (as with pilots) can empower and energize people. #KMers
4:49 pm VMaryAbraham: Saw interesting uses of #SM tools for finding/culling innovation @#e2conf. RT @rdatta: @swanwick open collective process is better #kmers
4:50 pm swanwick: @Vivisimo_Inc OK, somebody in ur dept brings a pilot proposal to u. In your opinion it has flaws, what do you do? #KMers
4:50 pm kcbower: Much more motivating RT@stangarfield: Combining "just say yes" and "try things out" (as with pilots) can empower and energize people. #KMers
4:50 pm stangarfield: Any examples of when you were told yes and good things happened as a result? #KMers
4:50 pm 4KM: @VMaryAbraham No – In that case #SM were thoughtfully used in combination with other standard tools: good combo. #KMers
4:51 pm 4KM: Recently rschd ex of group bringing "obviously flawed" approach to head of org & he stuck with distributed #leadership model (it wkd) #KMers
4:51 pm rdatta: @swanwick: ..like Google and let all kinds of things grow and just see what flourishes, but not reality in orgs – that’s KM’s job #KMers
4:52 pm stangarfield: I asked the leader of our group if I could start a regular discussion group call, and she said yes. It has been successful. #KMers
4:52 pm VMaryAbraham: @rdatta Even org-wide, you won’t hv 100% participation.Not gd if it’s just the disgruntled or the super-enthusiastic who participate. #kmers
4:52 pm ithorpe: RT @rsamii Check this out: 10 top reasons to ban social media in the organisation! http://bit.ly/9u8QWu Wow I *like* reasons 3 + 5 #kmers
4:53 pm 4KM: Lots of times when good results in MA in KM program, but anecdotal and student-related #KMers
4:54 pm 4KM: I expect 90% of KM efforts have come from some imaginative employee, and many have had benefits #KMers
4:54 pm rdatta: @VMaryAbraham 100% participation is not needed in knowledge markets or any other market – the dynamics work itself out #KMers
4:54 pm ithorpe: I was allowed to tweet a major meeting once. It was very popular – so much so I was disinvited from another meeting in case I tweeted #kmers
4:54 pm saundra_s: part 2/2… rather than say no and have people find their own way to do it anyway #kmers
4:55 pm kcbower: RT @rsamii: @ithorpe LOL! #KMers
4:56 pm VMaryAbraham: @rdatta I’d want 2 see several test cases.In #innovation, diversity of opinion is critical. Need 2 B sure the "market" provides that. #kmers
4:56 pm Vivisimo_Inc: I’m sorry but that’s hilarious! RT @rsamii: @ithorpe LOL! #KMers #KMers
4:56 pm swanwick: @Vivisimo_Inc Of course, but are you going to run your dept as a democracy? Does everyone understand all the budget ramifications? #KMers
4:56 pm VMaryAbraham: @rdatta Agreed that things should improve over time. However, need to ensure good results with even the first efforts… #kmers
4:57 pm swanwick: @ithorpe I am envisioning the meeting being called like a boxing play by play. #KMers
4:57 pm ithorpe: I should explain that in the first case the meeting organizers wanted openness, in the second case the (different) organizers didn’t. #kmers
4:57 pm stangarfield: Challenge: next time someone asks you for something that you can reject rationally, stop yourself and try to say yes. #KMers
4:58 pm VMaryAbraham: Where was #KM? RT @4KM: I expect 90% of KM efforts have come from some imaginative employee, and many have had benefits #kmers
4:58 pm rdatta: @VMaryAbraham yes, agreed. when you’re more open, you allow for more diversity to seep in. Take any open source project as example #KMers
4:58 pm 4KM: RT @stangarfield: Another fun one New technology – the threat to our information http://bit.ly/caSpgj http://www.kmers.org/topicsuggestions/dashboard #KMers"

Tags: Ban Social Media Meme, Memes, Ten Reasons, Fad, Control, Trust, Goofing Off, Illusions, Time Wasters, Connected, Social Enterprise, KMers, TweetChat Events, Twitter, Monitoring, Stan Garfield, Chat Transcripts, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity

10 Reasons NOT to Ban Social Media In Organisations – The Meme

A couple of days back, I am sure you would still remember how I put together a tongue-in-cheek (Coming from my Hippie 2.0 side) blog post where I shared a couple of thoughts on the Top 10 Reasons to Ban Social Media in the Organisations that Jane Hart shared over at her blog coming from a YouTube video put together by Ron Desi with that same title. Well, it now looks like we have got ourselves a new, rather interesting, meme going on. And this time around I’m biting it. Why not? Hope you, too! Here is why…

It all started with that blog post from Jane, then my good friends, both Harold Jarche and Jack Vinson picked it up and created that meme as a result of putting together a couple of rather insightful and worth while reading articles: Ten reasons by Harold and Ten Reasons by Jack, respectively. From there onwards a couple of folks have been following up already and Jane herself put together a follow up entry where she describes the rules of the meme (She is also doing a marvelous piece of work combining all of those insights on this particular link, so watch it grow over time!):

"Create a counter to each of the reasons. Maybe the conversation shouldn’t even be about these "reasons to ban" but should come up "reasons to use" social media""

So, here I am, wanting to chime in on this meme and try to answer each and everyone of those 10 reasons why social media should NOT be banned in organisations. Here is a quick recap of them all, so you can quickly put them in context:

1. Social media is a fad.
2. It’s about controlling the message.
3. Employees will goof off.
4. Social Media is a time waster.
5. Social media has no business purpose.
6. Employees can’t be trusted.
7. Don’t cave into the demands of the millennials.
8. Your teams already share knowledge effectively.
9. You’ll get viruses.
10. Your competition isn’t using it, so why should you?

And here you have got my contribution to each and everyone of them starting in the same order they have been covered elsewhere already, hoping not to repeat myself too much and perhaps succeed in adding my two cents into the on-going conversations, wishing that other folks would jump in as well. So, let’s go and do it! Let’s start!

10. Social media is a fad: Yes, yes, I know. I have been hearing and reading about this one since early 2000, when I was first exposed to social software tools (Community wikis, in this case), and fast forward 10 years later (Yes, 10 years later!) we are still talking about it. If that’s a fad then I wish there would be plenty more of them, I am afraid. Social Software has been with us since 1997 and growing stronger than ever, to the point where plenty of people are spending more time in social networking activities displacing even something so pervasive as email is. Yes, indeed, we would have to start saying that email, too, is a fad, don’t you think?! (It’s been there for over 40 years already!)

9. It’s about controlling the message: This is an interesting one, for sure! Jane talks about it as a myth. Actually, I would go one step further. Control has always been, and still is, an illusion. Controlling your knowledge workers and their actions is an impossible task to do for anyone, more than anything else, because those knowledge workers are the first ones who know exactly how to put a stop to that control if it jeopardises their own identity and personal privacy: they would leave the company. As simple as that. Oh, and the same thing happens with security, for that matter.

8. Employees will goof off: Of course! We have been doing that for centuries and we will continue to do that for many more to come! It’s part of our human nature when we lack the motivation and involvement to remain engaged with what we do. When businesses have managed to wear off our passion for our jobs and instead treat us as resources, not even human, that’s what you can expect. It’s a fair game.

Like I said, we are going to continue to goof off for many decades to come, but, to be honest with you, if we would want to do that we wouldn’t need to make use of social networking sites in the first place. We have got other means of doing it much more successfully: email, personal phone calls, the water cooler breaks, extended breakfast & lunch breaks, late arrivals at work, and a long etc. etc.

If you don’t want your employees to goof off, treat them with respect, trust them, empower them to co-share that responsibility of running a business, treasure and nurture their professionalism, because, after all, haven’t you hired a bunch of professionals to do the job in the first place? If not, don’t blame the employees; you may need to look into the HR hiring process altogether from scratch …

7. Social media is a time waster: Of course! Have you noticed how, every so often, we have got these wonderful studies that claim millions of dollars have been wasted by all of that time we seem to spend on social networking sites? How those social interactions help us decrease our productivity substantially? Well, how about if we tackle the issues where we would need to: how are business keeping their employees networked, connected, motivated and engaged to do their jobs so that they don’t bump into time wasters?

Most importantly, when are we going to have studies done on the huge amount of money and time lost when knowledge workers can’t get their job done because they can’t find that expert or that piece of information while they are still trapped inside their teams and organisational silos when they know and realise that within a matter of minutes, using social networks, they would be able to find them successfully?

6. Social Media has no business purpose: Of course, not! That’s why social media doesn’t humanise your enterprise, does it? Or is it quite the opposite? How about flattening the organisation, breaking down silos, helping knowledge workers find both content and experts much easier, facilitating serendipitous knowledge discoveries, bringing further up clarity, visibility and openness in both how people collaborate and share their knowledge? How about being one of the major drivers in helping build trust levels by tapping into the crucial realm of social capital, which we all know is eventually what drives business nowadays (When was the last time you purchased a product without trusting the vendor? If you have, I think you should question that one first, I’m afraid)? Yes, indeed, social media has no business purpose, or does it?

5. Employees can’t be trusted: Oh dear, if your employees can’t be trusted, why is is then that you have hired them in the first place? That’s like you trust that robber with your house keys to take care of the house while you go on vacation for three weeks!! Really? You don’t trust your employees? Whether you like it or not, they are your brand, and I do seriously think you should probably take much better care of your brand than no trusting it altogether, don’t you think?

In fact, trusting your employees and treating them with respect, care and appreciation will help you take your business into a new ground, one where they will become trustworthy enough to engage in conversations with your customers to keep them happy and engaged. Now, how is that for a bad thing? Is it? Trust them. They are your bloodstream, the DNA of your business, whether you like it or not, so you might as well treat them with respect and treasure their passion and commitment, because otherwise when you may need that blood transfusion to survive you may not longer have a donor…

4. Don’t cave into the demands from the millennials: Of course! Why should you? After all the vast majority of your workforce are all baby boomers, who will be working still for another 20 to 25 years to come, right? Oh, wait, that’s not that accurate anymore, I am afraid, is it? Baby boomers are already retiring, and in two to three years it would be those younger generations the ones that will outnumber, by far, those older generations. But, it gets even more interesting, still …

Those older generations are starting to retire and leave the workplace, and all of the huge amount of knowledge they have accumulated over the course of decades is going away with them. Who are they going to transfer it to, before they go? What tools are they going to use? Email? Instant Messaging? The phone? Oh dear, that doesn’t sound like an interesting outlook into take into account in the next few months, does it? Whether we like it or not, the younger generational working style relying more and more on social tools is here to stay, so the sooner we adopt it and embrace it, the better. The much more amount of critical knowledge we would be capable of not just preserving, but also reusing and augmenting further. Why would you want to reinvent the wheel from scratch once again? Haven’t we all done that far too many times already? If you don’t cave into those demands, I think very soon it would be yourself the one looking out for a new job out there, one where your next boss may be one of those young millennials working for a company that decided to adapt and change to that new and refreshing working style… Up to you. Really.

3. Your teams already knowledge effectively: A wise man once said "E-mail is where knowledge goes to die", so if you think that your knowledge workers have been sharing their knowledge efficiently through email, I guess you would need to think about it, once again. It’s not happening. Yes, I realise you may have all of that wonderful explicit knowledge captured in knowledge sharing repositories and that you may have a rather solid content management repository strategy, but did you know that only accounts for about 5% of the total amount of knowledge and information generated by your workforce? Indeed, that small fraction.

It’s not such a bad thing to complement such wonderful CMS strategies with the adoption of social software tools where tacit knowledge could flourish in a rather rich environment and get combined with all of that Intellectual Capital your business has been capturing for decades. Why neglect the fact that most of the work done today gets carried out through those informal tacit knowledge exchanges where individuals are more in control of their work and knowledge flows giving them an opportunity to manage, much better than anyone did in the recent past, their own personal knowledge? Why neglect the best of both worlds when they complement each other so nicely? Remember, right now, right as we speak, you are already missing out on 95% of all of the knowledge "available" out there.

2. You’ll get viruses: Errr, no, thanks! I’m a Mac, I work with my iPhone, my iPod Touch and my iPad, sitting right next to my MacBook Pro. Viruses? No, not for this knowledge worker, I am afraid. But even if I were on a Windows platform, I trust the links and information / knowledge shared by my social networks and know exactly what to click and what not. That’s why nurturing them has taken so much effort and energy over the course of the years. They are my social collaborative filter and they feed me with the best content available out there, and no viruses at all. Remember trust? I trust them to help me find the right information, just as much as they trust me to do my bit of sharing and feed them back with what they need. No stinking viruses over here. Thanks very much!

1. Your competition isn’t using it, so why should you?: Oh, dear, think again, please; if you are worried about what your competition is doing, or not doing, you are asking the wrong question. It’s not what your competition is doing, but more why are your customers already talking to your competition using all of these social tools and engaging on meaningful and trustworthy conversations? You should be asking yourself why are they talking about your competitors’ products and not your own? You should be asking yourself why are they becoming the brand of your competitors’ products so strongly that other customers and business partners are starting to pay attention to them and listening to them?

That’s the set of questions you should be asking about. Whether we like it or not, we are at a point in time where social networking tools are just so pervasive that there isn’t any business out there which may not have been toying with the idea of improving the way they work, collaborate and share their knowledge with customers, as well as internally, using these social tools. You should not be an exception. You can’t afford it at this point in time. If you have, you have already missed out a huge opportunity.

Social media, or social computing / networking, whatever term you may want to use at this point in time, although there are some slight differences, depending on the emphasis you would want to give them, are no longer a fad; they are here to stay. They are the ones that are changing business, and how we do work, at a rather fast and rampant path, just like they did with our society changing us all for good; and it is no longer a matter of whether we would want to jump into the bandwagon or not. It’s a matter that if we don’t, we can count the years before we become extinct, as a company, because we wouldn’t be capable of sustaining such labour based businesses in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

Oh, in case you may not have realised it just yet, the train has already left! Hope you managed to jump in …

Tags: Hippie 2.0, Hippies 2.0, Ban Social Media Meme, Jane Hart, Memes, Ron Desi, Harold Jarche, Jack Vinson, Ten Reasons, Fad, Control, Trust, Goofing Off, Illusions, Time Wasters, Connected, No Business Purpose, Social Capital, Social Enterprise, Flatten Organisations, Humanising the Enterprise, Millennials, Baby Boomers, Knowledge Transfer, Working Styles, Viruses, Competition, Competitors, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity, Tacit Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, Intellectual Capital, Ad-hoc Collaboration, Knowledge Economy, Personal Knowledge Management, PKM, Personal Knowledge Sharing