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Why can't our professional lives be as enriched and connected as Facebook makes our personal lives?    Facebook allows us to develop and foster personal relationships, have conversations with those we care about, and engage in activities both online and in-person.  In a single social platform, we have the capability to stay connected with family and friends across the globe.  We can comment, share information and knowledge. We can "like" articles, comments, products, people, and organizations we are interested in.   Facebook is convenient and mobile and offers a tremendous personal economic value for people in terms of time and our need to stay connected.  It's also a marketer's dream with incredible amounts social analytics about people's age, family, connections, location, travel habits, shopping habits, etc...   So why are our professional lives socially challenged?

Sure we have seen many organizations invest externally in social media marketing – a Facebook page or Twitter account or recruiting through LinkedIn.  Some companies have even invested in developing a broader social media marketing strategy.  However, we don’t see companies focused on creating “communities” around their brands, products or services.  For example, I buy a new power washer at a large hardware store and for some reason it’s no longer working.   What do I do?  Who do I call?  Why can’t I login to the Hardware Store Community website and find an expert or another consumer like me who ran into the same problem?   Why can’t I engage with knowledgeable Hardware Store employee in the community from another part of the globe who might have the knowledge to help me?   Where’s the community of homeowners like me or service or repair people that can help me and build affinity around the Hardware Store brand?

The problem here is simple.   Businesses don’t understand their external social customers because they themselves are not social internally.  It’s difficult for business professionals to connect with each other.  Most organizations are spread out across campuses, offices, regions, and time zones.  We’re mixed group of mobile travelers and cubicle warriors.  We get tripled-booked with too many face-to-face meetings or web-based conference calls.   We get WAY too much email and there’s not enough time for phone calls.   It's too hard to find the right people with the right knowledge to get your job done.   And if you do find the right people, it’s hard to get their attention.   I even hear from some businesses that the “experts” don’t want to be found and hounded with questions that take them away from their day-to-day focus.   Our inability to connect directly affects our ability to sell and service customers.     

Enter social business technology and the promise of better capabilities to connect, learn, share, and be social.  Some companies have started to pilot and explore social computing within their organization.  Unfortunately, many have not and continue to work like it’s 1999.  You have to wonder how a business can truly relate, sell, service, and engage social customers externally if they themselves are not engaging in social technology and social behavior internally.   Being social is indeed cultural and we must focus on creating communities internally which will translate how we socialize externally.   Social technology is an enabler and accelerator of change.  However, technology alone is not the answer.   What’s required is for companies to transform themselves into a true “social organization”. 

In next week’s post I’ll define and explore what this social organization looks like and further explore technology as the enabler.

Reference: http://www.aiim.org/community/blogs/community/The-Social-Organization-Part-II