Corporations’ Creative Use of Social Media

Internal communication can be an issue regardless of an organization’s size.  As the Groundswell authors describe, information tends to flow down the management ladder, but getting insights back up to management and encouraging collaboration among people throughout the enterprise is harder.  As a result, many companies have been encouraging employees to connect on internal social networks, collaborating on wikis, and contributing to idea exchanges. 

In my professional experience I have found it very empowering to be allowed to take part in decision-making communication.  Even when supervisors and managers have good intentions, it seems as though all too often their plates are just too full.  After all, how can one know how to prioritize items without data or feedback?

More effective communication – bringing information to the appropriate channels

The example of Best Buy’s “Blue Shirt Nation” shows how time and money can be saved through the implementation of internal communication systems.  The authors describe various situations where actions that would have normally taken weeks to resolve were dealt with in a few days.  The BSN solves a variety of problems and shows employees that their opinions are valued.

I work in a public school that does not have a union, and over the years there has been an increase in teacher involvement in decision-making.  The administration has formed a teacher committee that works with the principals to have more fair and democratic collaboration.  This has increased employee satisfaction because it shows that our voices are appreciated and important.

Wikis – working together to tackle problems

I found it really interesting how the authors described the Razorfish CEO’s blog post requesting that people respond with their favorite guitar solos.  The post didn’t serve a specific business purpose, but it allowed for employees to be connected to the leadership.  This post showed how management was using creative techniques to engage and interact with employees, and it goes on from there.  Razorfish’s internal intranet site, which is a wiki with blogs and collaboration spaces, has allowed for enhanced teamwork between employees and also for management to monitor the “pulse” of the organization.  The communication channels at Razorfish even allowed for effective communication as the company went through an acquisition.  The wiki – with its inherent skills of talking and listening - eased the company through a crucial transition period.

Idea exchanges – change from the bottom up

Bell Canada created ID-ah! Which allows anyone in the company to submit an idea and then have the employees vote on it.  This seems like a brilliant solution to the fact that new technologies may involve a lot of data-mining.  Instead of management being overwhelmed with thousands of new ideas or suggestions, top ideas can be harvested based on number of votes received.  From this selection, management can choose which to implement.  Employees are involved with decision making in a more controlled and quantitative fashion.  This shows how internal groundswell creates new ways for people to connect and work together.

These different strategies show how there is an increased emphasis on culture within organizations.  A common theme throughout the Groundswell text is that choices should not be centered on technology, but around managing and changing the way organizations work.  The case studies described in this post show how companies are achieving a balanced approach to managing their employees in a considerate and open-minded manner.