It is interesting that on the one hand Lanting foresees a bubble in the customer-oriented use of social media, but on the other hand there is still a lot to be gained when it comes to the use of social technology to work smarter (more customer value, better employee development).
An example of an organization that seems to have it well organized is Deloitte; the consultants are working with social media with great enthusiasm, both internally and externally. This is partly fueled by social media manager Roos van Vugt, exactly the prototype prophet/ambassador that Marcus van Wely is talking about.
Control from above or not?
That the will is there in many organizations and that most realize that armenia phone number list 'we can no longer avoid it' is certain. But one of the big questions when it comes to the use of social media in the workplace is and remains: should social media be organized/offered from the top or can people download random tools from the bottom and get started in their own way? The answer seems to be guessable and of course disappointing: yes and no. Or: that is not so black and white to say, the answer lies in the combination of both.
The experts more or less agree, and – not entirely unpredictably – reason from their own professional vision. The community-minded Kirsten Wagenaar says that the community should be used as an internal training ground, the use of which should be lightly enforced from the top. Van Vugt talks about letting a thousand flowers bloom, by which she means that everyone should mainly get started themselves. But she says 'if the top does it, then that is leading by example '.
Embrace the power shift
Organizational strategist Menno Lanting logically looks at the bigger picture. If CEOs and management no longer squirm against blurring boundaries – work/private, inside/outside organization, producer/consumer – and embrace social media, then that gives organizations an exponential advantage. Of the utmost importance is that the culture, structure and strategy are geared to this. The tools themselves are no longer the problem, but rather the power shifts mentioned above.