Just a few days ago I had the opportunity to present a keynote at a local business event, fibit’11. Together with our friends and long term partner netmedia I spoke about the Social Workplace and why we can’t ignore what change social networks bring into our business. Note that I am also a proud shareholder and active partner at netmedia.
What is the Social Workplace?
In short the Social Workplace is real life without the rain. How many times have you looked for help and it took forever to find the right person and with some luck, that person was just in the next building … on a rainy day. In the old days, you had two options: send an email or walk over and get wet. The email could do the job but you would not get to know the person and maybe never learn that you are both Cubs fans. Or, if you walk over, you have to deal with the rain. And, in many cases the person would be even further away than the next building.
2.0 meets Enterprise
The idea of the Social Workplace, taking the daily interactivity digital, would allow you to find out who that person is, what you have in common and if you like what you see you can start building a relationship. I know many of you have an issue with the idea taking your interactions like a chat over lunch to a digital level as you believe the face-to-face time is more important. While I agree that face-to-face is important, I have colleagues all over the world and therefore the Social Workplace is the only option to keep in contact with those that are important to me and my work (until I meet them face-to-face the next time). Therefore the Social Workplace is not a replacement but the next best alternative.
Why do I need that?
There are hundreds of studies about social media and you might just give up and do it, just as everybody else is doing it. While there is nothing wrong with that, you should know why you and your business are doing it! And it is very simple: better business! You’ll have more revenue, more innovation, more everything. Because at the very core, it leads to better communication and I believe this is the key to success in almost every case. Just a word of advice: tools D O N O T M A T T E R! You can build it with almost everything, from Sharepoint to Jive, from Salesforce to Open Text and even with IBM. You need just two things: a strategy and passion. Strategy you can buy and passion you can develop. And if you struggle, call me and for a coffee or a beer, I help you get started!
Why not not doing it?
If anybody tells you not to invest time in exploring how the Social Workplace can help you to become a more successful business: fire them. And if it is your boss? Quit! I have listened to countless arguments and it comes down to two stupid arguments: “waste of time” (often called missing ROI) and “people don’t participate”. Tell me the ROI of a fax or a phone? The Social Workplace is how we will work - all of us. It’s like those people that told you, they didn’t need a computer because they had a type writer or an assistant … we all know how that ended. And if you have the issue of coworkers not participating? Well, you either have no strategy or no passion … or IT runs the project.
The Real Life
Just as I finished this blog my colleague Elise shows up reading this text. Well, virtually of course, as she is in her kitchen in Connecticut having her morning coffee while I am in the backyard watching my youngest play football. Yes, we’re practicing the Social Workplace. Are you reading this sitting in your boring grey office watching the last spark of the autumn sun? You get my point? Reading this - and most of your other work - doesn’t require a certain location. Applying the basic ideas of the Social Workplace would allow you to be happier and often more productive. If you want to learn more, I suggest you reach out to Tim, who runs netmedia, the smart guy that makes the Social Workplace a reality (careful he wants to be paid for that service).
Prezi of the Actual Keynote
