Here's one of my latest Haiku Deck presentations.
Also, there is still time to participate in my online monitoring survey. Results will be published together with my e-book about the topic soon.
We need more "corporate anarchists"...
Strong words you might think but it is a feeling I can't get out of my system after several conferences and talks about social media in the enterprise recently.
I had a chance to catch up with Euan Semple in Paris two weeks ago and although we just had the time for a quick coffee and a cab ride together we discussed this feeling.
Since then it stuck in my head...
Back in the days, when social media was something organizations feared, some of us thought that it was going to be a driver in real change. Change that would not only "optimize" a business but truly empower employees to solve the toughest problems in their day to day job.
Personally I was convinced that the introduction of social tools would drastically impact traditional power structures in companies - even change the way we do business on a global scale.
That conviction was even strengthened at the time (we're talking early 2003) because some people called me (and others like me) "Corporate Anarchists". And I remember we took this as a compliment...
Immanuel Kant describes anarchy as "Law and Freedom without Force" - this idea combined with one school of thought of anarchism - where the focus is on non-hierarchical organizations - was to me a kind of ultimate long term result.
But today I see more and more "social business" projects that tend to have "better control" as an objective. Some of these project are just about adding a social layer to already flawed business processes and models.
Why not use social media to truly open up an organization ?
Use it as a huge magnifying glass to see why people are not sharing information and helping each other out. And then from there change the system from within to make something better...
A true "social business" will eat titles on business cards for breakfast. But it will allow anyone in the company to become project leader based on his/her true skills and not based on the amount of projects managed.
A social business will not be afraid to completely change its business model to continue (or start) to create true value for society. And yes this means making money but also employing people, taking care of resources and creating real innovation.
I just believe we can do more with "social" than we're doing now. And we all know that we need drastic change to be able to face our current challenges; 12% unemployment in Europe, a dramatic state of inertia when it comes to our environment and social unrest around the corner.
Maybe I just found other professionals who share the same feeling...
After the coffee with Euan I came home and found a link to "Corporate Rebels United" (there are no coincidences) and I just love their principles. They are holding a "Rebel Jam" on May 30 and I am looking forward to meet like-minded professionals there.
I'll just end with one of their quotes:
"Control begets compliance, complacency and complaining."
Let's meet up: Enterprise 2.0 Summit and European Council
Just wanted to let you know about these two conferences - hope to see you there.
I'll be speaking at the Enterprise 2.0 Summit on 20/03 at 11:30 in Paris and will try to answer the following questions:
- What are the challenges for defining the project objectives and project scope for Enterprise 2.0 & Social Enterprise initiatives ?
- What are the arguments and good practices to drive the project assessment ?
These two full days are the highlight of the year when it comes to using social technologies within the enterprise !
I'll be joined by other great speakers such as Dion Hinchcliffe, Senior Vice President, Dachis Group, ex-colleague Luis Suarez, Social Computing evangelist, IBM Software group, Euan Semple, Independent Advisor, euansemple.com and many others...
If you're interested in government and institutional communication strategies then this conference organized by the European Council could be of interest.
This seminar will focus on how public organisations should increasingly update their strategies to meet the new digital trends.
Again great speakers and 2 panel sessions with specialists I have the honor to moderate...
See you in Brussels on March 22 ?