Fear, Control and Social Media

Fear: a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.  Present or imminent danger? So, why then are organizations fearful when it comes to stepping into the social media space?Perhaps, it is the “danger” of the unknown – no assertion about their product/service, are unaware of who their audience is or simply feel like they “don’t get it” – indeed these are dangerous constituents.

Regardless of the rationale, some organizations are struggling with these feelings. In the third portion of the conversation, I asked these smart folks about the topic:

How does a company or individual deal with fear and the idea of “giving up control” when using social media?

Here is what they had to say:

Chris: Start with small wins, brief projects, simple pilots, and build off your smaller successes. 


Jason: Nothing worth doing has even been achieved without someone first being afraid of the results. And control within an organization is a myth, at least from an external messaging standpoint. We’ve had millions of water coolers all over the world until recently where people talked about your company or brand, good/bad/ and indifferent. The only difference now is that there’s one big water cooler (the Internet) with millions of people gathered around it. Now the water cooler talk is permanent, indexed and searchable. The Internet only places the water cooler talk in front of company executives now.

They’ve never been able to control it. Now they just know they don’t control it.

In terms of the “internal” control, we’re at a crossroads in business where individuals have personalities and personas and even personal brands on the Internet. Companies insisting their employees not participate on the Internet, or completely omit any link to the company (which is almost impossible) through their internet activity are going to soon find it hard to keep employees.


Rob: My advice, I suppose is basic.  John D. Rockefeller once said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to tell people that you’re doing the right thing.”  That’s my advice.  The fear of the unknown, I think, stems from a lack of confidence that you’re doing the right thing.  If you are, and you know it, what’s to fear? Leaving aside the issues we mentioned (trade secrets, legal issues, privacy, etc.), if your people are united in their commitment and passion, and your company is doing awesome work, what’s there to control as if your people are mindless automatons or saboteurs?

So really, two steps to social media success:

First, do the right thing. That is the most important thing, ultimately.  Who cares if you’ve got the greatest social media practices in the world if you’re churning out second-rate products or doing douchebag things?

Second, assuming you’re doing the right thing, then tell people that you are — and let your people tell their people that they are doing the right thing. It’s simple when you think of it that way, right? More from Rob.


Charline: The first thing I encourage organizations to do is to get a firm understanding of what the benefits are of engaging. If this isn’t front and center, you can’t move forward. Second, pick an area that has big upside that’s measurable — or at least, visible — and also not so big that it feels risky. Take a core customer group that you are pretty sure are “friendly” and give it a whirl — you want to create the opportunity for success the first time out. Giving up control requires confidence, and you get confidence from taking small little steps before taking the grand, giant leap. 

 
Scott: Spend some time listening and understanding how these networks and communities work. Put a strategy together, one in place that matches and supports your business goals and start building against that tactically.

Don’t worry about the tools. Don’t worry if you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account. None of that matters. You need to understand the culture of it first. These tools will always change. You just need to get your mind around it. More from Scott.


David: For your ideas to spread and rise to the status of a World Wide Rave, you’ve got to give up control.  Make your information on the Web totally free for people to access, with absolutely no virtual strings attached: no electronic gates, no registration requirements, and no email address checking necessary. More from David.

 

Fear has the tendency to interfere with life. At times, fear is a good thing – it stops us from entering situations that can literally be harmful, but at times, it hinders us from pursuing the new and the foreign – the new and the foreign that often result in success, discovery and growth.

So, as with life, the fear of social media must be evaluated. What is the worst-case scenario in acting on the fear and in not acting on the fear? Is the fear justifiable or simply a misperception? And, of course, what underlying issues are present that concocted the fear to begin with?

Have you experienced an instance of fear in your organization? How have you dealt with such instances? I would love to hear thoughts and opinions on the topic.
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categories Uncategorized | Rachel Rusnak October 26, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Who “Owns” Social Media in an Organization? – Part Two

The Conversation

When I initially interviewed the panelists, I asked them a series of three questions. The second question:  What are your thoughts on streamlining social media within an organization?

Chris: Tie the efforts to existing goals and make it just another leg of the strategy. Keeping it on an island is bad. 

Jason: The only thoughts I have on streamlining across the organization are that you have to have executive-level buy-in. Social media activation can’t happen within an organization under the radar. It’s got to be embraced and even championed at the higher levels for it to be successful. Once that happens, streamlining across the organization can happen in a number of ways.

From a technology standpoint, there are a thousand options to streamline – from project management platforms to wikis to something simple like Yammer. Getting everyone on the same page from a communications standpoint is important, but do-able. From a strategy standpoint, as long as the “owner” of the social media activation has an inclusive approach and truly embraces the notion that customers matter most and employees simply need to be empowered to reassure that position, it can happen.

Rob: I think such efforts start with HR.  If you recruit the right people, then “social media” is natural. After that, however, I really think the organization has to stop thinking of “social media efforts”; the phrase itself means that the organization simply doesn’t get it.  The important thing is to rethink commerce as a natural part of human relationships — the market as conversation, both inside and outside the organization.

Are your people passionate about the company, its products, its services?  Do they take pride in their day-to-day work?  Are they energized to talk to each other, to their managers, to subordinates, and of course, to the customers about their work?  In other words, is the culture of your company geared towards high performance, teamwork and open communications?  If so, then social media is a natural outlet and result.

Yes, you have to be careful about privacy, about trade secrets, and legal issues.  But those issues aren’t all that difficult to deal with if the base culture is set in place.  So I’d say, focus on your company, your people, and your products and think about how you bake Cluetrain principles (aka “social media”) into the organization.  This will require support from C-suites to do effectively.

Charline:  If you are reaching a common audience, and especially with similar internal goals, then organize it around one or both of those centering points. Otherwise, it can get confusing from the customers’ point of view what you are trying to do.

Scott: If we are democratizing social media across the organization, we have to not only trust people but also give them the guidelines and training in order to do this well because it isn’t natural for everyone.

At Ford, we’d like to ingrain it in as many people’s work flow as would see it happen. Whether it be marketing, communications, customer service, product development or human resources, they will find different ways it will work for them within their organizations. I don’t know their jobs, they know their jobs, but I can coach them. So, if we give them the tools and the ability to adapt and adopt this technology, 5-10 years from now it will be just like the telephone and email are on everyone’s desk.

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I would like to again thank all of the participants for sharing thoughtful insights on this topic. Obviously this discussion only skims the surface of how a company might streamline social media within an organization. 

Specific project management procedures, privacy policies and the assignment of point people are areas that may need to be addressed. Regardless of how granular the discussion, one focal point that must be considered is “Are the right people on board?”

For many it’s innate – the passion, the interest, the drive. For others, coaching and education pertaining to elements of technology may be necessary. One thing that cannot be disputed:  transparency is a central component in social media. Thus, the one personality trait that cannot be present in an individual is a lack of interest or passion. Passion is an attribute that cannot be taught…it’s either present or absent.

How is your company streamlining or simplifying social media practices amongst departments, teams and staff? Can an organization be successful if a top-down approach is non-existent? Even if a “fool proof” plan is in place, do you believe that an organization can be successful in social media if the participants aren’t inherently passionate? 

Please share your thoughts!

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categories Discussions & Interviews, Social Media | Rachel Rusnak October 19, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

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