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Where Social Media Meets Strategy

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Social media, whether it's Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or other sites, has changed people's lives. Countless articles have highlighted stories of consumers who found in this technology new ways to express themselves, connections to large numbers of people and even the ability to change the course of events--like raising funds for relief in Haiti after the earthquake.

Individuals have benefited from the viral virtues of social media: Musician Dave Carroll got the attention of United Airlines when his YouTube video about how the airline broke his guitar reached millions of viewers; TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington got Comcast to respond to him in 20 minutes and resolve a connection issue he had complained about to his 12,000 Twitter followers.

Corporations that have disrespected their customers, either in poor act or simply by shouting marketing messages without regard for consumer demands, are at risk of seeing them take over and reveal the truth about their services, products and identity. More than 80% of marketers have begun using social media to better talk with, rather than to talk at their customers. If you are an executive, pressure is on you to articulate a "social media strategy." You are urged to perfect this new medium and increase the dialogue with customers before they take over your brand and message.

So far, the majority of social media literature has focused on how companies can use it outside the organization. But, when it comes to using social media inside the organization, little guidance is available. Executives, by and large, have remained skeptical; as of late last year, the majority of chief information officers prohibited the use of social media at work.

Sure, Twitter might have helped millions of victims of natural disasters, from fires to hurricanes to the recent Haiti earthquake, but some executives may ask what that has to do with employees. (Some say that Hurricane Katrina would have ended differently if it hadn't occurred "BSM" or "Before Social Media.")

At best, the discussion moves to productivity. While a recent report from Forrester claims that the vast majority of employees polled say social media makes them more productive, executives say the excess chatter that the technology creates and the playful character social media exhibits can present potential risk to their employees' productivity. What's more, the potential risk doesn't just reach those less- experienced Gen-Ys: The average social network user is 37 years old.

Focusing this debate on productivity might do a disservice to executives and social media pundits. In assessing whether social media brings productivity gains, think about the efficiency of other forms of communication, including phone and e-mail conversations. Can you guarantee that all the e-mails you've read and all the phone conversations you've had make you more productive? Of course not.

As it turns out, social media has the potential to resolve issues other than collaboration or communication. It has helped many solve what has plagued boardrooms for decades, a problem that just 1 company in 10 can effectively solve: strategy execution.

Bad strategy execution originates from communication and engagement failures. The worst symptoms include employees disregarding the strategy and management ignoring employees' input regarding their strategic decisions.

Communication and engagement failures inside the organization are analogous to those outside the organization. Since social media has been identified as a key tactic to help organizations better talk with, rather than talk at customers, why shouldn't these organizations use social media similarly with their employees?

Over the next few months, Joey Fitts (with whom I am writing another book) and I will provide you with insights we have drawn from our research for our upcoming book on social media inside the organization. Beyond simply using social media as a mechanism to communicate among employees, leading organizations are using these tools to build better strategies, communicate them better and execute them.

I look forward to your comments and participation. What do you think of the above argument? Which C-level executive should be in charge of social media strategy inside the organization?

Bruno Aziza is the co-author of the bestselling book, Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution and a fellow at the Advanced Performance Institute, an independent advisory group specializing in organizational performance. He has held management positions at Apple , Business Objects/SAP, Symantec and Decathlon. Follow him on Twitter @brunoaziza. E-mail him at bruno@brunoaziza.com

See Also:

Social Media Use In The Workplace Is On The Rise

Everything You Need To Know About Facebook And Privacy

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