By Hanns Kohler-Kruner, Research Director
October 28, 2010 - 5:48 AM
It has been a recurring them of many a poster here on this blog and many other places around the internet that Enterprise 2.0 is about people, about a cultural change and in some cases giving in to the user. – OK, maybe that last one is my addition!
I came across an interesting idea the other day from one of the students at the AIIM Enterprise 2.0 course.
He quoted a US general that, after explaining all the reasons why a certain course of action was both necessary and beneficial to the organization, said during a meeting, to someone who kept questioning the need for change :
“Son – you can be a champion to my cause – or a Martyr to your own.”
It felt good hearing someone call a spade a spade for a change. Sometimes, I feel like we are overdoing it. After all, let us not forget that Social Media should not be a toy for employees to play with, but something that provides value at some point down the line. For this, there are a lot of things that need to be thought about, Change management done, training, introduction, champions, etc., but once this has been done and the value identified, questioning the point of a direction / tool / solution should stop !
They are called Social Business Systems, and therefore are solutions to Business Problems. I cannot remember ever being asked or being told that participation in ERP, Records Management, Document Management or Email was optional, and neither have I ever questioned their value once it was explained to me.
And yes, I know the arguments for proper change management, motivation and communication, but in the end, there is a business that needs running!
Am I being too harsh, or does this only work in a strict hierarchical organization? Let me know your thoughts on this.
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