[from The Current, November 2011]
You Are Not in Control
And that's a good thing; preparing for Enterprise 2.0
by Jim Knutsen, Founder and CEO
Twenty-some years ago I was in Moscow on the eve of a military coup. When it finally came, the Soviet generals followed the lead of all 20th century despots: They took control of the TV station. The maxim then was simple: Control the medium and you control the message.
Of course, that’s no longer true, as evidenced by Twitter reports and videos coming out of revolutions in places like Syria, Egypt and Libya. In a global, mobile, social world, you can’t control the medium, and so you cannot control the message.
The same lesson applies to enterprises. A couple of months back, I wrote in this space about the future of internal communication in an Enterprise 2.0 world, and I’d like to continue with a more practical conversation here. The central idea is simple: We can no longer control the flow of information inside our companies.
Enterprise conversations are now freer, looser, and more organic. They are becoming unfiltered and multi-directional. They spread without regard to geography, function or hierarchy. In a global, mobile, social enterprise, everyone is standing at the water cooler.
We can be frightened and pretend we’re in control, or we can embrace the extraordinary power that comes with setting free the collaborative energy of an organization.
Moving forward requires a change in the practice of internal communications, and communicators will need to bone up on new skillsets: training, facilitation, coaching, consulting and curation.
More foundationally, though, it means a change in culture, and leaders will need to drive the move from Command-and-Control to Trust-and-Responsibility.
While the shift is underway, we have some time. We don’t have to completely change the culture and learn entirely new skills overnight. I propose a three-phase framework for thinking about how organizations (and their communicators) can begin to make the transition. You determine how quickly you can--and need to--move through the stages:
Now: Paint the Picture
Read up on Enterprise 2.0 philosophies. Examine the most admired companies in the world, and the practices that are changing the way business gets done. Look at the trajectory of information sharing, organizational communications, social platforms, and corporate culture. Where does all of that point? Think about where you should be before you even consider were you are. Then have the courage to face your gaps with brutal honesty, and to facilitate an open and forward-looking conversation with leadership.
What you’re working towards: A strategic roadmap on paper – Where do you need to be going as an organization, as a culture, and as a communications team?
Next: Lay the Groundwork
Enterprise 2.0 is the idea of using social tools to improve the way information gets shared and acted upon across an organization. The goal is to give us more timely access to better information so we can make smarter decisions and collaborate more effectively.
How are we preparing leaders and employees for an Enterprise 2.0 future? This is where communicators can become curators bringing the best external thinking and case studies to our leaders and teams, and then facilitating conversations around what that means for our organization.
At the same time, communicators need to be building both the skillsets and platforms to remain relevant at the next level. This means getting smart on social, but it also means learning how to equip, empower, and encourage conversations – as opposed to crafting and controlling them.
Future: Practice Your Way Into New Thinking
It is far more difficult to think your way into new behavior than to behave your way into new thinking.
The work to prepare for Enterprise 2.0 is important, but actual change is the result of practice. We can’t preach our leaders and teams into new beliefs, we have to practice, experiment, demonstrate, and coach.
Look for pilots that prove the model while minimizing risk. Roll out a simple social media platform like Yammer. Groom a select group of managers to model a new way of communicating. Find a department or regional leader willing to test ways to free up the flow of information in her area.
It’s an incredibly exciting time for corporate communicators. Change is coming, and the risk of irrelevance is real. But the promise is far greater than the risk. Enterprising communicators will seize the opportunity to shape the promise.
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