'Digital natives' and 'digital immigrants'
What differentiates the 'digital native' generation, who grew up with the Internet from those who didn't?
Typically,
many older workers, or 'digital immigrants', talk about their comfort
zone. They find comfort in a hierarchical, command and control
management structure. They are good communicators, who like to think,
plan and do - in that order. They favour a top-down approach and
generally like to play safe. Many of our senior managers fit into the
digital immigrant generation.
Digital natives, on the other hand,
prefer a guiding and nurturing environment. They do not want
instructions handed down from on-high. They are great communicators and
great networkers. But they do it differently. Digital tools and social
media are like extensions of themselves. This emerging generation thinks
acts and communicates quickly. They like engagement and like to try
things out. They harness their team's collective experience and skills
in order to find solutions. It's all about communicating. Many of the
people now joining the workforce are digital natives.
The old way and the new?
The
old way uses intranets or websites as static sites. Staff can search
and find, but have limited ability to contribute. The new way is
interactive and collaborative and uses social media such as Social
networks (e.g. Facebook), Blogs, Discussion Forums and Wikis. Social
media tools definitely add value to employee communications. They can
help build relationships, increase collaboration, improve productivity,
reduce silos, and build engagement. They also offer an excellent means
to share ideas and gather qualitative feedback. So why is social media
sometimes so hard to implement as an internal communications tool?
Communicators understand the power of social media but their senior
managers, who are often digital immigrants, remain wary and unconvinced.
Are these the arguments that you are hearing?
'It's not a priority"
A
CIO magazine's study,Top Technology Priorities found that even IT
professionals don't consider Web 2.0 a priority. They're focused on
network consolidation, outsourcing, CRM, and security. This would seem
to back up management's assertion that Intranet 2.0 needs to take a back
seat.
The response
Point out that Web 2.0 tools are already
commonplace. Innovative companies are already leveraging the power of
these tools. Many social media tools are easy and relatively cheap to
implement. They don't need to compete with major IT plans.
Don't
make sweeping claims when you are proposing social media tools. Managers
don't want to hear about social media democratizing the organization.
They want to know how business goals will be supported. So use language
the CEO will understand and focus on concrete goals where possible.
Spot opportunities and start with small simple projects. Provide evidence of success before proposing a wider implementation.
Do
your homework. Support your proposal for a wider implementation with
case studies. IBM, Sun Microsystems and the hundreds of other Fortune
500 companies are already successfully wielding these tools.
Tips
Choose
web 2.0 channels that have been specifically designed for employee
communication. Use low cost communications channels that are quick and
easy to implement and manage. Use a platform that is easy for IT to
implement and has little need for ongoing IT support. Choose a platform
that allows access rights to be targeted to specific staff groups.
Ensure centralised reporting allows you to easily quantify the value of
the web 2.0 channels and demonstrate their strategic communications
value to senior managers.
Try a free trial or low cost pilot to
test concepts out prior to a more comprehensive commitment to social
media as an internal communications channel.
"We don't have the time, money or resources"
Management
quite rightly recognizes that communicators are already overworked.
They might also voice concerns about the cost of the tools and the lack
of support resources.
The response
Explain tools that assist
internal communications assist you. As for the tools being hungry on
money and resources, explain that generally these tools are relatively
inexpensive and require little time to set up. Rather then worrying
about the return on investment in financial terms the focus should be on
what can be gained from making them available. To keep costs down,
lease a Web 2.0 solution. This allows you to leverage developments based
on learning from other organisations. Study less and do more:
- Start the dialogue and keep listening to the comments
- Spot opportunities in the business where social media could provide a good fit
- Start small and simple and use an iterative process
- Predict concerns and solve problems early
- Create an army of evangelists
Tips
Choose
web 2.0 channels that have been built only for employee communications
purposes, they are not a 'one size fits all' solution with a confusing
array of set-up options.
Use a solution that is authenticated back
to employees computers which means it is very secure but staff also do
not need to remember a user name and password. Just one click and staff
are able to participate.
Select a user friendly, intuitive
solution that allows staff to participate with little or no training.
Use a low cost solution that can fit within existing employee
communications budgets. Utilise free trials to test out small
deployments and evolve the use of staff social media channels based on
staff feedback and learning. Increases in productivity facilitated by
improved information flow can easily cost justify the use of social
media for employee communications. For example, an interactive Helpdesk
channel provides effective real time support channels for staff by
allowing them to ask questions in interactive online helpdesks. This
means that answers can be made available almost immediately and become
part of an evolving searchable repository of knowledge. It doesn't suit
our culture
"These tools aren't a fit with our culture. It's not the way we do business..."
The response
Do
you have a young, tech-savvy workforce in an organisation with a flat
structure, or is the structure hierarchical with predominantly older
workers who may feel uncomfortable with new technology.
It is
important to recognise your culture, and to work out what will work and
what won't. It is true social media fits better where the culture is
democratic and open, rather than hierarchical and paternal. However,
even conservative companies are finding increasing numbers of digital
natives joining their ranks. Collaboration and team work are here to
stay. Knowledge-sharing enables the whole company to benefit from an
individual's expertise, and ensures that this knowledge doesn't exit the
organisation when the individual leaves.
Explain that providing
additional channels for sharing information does not equate to loss of
control or a decline in standards. It should lead to increased
productivity and innovation. It may be helpful to encourage
knowledge-sharing and collaboration by assisting executives to lead by
example. You could also workout a system of rewards for champion
bloggers and networkers.
Tips
Select a platform with a range
of moderation options. Simply select the setting required for a
specific employee blog, staff discussion forum or online helpdesk. Even
the most risk adverse managers should feel comfortable with a
communications channel that requires every post and comment moderated.
If
possible set up moderators to receive desktop alerts notifying them of
the need to approve content so that approval (or not) can be fast and
seamless.
In time, as managers become more comfortable with the
social media as an employee communications tool, it may be appropriate
to reset the moderation level to only anonymous posts and comments or
even to switch moderation off altogether.
For organizations that
are really adverse to social media, why not consider an electronic
magazine fomat that permits 'user generated' content.
This will enable you to distribute 'safe discussion' directly to the employee's computer screen.
"It will open a can of worms"
"Employees will say inappropriate things. People will complain, or insult management. Bad language will appear on comments..."
Management
may express concerns that the 'rumour mill' will take over, or that
staff will spend all day complaining. Management may also be concerned
that knowledge-sharing via staff forums or blogs sets a dangerous
precedent. This informant is 'unofficial' as no-one has authorised it.
The response
Gossip
and staff complaints were around long before Web 2.0 came on the scene.
If social media channels do throw up unpleasant surprises, you have at
least identified that there are issues which you can address, rather
than having a seething undercurrent. Where engagement is low and/or
guidelines and policy are not stated, staff may not know how else to
communicate worries or causes of dissatisfaction.
Define what
social media tools can be used for as part of your strategy and
communicate the policy. For example, some companies allow comments to go
live without being filtered, whereas others insist that comments go
through the editor. Some organizations allow anonymous posts while
others don't. Some even have a forum entitled 'Rumour Mill' to flush
concerns and gossip out into the open to be addressed.
Not all
information needs to be official. Tacit knowledge is still shared around
the water cooler, or sent via a memo or email. It may never be captured
in a form that can be shared. Management agree that this is a huge
disadvantage when knowledgeable staff leave, taking their 'unofficial'
knowledge with them. Online tools, on the other hand, capture this
know-how. Your staff will easily recognize the distinction between
opinion and authoritative content.
Tips
Specify a 'Code of
Conduct' clearly at the top of each page view. Implement a range of
moderation levels which allow you to monitor and approve posts if
required. For example, moderators could be set to receive a desktop
alert when an anonymous post or comment is made.
Use multiple
interactive channels. Setting up a specific, moderated helpdesk, for
example, around an organisational change, can help keep inappropriate
content out of other staff discussion forums. 'Risky' discussions, where
sentiment might be negative, can be targeted securely to only those
affected. This means that negativity does not need to 'infect' the rest
of the organisation.
"It's too risky, too uncontrolled"
Management
may equate loss of formality with a decline in standards. The idea that
staff can write what they want runs counter to the command-and-control
structure of many organisations. Considerable time, effort, and money go
into crafting a strong brand image. CEOs may fear that the company's
image will suffer if they make it easy for staff to say anything they
want about the organization or their colleagues and managers. They may
also worry about leaks to outside world.
The response
Just
because communication is taking place online doesn't mean that
professionalism and respect will be forgotten. Most staff already know
that inappropriate use of email is not acceptable, and will transfer
this knowledge automatically to social media tools.
Don't forget
that Management have legitimate concerns about the need to keep some
information confidential. You can offset Management's fear of losing
control by implementing appropriate security measures and guidelines for
these channels, just as you do with email and Internet use. There is no
'one size fits all' when it comes to setting the policy. You know your
organisation and whatever works best for your organisation is the best
way to go. IBM's solution was to create a wiki and to get its staff to
create the policy themselves.
The fact that blogs and online discussion are visible is more likely to deter inappropriate comments.
Tips
Choose
social media channels that have been built specifically for secure
employee communication. Use a solution with a Client applet that resides
on staff computers. Only staff who have the applet and have been
targeted with access rights can view these channels. This means that the
risk of leaks to the outside world is dramatically reduced.
Code
of conduct and moderation options mean that if it possible to keep a
close eye on conversations that are considered high risk.
Desktop
alerts can inform moderators when new content is added to blogs, forums,
Q&A spots and staff helpdesks. This can allow moderators to check
that information is correct and amend posts if necessary.
