Session Three CSNF Summary: Making the business case for corporate social networks

Convincing management to accept change has never been easy and implementing a large IT strategy is always going to generate debate.  This session will look at the business case, and benefits, for deploying a corporate social network, arming delegates with a clear rationale for convincing colleagues and senior personnel.

David Terrar CEO & Executive Director (D2C & Wordframe)

The Business Case for Corporate Social Networking. Download slides here.

David kicked off his presentation with a recommended reading of “Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom“. This was the second time it was recommended at the event. @julialampam also recommends this book in her tweet. So maybe we should get it? 😉

The Gravitational Effect…

I think the diagram speaks for itself. But if you want to know more about the gravitational effect, read this article. It goes into great detail on Finding Web 2.0.

Making enterprise 2.0 work

David SWITCHed on a great guide on how to make enterprise 2.0 work. Check it out.

Now that we know how to make it work, the question to ask is… do you know how Web/Enterprise 2.0 actually looks like? Would you recognize it when you see it?

Just in case you’re wondering, have a look at this. 🙂

Collective Wisdom…

I was also pleased to see David mention SocialMediaToday.com. I’ve been following this website for some time now and it has always been a great resource of information. Its a great source of what I would call the “collective wisdom”. Which is basically what social media is… it is a source of collective wisdom.

Soundbite!

If there was one soundbite from David’s presentation that I wanted to take away, it certainly was Lockheed Martin’s ethos on social media…

“Think big, start small, move fast”

More recommended reading

I love books! So I was definitely happy to see David recommend another 2 books for us to read. Those books are both by Seth Godin

1. Meatball Sundae – Is Your Marketing Out Of Sync?
2. Tribes  – We Need You to Lead Us

Christian Kuhna, Head of Internal Communications, Adidas Group

Understanding web 2.0 tools and their role in improving business and IT goals. Download slides here.

Web 2.0 in a 3.0 company … wow, respect!

Christian definitely represents as he stepped onto the stage proudly wearing his Adidas gear. I would to if I worked for Adidas! 😉

According to Christian, there are 5 trends for electronic media. They are..

1. Connect – The social web – anywhere, anytime
2. Generation C (for content) – Me, the media – consumer generated content. Content is more important than its form
3. Get things done – Online office – collaborate
4. Information overload – Discovery is the new search. Feed me!
5. Participate! – Not top-down, not bottom-up, but participation. Knowledge sharing and speed.

Christian also mentions that there are new rules for 2.0

• Its a conversation not monolgue
• Honest and transparency: Let go!,
• Push not pull: Feed me!

There were so many good examples on why social media is a great way to enhance internal communications. All these examples have in the end motivated or encourage social media’s adoption. Take a look.

1. Barack Obama’s web 2.0 politics and the future of user-generated governance.
2. How Twitter is actually faster than traditional media
3. How readers are becoming reporters
4. The emergence of social network communities such as Facebook and MySpace
5. The New Web (consumer control, user participation, openness and networking) shifting the Traditional Media to Social Media.
6. Harnesses Collective Intelligence – Wisdom of crowds where users add value.

Financial Crisis turns into a speedboat strategy opportunity

Now you might be wondering… what is this speedboat strategy opportunity and how can it help in a financial crisis?

Well here is the speedboat strategy formula to help you through the financial crisis

Speedboat initiative = Big effect with minimal budget + concentrate on improving communication channels, collaboration (wiki, blogs, ATM, iForum & Facebook)

Ask the Management Forum!

Wow, this topic certainly was on fire! Everybody wanted a piece of information on how it works. Oh yes, for those who weren’t there, its completely anonymous and the management must respond within 2 days! (*wicked)

In between the presentation, Christian even managed to squeeze in the fact that Reebok has never had an intranet! Do I hear the gasp of shocked??? I certainly was.. I mean how is that even possible?

Facebook profiles in Adidas internal network

This is the first time I’ve heard something like this happening, not that I disapprove… its actually absolutely brilliant! While other organizations are resisting the shift in how we use collaborative tools everyday, Adidas is actually embracing it with both arms open!!! (Can I come work at Adidas??? I’m graduating soon!) 😉

THE END

Unfortunately I had to leave after this session, so you’ll have to refer to the other blogs to get their input of what went on. Hope you’ve enjoyed the posts on this event! If you’re interested in getting me to blog and tweet at your event, get in touch with me at liz@lgeoresearch.com.