Social Media At Work: Arthur L. Jue Interview

I'm thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Arthur L. Jue, one of three authors who wrote the brilliant new book, "Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance."

If you're interested in learning how social media can drive employee engagement and performance to higher levels, then grab this book; it's a "must-read!" I'd like to give Arthur a big "thank you" for sharing his time, energy and insights in answering my eight questions.

1. One of my favorite quotes in the book serves as the book's "Big Idea:" "Within organizations, social media demonstrates a new reality– the reality that employees are co-creators of organizational success rather than servants of the company who simply salute and take orders." Can you expand on that a bit more?

A huge paradigm shift has been underway for awhile--a rethinking of assumptions that organizational viability depends on rigid command-and-control power structures. Under “old” industrial models, success was attributed to charismatic leaders taking charge and calling the shots, while followers align to implement “the vision” via pre-defined roles. Yet, with society’s increasing complexity, organizational sustainability is less about performance in formal hierarchies and more about optimizing relationships; less about producing products and services, and more about collaborative innovation.

No one knows everything, but we all know something. Given our widespread information overload and increasing institutional failures, success depends not just on leaders at the top but on everyone leveraging their collective wisdom. Social media supports this interdependence in amazing ways. We provide several examples in our book, showing how social media facilitates greater egalitarianism, participation, and engagement in the workplace.

2. You mention: "Employee engagement is about the basic need for people to be part of something larger than themselves, to contribute in a meaningful way...our need to affiliate with others is seen in the formation of clans, tribes, and societies." How do social media tools enable this concept to become reality?

Two key words come to mind: connection and contribution. Many variables influence engagement, but simply stated, engagement tends to arise from connections that increase contribution, engendering a greater sense of belonging, which is a fundamental human need. Social media connects employees in new ways that facilitate a redefinition of traditional roles, eliciting more freedom of expression and heightened commitment. New avenues for expressing uniqueness and diverse perspectives help employees perceive of their organizational affiliations as more meaningful.

Social media changes the leadership dialog from “how do we motivate desired behaviors” to “how do we create stimulating interactions and experiences?” In turn, this focus shapes the scope, intensity, integration, autonomy, and fluidity of employee connections—they become technology mediated interactions capable of enhancing esprit de corps and organizational performance.

3. Some organizations extend their social media tools beyond current employees. For instance, they encourage retirees to become "brand ambassadors" by using social media tools internally. What competitive advantage is there in this strategy?

Although we typically think of being a “brand ambassador” as an external marketing role, companies brand themselves internally as well, for example to new hires. In our book we talk about how some companies actually connect current and retired employees for this purpose. Retirees have an advantage in understanding a company's value from both inside and outside. Tapping their cumulative knowledge and experience can help to perpetuate positive brand images. Through social media, retirees can also spread “memes”--stories, ideas, symbols, and beliefs that replicate quickly, convey company values, and reinforce organizational culture.

Studies show that fostering a positive culture and climate increases retention, lowers replacement costs, and improves productivity, thus enhancing profitability and sustainability. Social media is a perfect tool for accelerating this leavening effect.

Some companies like Southwest Airlines consistently demonstrate the wisdom of prioritizing an organization’s strategic focus on internal culture and employees above external marketplace success and customer satisfaction. Enabling retired employees to continue contributing via social media can be an innovative approach to advancing a similar strategy.

4. As Baby Boomers retire, there will be a severe shortage of talent. Can social media concepts be embraced internally by organizations to gain an advantage in the "war on talent?"

Yes! We discuss at length in our book that technology savvy Gen X employees born between 1982 and 2002 as well as Gen Y employees born between 1965 and 1981 are entering and assuming key leadership positions in the workforce.

Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are retiring in increasing numbers, but the “new supply” of Gen X and Y talent isn’t keeping pace. Fierce competition for hires is expected to grow over the next decade. Gen Y hires will demand the availability of social media at work as a “hygiene factor”--an entitlement that spurs dissatisfaction if missing. Understanding and leveraging social media will become a critical talent management issue.

Tools and technologies such as blogs, wikis, and online multimedia will factor prominently into organizational strategies for attracting and retaining new employees in the workforce.

5. On one hand, so many organizations perceive social media as a waste of time. On the other hand, the same organizations constantly seek ways to improve innovation, process information faster, collaborate easier, etc. Seems like these social media tools are the gift so many organizations have been waiting for. Where's the disconnect?

Similar concerns were raised with the advent of email—many of them valid. As a matter of fact, email is still a blessing and a curse today, but we’ve somehow learned to embrace the technology anyway. What would we do without it?

In some respects, I think initial resistance to social media is following the same adoption curve. It’s a classic change management issue. The same principles that apply to planning any large scale change can apply to adopting social media in organizations: create a compelling case, galvanize a critical mass of change agents, communicate often, sustain momentum, celebrate wins, and then reinforce the culture. Of course, while social media can be implemented on a defined schedule, individual psychological transition tends to occur at its own pace--and by demographic.

Millennials (Gen Y) have been among the earliest adopters, whereas Boomers are just beginning to embrace social media as a group. This creates conflict and uncertainty. Still, I think we’re reaching a “tipping point” where social media will soon become pervasive, at least in the corporate milieu.

6. You share an interesting concept called, "Open Space Technology." What is it and why should an organization care about it?

Open Space Technology (OST) draws on principles of chaos and complexity theory, such as self organizing systems, to offer a methodology for facilitating critical conversations in face-to-face meetings that achieve breakthrough outcomes in relatively short timeframes.

Harrison Owen, the father of OST, has written extensively on the subject, and there is a lot of info available on the Web. Harrison and I were talking on the phone one day about OST when it occurred to me that OST and social media are really quite similar--they’re both applications of chaos and complexity theory in different socio-technical contexts. Whereas OST reflects microcosms of complex adaptive systems at work in the physical world, social media reflects the same thing in the virtual world.

During an OST facilitated meeting, for example, practitioners adhere to a “Law of Two Feet,” moving from one cluster of conversation to another wherever they feel that they are learning and contributing optimally.

Similarly, social media involves an organic flow of self-organized, emergent interactions online. Whoever shows up in OST is considered the right person because s/he cared enough about the subject to attend. The same is true for social media. Whenever people comment on or contribute to blogs, they are “showing up” because they care about the topic under discussion. Social media is really one grand OST experiment using the Internet as our meeting place. That said, studying principles of OST in designing online experiences can help organizations gain valuable insights about how to best utilize social media internally.

7. There are multiple ways social media can take off within organizations. Briefly, what are they, and what are some considerations that can help the process?

Rather than one best way to implement social media, different approaches can work, depending on an organization’s culture. For example, many companies use sequential, top-down, structured efforts, while others are more experimental, spontaneous, and bottoms-up. Yet, every company should remember that social networking is about fostering connections between people. Technologies and tools should be developed that can cultivate authentic communication and build communities of trust.

Likewise, form follows function. Just as interior decorators consider occupant tastes in striving to design inviting living spaces, wise social media developers strive to create engaging human experiences by listening to input from end users. They focus on individual and organizational needs first, technology second. They ask themselves where greater communication, collaboration, or community among employees could accelerate strategies for productivity or sustained performance. Then, they involve pilot groups of early adopters to test the viability of various solutions. Incidentally, implementers might also consider using open source solutions to avoid reinventing the wheel.

8. What do you think is the best way an organization can tie its business strategy to its internal social media strategy?

Well, first, we need to understand the business strategy and map it to the organization’s needs. That involves a lot of questioning and appreciative inquiry. I also like the idea of measurement. Find out an organization’s definition of success and measure how well social media supports it. Not everyone agrees with this approach—I’ve heard Peter Block argue that measurement is an “obstacle to the future.” We should definitely heed such caution, but given our current economic system, if we use metrics wisely, I think they can still play an important role.

One of my favorite quotes by Thomas S. Monson is: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates.”

Once we know our business strategy and key success factors, we can gauge how supportive social media is through metrics that provide insight about its level of relevance, effectiveness, and impact.

Thanks, Arthur!

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Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” Part 2

Here’s part two of my conversation with Ellen McGirt, Senior Writer for Fast Company magazine and Dean of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” website.

Part one can be found here. Thanks again, Ellen, for participating!

5. Many organizations see and hear the potential benefits of incorporating an internal social media framework into their communication strategies but are hesitant to make the leap. What would you say to these folks?

Grow a spine. You’ve already lost control! You might as well have some fun. And by the way, this is the golden era of the communications professional. In addition to expressing your brand values externally, they should be tapped to be the keepers of the communication flame internally as well. Let them, not your lawyers, lead the way.

I would then ask: What are the pressing needs of your organization? It might make sense to create a targeted social media effort directly toward a current problem.

6. What role do employees have in launching a successful internal social media platform?

They are the secret to your success – just like in other aspects of the business. Your employees are now your best marketers, customer service reps, troubleshooters and sources of innovation. Give them a way to weigh in – blogs, video posts, twitter, flickr, whatever – and acknowledge their efforts.

The third most popular blogger at Cisco (internally) is a guy that’s four levels away from their CEO. He blogs about technical matters specifically related to a single product area. It’s information people need to do their jobs better! The fact that he has a platform that he controls (no one vets the copy) and a way to interact with his colleagues means that he has become an indispensible resource to others. And he got a mention in Fast Company Magazine as a result. Not the goal, but I bet his mom is happy.

7. What goals or strategies do organizations need to think about before diving into the creation of an internal social community platform?

Brand comes first. The least cynical definition of a brand is that of an expression of deeply held values.

Social media turns that brand into a platform for others to express themselves. So, if you’re willing to open up your brand, then everyone needs to know what those values are. Everyone. This should not become a forum for one to develop their own personal brand – it’s about a shared common goal. Initiatives should be developed through the framework of those values – with an eye to maximizing the safety and success of the participants. (Privacy, rules of engagement, equal access etc.)

And the objectives should be clear and measurable. Are you using social media to innovate new ideas? To manage projects? To develop the potential of your staffers? To acknowledge achievement? To play a game or conduct a contest? Build rapport?

Be prepared to get staff input every step of the way (bottom up, not top down), accept that there will be many versions and understand that failure is always an option. It’s baked in to the iteration process.

8. What is the next evolution in the “30 Second MBA” format?

Glad you asked. Future iterations include a thumbs-up button, so viewers can vote up popular videos, and easier ways for people to share the videos with others.

Now that we have a nice library, I’m hoping to cross pollinate them into new and fun lesson plans – “Swimming with Sharks Week” – the best advice on how to deal with difficult people. Etc.

Ultimately, my plan (always subject to the input of others) is to create a credit system – the more people watch, comment or post a video response – or even do things in the world, like mentor others - the more credits they get. You can spend those credits for things that you want, like sponsored gifts, or actual feedback from real faculty members. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could connect you with the hottest CEO in the Valley for a fifteen minute business plan assessment? Would you give 20 hours of mentoring for that? Fun to think about.

This article was originally posted on Fast Company.

Ellen McGirt’s Bio:
When she's not chasing former Vice Presidents or leaping social networks in a single bound, Ellen McGirt occasionally shows up at her job as Senior Writer at Fast Company magazine. She covers a range of business topics, but never stops looking for the writer’s holy grail: The business ideas - and people - who are changing the world.

McGirt joined Fast Company in February 2007 from Fortune, where she was a senior writer. She was also a columnist and editor-at-large for Money, where she covered a wide variety of health care, consumer, personal finance and investing topics. McGirt has served as a guest correspondent for CNN's American Morning, and has appeared frequently on Good Morning America, CBS Early Today, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, CNN, and American Public Media.

Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” Part 1

I’m a big fan of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” site.

The minute it launched, I felt it offered a simple yet highly effective way for organizations to integrate social media concepts into their internal communication strategies.

I wanted to know more. So I asked Ellen McGirt, the Senior Writer and Dean of “30 Second MBA,” a few questions about her experiences in launching the site. I was particularly interested in seeing how the “30 Second MBA” framework could be adapted for internal communication purposes. Here’s part one of the interview. And many thanks, Ellen, for sharing your ideas!

1. How did the Fast Company “30 Second MBA” idea come into being?
I pitched the concept about two years ago. I was looking for an unusual way to tell stories using video on the web. The verdict: Cute idea, we’re not ready.

Fast forward about a year and a half, and we had a new web direction, some development momentum and a new editor. I re-pitched the idea and it got some traction. We went ahead and started planning the interface, etc – and we got the news from our publisher that she’d been able to find a sponsor. Score! Suddenly we had some additional cash to build out the first version. Although we were prepared to go rogue and do it with existing resources, the new budget was a welcome addition.

2. Take us behind the scenes a bit. How are the videos created? How do you find your video guests? How many members are on your team? How are your themes for each week discovered? Any other things readers would find interesting?

The beauty of the idea is that it’s a real DIY project. And, although it’s labor intensive, it’s not expensive. I have a ready list of candidates – people who have appeared in the magazine or who are associated with industries or companies we’ve studied. The questions come from interviews I’ve conducted with both business leaders and readers, and range from the deeply philosophical – is technology changing the nature of leadership? – to the mundane – how do you run a meeting? (Contrary to popular opinion, actual interviews are a better way to get information from people, not web polls.)

I extend an invitation to potential participants via e-mail, and then offer an array of questions to choose from, with a deadline and upload instructions. I emphasize that rough is great – Flip cam, hand helds, Skype are all terrific. Tell us stories! These answers should be the type of personal advice you’d give a friend in need. And it’s very very cool to see people in their natural habitats, so I encourage people to shoot from their offices.

I’ve also reached out to many extraordinary people I don’t know, like Alan Mulally of Ford. He loved the concept and signed on before the site was even built! We want the project to be a reflection of the sensibilities of our magazine – about innovation, inspiration and possibility – and inclusive of all perspectives. So the mix of voices is profound -from the C-suites of Ford, Intel, Schwab, Facebook and USAA, to soldiers in Afghanistan/Iraq, artists, educators and social entrepreneurs in a variety of fields. There are some very cool surprises coming up.

This is a team effort of technologists and editors on both the digital side and magazine side – not to mention our magnificent publisher and marketing team. Now more than 20 people think about and work on Thirty Second MBA from a Fast Company perspective. That is absolutely my favorite part of this. It went from a crazy pitch to a full on team effort. Thanks especially to Bob Safian, our editor in chief; Noah Robischon, our web editor; and Christine Osekoski our publisher - for their guts, hard work and spirit.

3. If an organization wanted to adopt the “30 Second MBA” idea internally, what steps or ideas would you suggest to them?

It’s a lot of work but really worth it. Keep the project and the subsequent requests for participation clear and focused – people want to contribute, but they also don’t want to be embarrassed. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions about what you want and how the project will be used. What can they expect? What kind of help or support? What do you want me to say again?

Be sure to frame the project as having a bigger objective. Our stated goal is to grow the leadership capability of our readers by giving them a nugget of wisdom from executives we admire that they can access when they need it. And, I make sure people know that I consider their participation a generous act.

Also, get buy-in from the top of your organization. I mean, I never do, but why make things harder than they need to be? ☺

4. A 2008 survey conducted by the Corporate Leadership Council indicates: “By improving employees’ level of engagement, organizations can see significant improvement in employees’ performance rating and decrease the probability of employee departure by 87%.”

With the phenomenal rise in social media, what ways can an organization use the MBA framework internally to increase employee and customer engagement and retention?

I am so lucky. As part of my job I get to have exceptional conversations with people who are making business happen – the Mark Zuckerbergs, the Paul Otellinis, etc. They invariably say something incredibly interesting about how they do what they do, how they’ve solved a leadership problem, or how their thoughts about work have evolved.

Almost never is that the subject of the interview or relevant to my piece. But MAN, I wish I had web cam in my brain to capture that moment. The 30 Second MBA was born from that wish, and a desire to share my world with my readers. (Without me in it, by the way. I don’t want to watch any more fake talk shows on the web!)

So what would that mean for your organization? What wisdom or inspiration is going unrecorded? When you hit your head and say – man, I wish my colleagues/customers/friends could hear this – you’re on your way to an idea.

I would also tap the routinely overlooked HR department for insight. They tend to know more than you think. It’s also helpful to think in modules. The 30 Second MBA works because it is both structured and diverse. We get five very different people to answer the same question, so the contrast is automatically interesting. Would it matter to you that the guy in the mailroom is also a hospice volunteer? That the VP of finance produces community theater? The very notion of introducing a company to itself is a valuable one. But to use it to teach what they know is really cool. And makes an excellent recruiting tool.

So maybe ya’ll are on a budget or not so good with a web cam. Even a simple Facebook network with a complete list of employees and their talents, skills, strengths and interests can help people in big organizations connect with others who can help them when they need them. It’s also a cultural thing – it must be unacceptable NOT to share your expertise with your colleagues whether you know them or not. That part comes from the top.

Stay tuned for part two.

Part 2 can be found here.

Originally posted on my Fast Company column.

Ellen McGirt’s Bio:
When she's not chasing former Vice Presidents or leaping social networks in a single bound, Ellen McGirt occasionally shows up at her job as Senior Writer at Fast Company magazine. She covers a range of business topics, but never stops looking for the writer’s holy grail: The business ideas - and people - who are changing the world.

McGirt joined Fast Company in February 2007 from Fortune, where she was a senior writer. She was also a columnist and editor-at-large for Money, where she covered a wide variety of health care, consumer, personal finance and investing topics. McGirt has served as a guest correspondent for CNN's American Morning, and has appeared frequently on Good Morning America, CBS Early Today, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, CNN, and American Public Media.

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