Yes, we agree: social is an imposed term. Buzzwords have this particularity of restricting the interest of people precisely because of their popularity and inevitably of their over-use (guitly as charged!). A misfortunate consequence I’d say, because it can inhibit the absorption of the subjects surrounding that specific term, which can actually be noteworthy.
I believe this is also the case for the “social business” phrase that sometimes operates in its own detriment because of the “social” tag. I hate resorting to clichés, but this is unavoidable – I’m going to use that Shakespearian quote: “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” Waaait! Don’t close the window just yet, we’re done with the cheesy approaches, we promise 🙂
The purpose of this blog post is to find a way of discarding the “rolling eyes” reaction whenever the topic of social business is brought up. If the obstacle is its name, why not change it instead of enforcing it?
By its definition, anything social is supposed to indicate deliberate and agreeable actions. So any elements constraining these connections should be blocked.
Here are some of the reasons that make us support the use of “open business” as an alternative:
- it expresses a more clear general view upon the business system it encourages – that of extended leadership. Strict hierarchy and other conventional management elements are worn-out and no longer efficient.
- it designates the concept of a breathable work environment, thus more inclined to progress. Feeling comfortable at work make employees happy. Happy employees tend to work harder, so it’s a form of efficiency.
- it pledges for a background that stimulates communication. Progress asks for individual effort first, so offering a free speech space endorses knowledge boost. Communication will be responsible for the spread of it and that’s an essential ingredient for collective success.
- it suggests availability. A critical feature of a valuable management structure and an absolutely necessary requirement if you want to enjoy the benefits of engaging your employees.
So…is your business open?
Happy Knowledge Sharing!
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