So what’s this new social label all about? With this question in mind, I decided to write about 3 of the most dead wrong remarks concerning social business I met lately in the conversations I had as well as reading different posts on the matter. I tried to keep it as short as possible, but I hope it will help clarify at least some of the misconceptions around the term and extend a little the perception over social’s role at work.
- Social is not about extra work. This is probably the most common misconception about the activity around social tools. The more so as its adoption actually means helping its users at finding the person or the information they need faster. Saving time, being productive are vital assets for every organization.
- Does social mean that you need to be more friendly to your co-workers and smile to them every morning? Well, that would be nice, but this is not what social business stands for. It’s about organized information and collective success. Used correctly it can be about professional acknowledgement, know-how progress and as a consequence, personal evolution.
- Some stated that social is only beneficial to those in lower positions. That could be true…if all managers would be knowing-all people (intended utopia!). The knowledge transfer is never one-way only and it’s not for nothing that we are each specialized in a particular field. We can’t be good at everything, but there are tasks that ask for combined knowledge, so that’s what social tools are for. Yes, it’s considerably helpful for new employees, but hierarchy definitely doesn’t dictate the benefits level.
And let’s say it out loud: asking for advices, consulting with other colleagues are not new concepts to anyone. It’s just that now we have the possibility to use these smart tools that work as a binder between everyone and everything to document the internal knowledge a company possesses. Thus giving access to knowledge to all those concerned. In real time. That’s exactly what we’re trying to achieve with the development with our internal Q&A tool: simplify – build – provide.
Did you meet the same mistaken opinions around the notion of social business? Using which arguments did you debate it?
Happy Knowledge Sharing!
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