Why “It’s Another Place To Go” Isn’t A Good Enough Excuse
A #Reddotbuster to the excuse for not using Enterprise Social Networking
Last month I spoke at an event on how organisations can use internal social networking tools (in this case Yammer, though insert any other product name) to become more responsive to their customers. I asked for people’s view on the challenges holding up their team’s success, and one of the responses was something that I hear often enough that I figured I’d share my point of view here.
Person in the room:
“People won’t use it because it’s another place to go. They already have their email, the Intranet, the knowledge sharing tool…”
Me:
“Yeah I do see that the tools could be more integrated… though how about tools like Facebook or BBC News? Do people use those sites during work time? Those sites are ‘another place to go’, they’re not integrated, but people still spend their time on them. Why? Because they want to. Facebook and BBC News appeal to something they’re motivated by. So people not using the social network tool isn’t so much to do with the technology , it’s about employee engagement and creating the conditions for people to become motivated to do their work. Yes, if the social network was more integrated in email, then it would be easier for people to access… though if people actually want to do something the social network enables in a better way, then it will be even easier. I’d say the role of Leadership and Management is to create these conditions”.
Don’t buy this? Think I’ve missed something? What are your thoughts?
