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Tue, Dec 4, 2007 11:52 EST
Businesspeople Asleep at the Wheel on the Value of Social Networking
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Posted by: Abbie Lundberg in News Topic: Applications Blog: Difference Engine
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Ask the average manager or executive if they’d welcome Facebook into the workplace, and they’ll say, "Are you nuts?!" But Serena Software got some press last month when it declared “Facebook Fridays.” The company’s 800 employees in 18 countries were encouraged to spend one hour each Friday on their Facebook profiles, connecting with co-workers, customers, family and friends.
A few days ago, Bill Ives wrote in the Fast Forward blog that Serena is actually going much further than that, replacing its corporate intranet with “Facebook as a front end linked to a low-cost content management system behind the firewall.” Now, part of this is certainly good PR for Serena – after all, they’re in the Web 2.0 software space. But the fact is, Facebook provides an engaging experience, it’s free, it’s easy to write custom apps on top of it, and you can set up both private and public groups. Why not?
Harvard prof Andrew McAfee (credited with coining the term Enterprise 2.0) thinks the “why not” may have to do with IT executives viewing Web 2.0 technologies as a threat to their fiefdoms. In an article titled “Enterprise 2.0 May Be Fine for the Business, but What About the IT Department?" McAfee wonders if IT departments “consciously exclude outsiders and outside influences, and are concerned primarily with expanding themselves. If this is the case, then Enterprise 2.0 will certainly be resisted by IT; its tools are cheap, often housed outside the firewall, and require relatively little configuration, support, and maintenance. Enterprise 2.0 comes from outside the priesthood, in other words, and doesn’t expand the empire.”
That’s harsh. After all, IT has plenty of good reasons to be cautious when it comes to introducing new technologies inside the enterprise. Who knows what might be lurking in all those Facebook widgets? But there’s also a kernel of truth in what McAfee says. Too many IT professionals dismiss the unproven in the name of defending enterprise integrity. The question is, what good’s the integrity of your ship if your engine’s gone out and you’re dead in the water?
Maybe you’re not ready to welcome Facebook into the enterprise yet. Your business colleagues probably aren’t either. But there are other ways to start taking advantage of Web 2.0 technologies, and lots of compelling reasons to do so (I’ll write more about this in my next post).
Abbie thanks for the link to my post. I like your title, Business people asleep at the wheel on the Value of Social Networking I have mentioned the use of Facebook as intranet to several IT and business people, who are at first taken aback. Then, as the ideas sinks in, it seems right for this company. I have also used it an example of out of the box thinking. It may not be right for many other companies right now but finding the equivalent concept is a good goal. It also generates a lot of good PR, like some of the early business bloggers got.
Hi Abbie. Sometimes when business people are "asleep at the wheel," one sleep inducer may be an IT organization that could be doing a better job helping them see "what could be."
In a separate post here I've described how I believe that the ability to paint a vivid picture about how new technology can help transform a business is a critical success factor for CIO's. The whole web 2.0 landscape is one that, in my opinion, cries out for CIO's to sponsor prototypes, lab explorations, jam sessions, whatever to actually demonstrate how the world might be different for their company if they embraced certain technologies.
Paul Gaffney
CIOs should be leading the way, generating excitment, exploring possibilities, but all too often they put themselves in the position of defending the status quo. Thanks for the comment, Paul - it'd be great if you could add a link in this post to the other one you mention.
that other post is here.
I'm not able to edit the previous post - but I'll get better at this blogging thing!
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To me it is important to separate recreation and work-related activities. If I need a collaborative environment for my staff and their peers, I will set one up in Sharepoint or another portal where I can define the goals. If they wish to socialize informally elsewhere, they are welcome to do that on their breaks using whichever tool they like.
About this Blog
The Difference Engine, invented in 1821, was an early precursor to the modern computer. Today, IT is making a difference in every aspect of work, play, politics and life. This blog reports on interesting new applications of technology and the people behind them. It comments on the changes taking place and what they mean for decision-making around and management of IT.
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