Everyday, I get to do the best job of all, I talk to people about Social Business. It is interesting to see the varying differences in definition of what a social business actually is. For most businesses, their marketing department would consider them to be social due to the fact that the make use of Twitter and Facebook. But is this really Social Business or is it simply Social Marketing.
Social Business is not about technology, it’s not about the internet. It is about people freely sharing their information and ideas to contribute to better outcomes for an organisation. This interaction provides for open dialog between departments and line of business. The right kind of technology becomes and enabler for more connected interaction.
So which part of the business should run Social Business initiatives? Should it be IT or Marketing? Neither. Social Business comes down to the culture of the company and they way that people work. Human Resources are usually tasked with creating a culture through where innovation, creativity and productivity are encouraged.
So where does technology fit into all of this? As I mentioned earlier, technology is something that can enable people to be more connected within the work place. Through the use of things like Activity Streams an individual can easily identify what is happening in the business which they may need to know about. Not only that, but technology also helps to break down boundaries between defined lines of business, geographies and time zones. Individuals can share what they are doing for the greater good of the organisation.
