Enterprise Social Networks flatten organizations, they release untold energy and stories and knowledge, content that floods through the network and makes the company come alive…right?

Well, it depends who is watching. Everyone in social business will tell you that executive sponsorship is critical for the successful evolution of your social enterprise endeavour.

Well, yeah, but no.

I agree that support is required, some engagement too. But ownership top-down roll-outs, not so much. Case in point…

A friend told me a story the other night:

–begin–

I got an invite to a yammer network from a developer colleague. Seems like Yammer is taking off here? No. When people joined they found there was basically just the C-suite staring at them from the inside, unblinking. It was an initiative to “engage from the top down.” People immediately regretted joining. The only “engagement” focus was how to back away slowly WITHOUT engaging in eye contact, like a confrontation with a bear…

I said to the developer: ARE YOU FREAKIN CRAZY?! DO NOT INVITE ME TO THIS!

–end–

The moral of the story: everyone needs to feel they belong somewhere for it to be a community. Everyone needs a sense of ownership. It cannot be 1-way hierarchical, top-down program because that IS HOW EVERYTHING ELSE ALREADY HAPPENS, YO!

←This Much We Know.→