Category: Social Business

Social Business, Story + Narrative, The Future of WorkLeave a comment

#RelentlessHumanity: Take 3

ThisMuchWeKnow

I am working out loud on this blog. This means the content and much of the thinking is a work in progress. The work is the learning, and the learning is the work, as Harold Jarche says. One concept I am trying to better articulate for myself is how to have better conversations about the connected enterprise, and the (social) technology that drives us towards the future of work. Currently, these conversations are too technocratic: which service does what, how cool every piece of tech is, how a vendor can deliver a perfect intranet of things, even. Wrong approach. Where … Continue reading #RelentlessHumanity: Take 3

Social Business, The Future of WorkLeave a comment

Hey, Disrupt Happens.

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Fortuitously, I have an insider’s view on business disruption as a member of the Change Agents Worldwide (CAWW) collective. It is a hivemind of the great and good of e2.0, social business mavens. How does CAWW go about its own business? With transparency and trust at its heart, with collaboration and cooperation as its cogs and wheels. It disrupts traditional, staid consultancy – all big names with bigger theories, yet bigger prices. Of course, consultants are the people articulating the changes in the enterprise and building out the solutions for the next iteration(s) of our organizations, so surely they are … Continue reading Hey, Disrupt Happens.

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3 Ways Enterprises Need To Up Their Game: Give Choices, Make Changes, Take Leaps

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Ten years ago, the enterprise was 5 years ahead of the consumer in its technological service offering and systems set up. Now, the consumer of 5 years ahead of the enterprise. Thank you, Apple et al. It is time for the enterprise to catch up and serve colleagues (as customers / consumers). Let’s see how, by working backwards from outputs to inputs. Consumers demand choice. This means the types of device they use (BYOD); and in how they work: Out loud – sharing their voice Collaboratively – with existing and new (self-formed) teams As a peer leader – subverting hierarchies leveraging their … Continue reading 3 Ways Enterprises Need To Up Their Game: Give Choices, Make Changes, Take Leaps

Personal Branding, Social Business, Story + Narrative, The Curious Will Inherit The World, The Future of Work5 Comments

What Does A Friend Look Like In The Age Of Social?

ThisMuchWeKnow

Or, How John Hagel, David Armano, Hugh MacLeod and Harold Jarche Kickstarted Me. Here’s how it began. 2011 Back story: In my MarComms job, I had two projects front of mind – launching an Enterprise Social Network (we were the first company in the world to completely replace our intranet with Yammer) and developing a bunch of infographics on business performance (turning heavy PowerPoint slides into something more digestible). Independently, I was mentoring some young communicators who were trying to work out their pitch and career paths. I spent a lot of time thinking about these topics; with plenty of online … Continue reading What Does A Friend Look Like In The Age Of Social?

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The Intranet of Things? Not Yet

ThisMuchWeKnow

Reading about the internet of things is an interesting exercise in understanding our co-existence with technology and data. We want data to talk to data, chip to chip, thing to thing, so that we, as people, can focus on more value-added functions – creativity, thinking, relationships. What about at work? Intranet vendors offer up all sorts of cure-all solutions: one box that that takes you and your organization from zero to successarama in 100 interconnecting processes and controls. I’m not biting. The intranet of things is way off. It is outside the realm of a single box to do it … Continue reading The Intranet of Things? Not Yet

Social Business, The Future of Work1 Comment

Working Out Loud With Gratitude. #RelentlessHumanity Yo!

ThisMuchWeKnow

Working out loud (WoL) – sharing your knowledge transparently, moving towards your colleagues and stakeholders, asking for and offering help – is the approach to work that puts people (and networks) before process. I like the tag #RelentlessHumanity to describe this endeavour – enterprise social networking tools are there to push our collective humanity in a way that Facebook et al has done in our private lives. I am always thirsting for the chain reaction BOOM! point where this idea scales in the enterprise. We have to start somewhere. The excellent John Stepper is getting very meta, working out loud about working out … Continue reading Working Out Loud With Gratitude. #RelentlessHumanity Yo!

Social Business, Story + Narrative, The Future of Work1 Comment

Everything I Learned About Change, I Learned From Rocky Balboa.

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By film number VI, Rocky Balboa made have had some brain damage, but boy can he deliver a punch(line). I go back to this video extract (minus the intro-outro titles) at least once a year – it is the best piece of advice about working on change I have heard. Let me tell you something you already know… It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward…You gotta be prepared to take the hits. Sometimes, when we talk about change, about the future of work, about embedding social inside the enterprise etc. we can get bogged down … Continue reading Everything I Learned About Change, I Learned From Rocky Balboa.

Social Business, The Future of Work2 Comments

Intrapreneurs Wanted!

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Intrapreneurship is growing. Forbes carries a smart little article on four clear traits of intrapreneurs. It is a good lens to look through – are you ready to perform? What I like is the essence of the intrapreneur not as self-glorifying visionary but as instinctive and alive to what goes on around them. Intrapreneurs aren’t afraid to change course, nor do they fear failure. It isn’t outward bravado that drives them but an inner confidence and courage that every step takes them closer to their ultimate goal. Indeed. Most importantly, intrapreneurs exhibit the traits of confidence and humility—not the maverick … Continue reading Intrapreneurs Wanted!

Personal Branding, Social BusinessLeave a comment

How Do We Show Up (Most Of The Time)? With Head – Heart – Hand.

ThisMuchWeKnow

When we discuss personal branding, using the TMWK BrandBoard approach, we talk about articulating attributes that map against head, heart, and hand. That’s how we show up, most of the time. Although we might have great strength in one of the areas, and we usually do, balance is usually important to bring people with you, and to win over others. This idea has increasing currency in business circles too: Nilofer Merchant is a great writer and leader in the social business space. In a recent interview with Stowe Boyd, she spoke her truth: “Work has often been the place of the … Continue reading How Do We Show Up (Most Of The Time)? With Head – Heart – Hand.

Social Business, Story + Narrative1 Comment

“Social” Is Good For Us: It Raises The Bar

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This excellent WIRED article is worth revisiting again (yesterday, because it highlighted how 90% of everything is crap.) Enabling an audience, as the internet does for free, with zero barriers to entry, makes us work harder to provide value. When our work is stuck on a hard drive, or scribbled in a journal / notebook, it can languish, unloved, badly crafted. When, instead, we work out loud and share, we work darn hard to ensure there is tangible value to be gleaned from the content. Working out loud makes us better – all of us. As I have written before, … Continue reading “Social” Is Good For Us: It Raises The Bar

Social Business, The Curious Will Inherit The World, The Future of WorkLeave a comment

Why Does No-one ‘Get’ #SocBiz? Because We Don’t Like ‘Bad’ News

ThisMuchWeKnow

Many E2.0 leaders and social business (SocBiz) practitioners are currently wringing their hands, decrying the difficulty that knowledge workers are having embracing the new opportunities at work. Technology and network thinking have the potential to transform outdated modes of organizing. Yet, (too) many workers cling to the past. Why so? Because people are stupid. Joke. But it might have some deep-seated neurological basis. Our sentiment is to ignore “bad” information, and change information (a new work reality) is usually considered bad. From a New York Times article on making bad decisions… When the volunteers were given information that was better … Continue reading Why Does No-one ‘Get’ #SocBiz? Because We Don’t Like ‘Bad’ News

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The Overview Effect: How Things Change Forever

ThisMuchWeKnow

The first picture of Earth, from space, was a pivotal moment in mankind’s journey of self-awareness. This is a great little video that talks about: “an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.” In some meagre way, I feel the social business journey does the same thing. When work is not about me; team; company – but instead an embrace … Continue reading The Overview Effect: How Things Change Forever