People are inherently social. The trouble is, organizations typically do not harness this natural inclination well. Rather, they create barriers that hinder how employees engage with one another, and limit agility in how they collaborate
and make decisions.
They do this by forming complex hierarchies and reporting structures, excessively layering new processes and controls without reviewing or removing existing ones, as well as creating functional silos with defined yet competing interests.
In an effort to control and converge the way people work, organizations have hindered their productivity and increased bureaucracy—so much so that traditional management think is no longer working. Employees and employers alike are looking for a new way of interacting that’s more productive, more efficient and more responsive to what’s happening here and now—not what was happening when all these processes and hierarchies were created.
By redefining how we manage, and by striving to better reflect how people want to work in an information-based knowledge economy, we can improve communication and collaboration, and eliminate waste. This is what social management at work is all about and we’re already doing it ourselves.
Read the full paper here:
The Social Management of Work whitepaper
The silos present in many traditional business structures have the effect of limiting access to critical communication—not only vertically but also horizontally.
While some hierarchy is necessary—the buck has to stop somewhere—social management ignores the idea that “cascades” must only occur within silos. Instead, it embraces a more transparent and flattened business structure, facilitated by perpetual (rather than linear) processes, and by social technology.
It’s new technology and a new mindset.
Businesses willing to implement social technology and to adopt the mindset necessary to support its complete adoption have seen the greatest gains. Those that implemented social technology in one vertical only, or for just one process, have seen fluctuating gains and inconsistencies.
Perpetual management processes, aided by social technology, allow organizations and managers to augment event management with process management. In an organization that follows an event management approach, the goal is
business as usual, and only the exceptions are exceptional. However, in an organization driven by a perpetual management approach, the goal is continuous
improvement on every front. When social technology is integrated into this approach, the gains can increase productivity up to 25 percent. However, the danger of social technology is similar to any other technology— companies that see the tool as the solution will stumble. It is critical that
innovation and advancement occur simultaneously.
Organizations that are interested in seeing the benefits must be bold enough to bring both the social technology and the management tools to their employees in parallel.
The way we work is changing, and businesses must be ready to tailor social technology to their own needs; integrate that technology into their business processes; and manage the people, the technology and outcomes effectively.
Instead of holding fast to linear, control-driven ways of working and managing, organizations must find ways to integrate social technologies across all areas of their business. They are now being challenged to manage differently, and in
a way that better reflects how people want to work in an information-based, knowledge economy.
Ultimately, social management—and the technology that facilitates it—is about improving communication and collaboration and eliminating waste. It’s about
finding ways to make better business decisions, to engage employees in the strategic intent of the organization and to improve performance.
Social management has worked for us and for many of our clients. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch. @ephorG
