I could be rehashing a topic that has been addressed many times before, but recent conversations within my own organization have resurfaced this for me and I know it is something that other peers are still sorting out as well. Companies are very much implementing social technologies to engage audiences externally, but still struggle with the advantages of implementing it internally. And this is something that I, in particular, am very passionate about. So, I’ve updated a blog post that I had written late last year focusing on this topic and have included what I hope is some fresh, relevant information and resources. Enjoy!
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Tagged as:
Employee Engagement,
enterprise 2.0,
internal communications,
social technologies
Original Post: Using social media to improve internal communications, simply-communicate.com
As a social media agency, FreshNetworks is often asked to help clients develop and implement a social media strategy.
This was the case with Vets Now – a provider of out-of-hours veterinary care for veterinary practices across the UK. The goal was to engage internal stakeholders through social media.
Vets Now is the type of business where employees work not only alone, but also unsociable hours. By using social media, Vets Now hoped to increase communication and engagement amongst employees who don’t get the opportunity to interact with each other in person, let alone with anyone else.
Vets Now also hoped that increasing interaction among internal staff and stakeholders would help with knowledge sharing that would, in turn, help regulate and improve clinical standards and best practice across the industry. By doing this the aim was to position themselves as global experts in veterinary Emergency & Critical Care (ECC).
Tagged as:
case study,
Employee Engagement,
simply-communicate.com,
vet now
At Unstructure.org’s 5th Annual Global Meet in Orlando last week, Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies, delivered an extremely compelling message in his Opening Address. He described how, in the new reality for any organization to successfully attain business goals in a post-recession world (“The New Normal”), it must first invert its value pyramid and place employees at the top, creating an environment where the employees are the initiators of transformation and the managers are the supporters who make that transformation reality.
Although, you might think this is not a novel business approach, within the context of Unstructure.org’s MENSA-type thought leadership discussions and within the context of the “The New Normal,” this message really resonated into four main points at a much deeper, more personal level.
Tagged as:
Employee Engagement,
HCL Technologies,
The New Normal,
unstructure,
value pyramid,
vineet nayar
In driving social technologies within an organization, the number one question that I hear from top level executives is “what problem would this be solving for us?” And trust me, it’s hard for me to contain myself when posed with this question and not stand up on my soapbox about how social media can drive engagement and collaboration. But, the bottom line is that the successful integration of social technologies within a corporate enterprise isn’t just about innovation or enablement, but it is also the ability to fill a business need. And, from an internal communications perspective, finding the right balance between social technologies and existing communication channels is especially important. When you’ve identified this, that’s when you see the biggest executive support, employee adoption and measurable results.
Tagged as:
Employee Engagement,
internal communications,
social media,
Strategy
Original Post: Social Media and the Internal Brand
Here’s my take on why companies are using social media internally:
1. To inform employees. In its most straightforward way, social media can be just another medium to communicate and inform employees. Blogs in which departments inform their staff, a newsletter with options for employees to give comments, twitter as a micro instant communication channel to employees.
2. To create a shared vision. This takes internal communication to the next level. Using social media to engage with your employees with the objective to embed the company’s mission, vision and values. A CEO internal blog in which he discusses the vision, seeks feedback for improvement and explains how staff can become internal brand ambassadors.
3. To increase productivity. This is all about using social media as a collaboration tool. Social media helps bringing documents, people and planning together. in the form of sharing documents, sharing feedback and synchronising project tasks.
Tagged as:
ambassadors,
Employee Engagement,
internal communications,
social media
