Social media are HOT! However, the term does not catch on with management. Some say it’s because management is not modern enough. Maybe that is true. However, I recently heard a manager say: “Social? I’m running a business here. Let them socialize at home.” It’s a very understandable reaction. The question is if managers react to the results of well implemented 2.0 technology or to the fact that the word social insinuates that people engage in non work related activities. I believe it has a lot to do with the latter. So let’s stop calling it ‘social’ and tell them what’s in it for them.

We like the term ‘Connected Business’ as it better describes what this technology does. It is set of tools to break down silos in large enterprises and have their employees connect to one another. Employees that are connected to one another have access to each other’s knowledge, skills, and experience. This connectedness then leads to more problems being solved in less time and more innovative ideas being tested and enriched in less time. On the back off these advantages enterprises can save  money because there is less need to purchase knowledge through consultants and commissioned research.

So you become more operationally excellent because of the improved problem solving, you become more competitive because you become more innovative, and you get all this at lower costs. Yes, it’s as simple as that.