More and more companies explain that they are digital, they have an enterprise social network, they are on social media, they have adopted the language of collaboration. So what ? What about corporate culture, digitazing processes, management…

Trust and accept letting go

If with internal social networks the speech about the risk of leak of sensitive data is less and less common, the issue of moderation is still addressed if an employee « goes wrong « . The trust base of collaborative organizations is still missing. How will people undertake if initially the message is « we do not trust you. » And this lack of trust is mutual. Many employees wonder what will happen to them if they give their opinion on the enterprise social network.
This refusal to let go from the both side comes primarily from the fact that the culture of collaboration goes against current management methods, that are much more command and control, than collaborative. The same applies to the external, it is stupid to set up an e- ambassador program while waiting that employees only copy past a press release, especially when at the same time the company monitors their actions to step in and reprimand if needed (what about trust and room for error). The mistake is to think that these tools make you social when they are only a means not an end. They just serve as a lever to change your management and help you become more social.

Give meaning to create desire
To engage their employees, companies highlight the collaboration gains for the company. But what about the gain for employees ? In the end, this is the question everyone’s asking : « what do I win ? » Does promote efficiency makes sense for an employee ? I doubt it. What makes sense and grows commitment is to share a vision and bring a business plan that shows the gains and roles for each one. The same applies to e- ambassadors, many think they have more to lose than win ( rightly ?). Engage conversation, fine but why, what does it bring to them ? Pride, perhaps, but it is not enough on long term. Again, this must be part of a broader vision related to change of posture and not just a new gadget. And if we talk about pride, we should be proud of what we share, so there is a real work of editorial content to produce.

Trust, meaning will generate commitment, words often harped by companies to the point of being void of meaning. Walk the talk is the real challenge for companies about these digital issues.