Chapter 11-The Goundswell Inside Your Company
Whereas the majority of Li and Bernoff's book has focused on utilizing groundswell technologies to best support users/consumers, chapter 11 was a very interesting and equally relevant take on how this approach can also be invaluable to your company from the inside perspective. This chapter especially resonated with me because I work in an organization (Boost Fitness) which I feel could strongly benefit from such tactics.
Boost Fitness is awesome at not having the overly hierarchical nature Li and Bernoff relate that larger companies typically have. However, as a trainer, while I appreciate the voice I have at the specific facility I work at (There are 3 in the central Mass/Metro-West are), I cannot say that there is any communication between trainers across facilities. Besides being coaches and motivators, from a business perspective personal trainers are always sales people. Whether literally selling training, or selling ideas and motivations to best help our clients, we are constantly selling! Li and Bernoff relate and illustrate using Best Buy and the example of Blue Shirt Nation how invaluable sharing information over long distances can be, especially for those in sales! Because of the fact that many people are asking the same questions, it can be a great resource to have a varied perspective on these common issues and be able to view all employee's unique and valuable perspective.
Just as many clients I work with have similar goals, many clients across the entire organization do as well! So why not create communication? There is huge potential for benefit. For all occupations (and perhaps sales/service more then any) the effective employee must place himself in the mindset where he is constantly learning. Furthermore, employers themselves can learn an immense amount from their employees, as the BSN case illustrates.
Every single day I go to work I try to leave a little bit better at providing my services and closing sales, because every day listening to my clients, learning from a mistake, or being in a new situation evolves my perspective. It could be as simple as saying: Ok, I have realized clients are much more successful when I set short term goals for them, but theses goals must be measurable. Then perhaps I learn, yes, short term goals are essential, but a long term measurable goal is necessary as well to ensure they see the big picture and continue to stay motivated! This is simply a basic example, but the applications are endless. Above all, company wide communication enhances what matters the most to management, employee skills. Additionally, it energizes and builds a community feel within the organization, something I personally do not have because there is limited interaction between the trainers at the other respective clubs. It is a win-win for both employee's and management! Of course, there are many depths this idea can be taken to, illustrated by the varying approaches of Avenue A/Razorfish, "Intelpedia," and Bell Canada.
Organization wide, multi-level communication: Invaluable!
In any organization where this is an entirely new implementation, it may take time to catch on, and a simple approach is likely best in the beginning (i.e. a basic "forum" vs. an in-depth "wiki.") Regardless, utilizing the Groundswell inside your company in any way WILL bring benefits, and is very cost effective. As Li and Bernoff caution: Consider the opportunity lost by not harvesting this potential!
-Sam
Additional Links:
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/sme-tv-discovering-the-best-buy-blue-shirt-nation/
http://businessinnovationfactory.com/weblog/archives/2008/09/best_practices.html
Boost Fitness is awesome at not having the overly hierarchical nature Li and Bernoff relate that larger companies typically have. However, as a trainer, while I appreciate the voice I have at the specific facility I work at (There are 3 in the central Mass/Metro-West are), I cannot say that there is any communication between trainers across facilities. Besides being coaches and motivators, from a business perspective personal trainers are always sales people. Whether literally selling training, or selling ideas and motivations to best help our clients, we are constantly selling! Li and Bernoff relate and illustrate using Best Buy and the example of Blue Shirt Nation how invaluable sharing information over long distances can be, especially for those in sales! Because of the fact that many people are asking the same questions, it can be a great resource to have a varied perspective on these common issues and be able to view all employee's unique and valuable perspective.
Li and Bernoff state the benefits of Blue Shirt Nation:
i. Listening- management and employees listening to employees
ii. Talking: communicate company-wide uniformly
iii. Energizing
iv. Supporting- promoting from within and building culture
v. Embracing
i. Listening- management and employees listening to employees
ii. Talking: communicate company-wide uniformly
iii. Energizing
iv. Supporting- promoting from within and building culture
v. Embracing
Just as many clients I work with have similar goals, many clients across the entire organization do as well! So why not create communication? There is huge potential for benefit. For all occupations (and perhaps sales/service more then any) the effective employee must place himself in the mindset where he is constantly learning. Furthermore, employers themselves can learn an immense amount from their employees, as the BSN case illustrates.
Every single day I go to work I try to leave a little bit better at providing my services and closing sales, because every day listening to my clients, learning from a mistake, or being in a new situation evolves my perspective. It could be as simple as saying: Ok, I have realized clients are much more successful when I set short term goals for them, but theses goals must be measurable. Then perhaps I learn, yes, short term goals are essential, but a long term measurable goal is necessary as well to ensure they see the big picture and continue to stay motivated! This is simply a basic example, but the applications are endless. Above all, company wide communication enhances what matters the most to management, employee skills. Additionally, it energizes and builds a community feel within the organization, something I personally do not have because there is limited interaction between the trainers at the other respective clubs. It is a win-win for both employee's and management! Of course, there are many depths this idea can be taken to, illustrated by the varying approaches of Avenue A/Razorfish, "Intelpedia," and Bell Canada.
Organization wide, multi-level communication: Invaluable!In any organization where this is an entirely new implementation, it may take time to catch on, and a simple approach is likely best in the beginning (i.e. a basic "forum" vs. an in-depth "wiki.") Regardless, utilizing the Groundswell inside your company in any way WILL bring benefits, and is very cost effective. As Li and Bernoff caution: Consider the opportunity lost by not harvesting this potential!
-Sam
Additional Links:
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/sme-tv-discovering-the-best-buy-blue-shirt-nation/
http://businessinnovationfactory.com/weblog/archives/2008/09/best_practices.html
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