A few Gartner analysts compared notes after reading this blog by Craig Roth at Burton Group Blogs. The take away from the blog, aptly named, The Elephant in the Social Software Room, was that many firms do not like the idea of organizational; and departmental boundaries being broken down in the name of “free information flow driving business performance”. The resulting lack of control and bureaucracy that hitherto fore supports the “way the firm works” unsettles management.
There is an obvious question that emerges (that I won’t bother addressing) which is, “is social software just another/latest silver bullet to this problem?” But the one I wanted to comment on was related: assuming social software can help remove barriers between people so that information can flow more quickly, (in support of improved performance), how does this:
a) help ensure that the information shared is actually trustworthy (accurate, complete, semantically consistent, timely, secure, assured etc), and more importantly,
b) assure that the right information is shared, and sent to the right decision that needs it?
Social software does not obviate numerous issues that hamper business and IT today. What are the real business drivers that are influencing stake holder performance? How is the data, necessary to the right decision making processes, discovered and converted into information; and then made executable? Social software certainly helps improve aspects of the elephant, but it remains an elephant. Unless firms address the underlying challenges, now amount of a new, adapted trunk will assure the elephant will move on, into the next generation.
1 response so far ↓
1 Anthony Bradley // Jan 31, 2009 at 9:42 pm
When people talk about addressing the cultural challenges of social software implementation and adoption, they are often talking about that elephant. I remember talking to the DoD a few years ago about “optimal co-location of information and decision rights” which can emerge when you remove information barriers. One Colonel said, “Well, we certainly don’t want that.” He feared that if the Platoon Commander in the field had all pertinnet information he would make a very different decision than they would want. Also, what would command do if there was no need for command and control. This is one poignant example. Leadership and management roles need to change with automated optimal co-location. That, of course, can scare many (if not most).
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