Putting social to work: examining the communication strategies that make enterprise social successful

Abstract

Enterprise social is just one of the latest forms of technology organizations are adding to their suite of software applications. The problem: there is a blurred line between how social media is used in our personal life and how social capabilities fit into the workplace. To address this problem and to understand how enterprise social can successfully fit in the workplace, my research consisted of a three-pronged approach: 1) monitoring, collecting, analyzing, and coding data from the social channels of two companies for three months; 2) interviewing five professionals experienced in communication and/or social in the workplace; and 3) conducting a survey of 53 random participants to gain their perspective on social in the workplace. My findings indicate there is really no clear definition of enterprise social, limited research into workplace social structure and strategy for implementing social, and little support or few resources available for organizations. The research also demonstrates the necessity of having a strong framework in place to identify policies and processes, the need to implement properly, and the importance of monitoring and measuring--the key to a successful enterprise social system. As a result, this research delivers a framework for organizations to successfully implement enterprise social.