Becoming a Social Organization
I honestly can’t remember where I was, but I was listening to some conversation about organizations adopting social media. The conversation turned to the importance of CEOs having Twitter accounts.
Now, I totally agree that social media is here to stay. And that companies need to get on the social media bandwagon. However, for the company to become a “social” organization, it does not require the CEO to use social media. It does require the CEO to support the use of social media. There’s a big difference.
If the CEO wants a Twitter account, by all means, they should have one. And if they enjoy Twitter, then they should go for it. Organizations do not become social simply because the CEO has a social media account. In fact, I could actually see it being very effective for the company to have an account that the CEO hijacks every once in a while. It could create the best of both worlds.
There will be positions that are well served to have social media accounts. Even if it’s just to figure out how the platform works, decide if it makes sense for the business, and develop an appropriate strategy. Frankly, I can see human resources falling into this category. Check it out, see what works, etc.
[Tweet “Does your CEO have to be on social media?”]
The key to becoming a social organization is to embrace the spirit of social media – whether you’re a user or not. It’s about supporting the medium. Social organizations have figured out how to incorporate the flow of digital communication into their business – whether the CEO is on Twitter or not.
Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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