Do mainstream companies get Twitter? Are executives in non-high tech industries embracing social technologies and the communities that form on top of them, or are they scared to death?
A report from the field was delivered at South by Southwest Interactive today by MIT scientist Andrew McAfee, who coined the phrase “Enterprise 2.0.”
McAfee laid out some good news and some bad news about the corporate mindset on the free-form collaboration that is 2.0, and offered some advice on how to talk to your boss about social tools that are evolving around the user:
- Corporate mindset challenges: We are risk-averse, busy, budget constrained, uninterested in social revolution, hostile to auto-obsolescence, ROI-seeking, and convinced of our own uniqueness.
- Some good news: We can be swayed by theory, evidence, narratives, peers; we’re afraid of being left behind.
- Talking to the boss: Present theories and frameworks, not jargon. Use data, case studies, and narratives. Make it relevant to our business; combat “time-wasting narcissism” perceptions about social tools.
According to McAfee, social software is maturing and we’re beginning to see more evidence of the business benefits of 2.0 (McKinsey Study, CEO case studies). Only time will tell if a tipping point is in the cards.
For more highlights, see the Twitter stream from today’s event. More at SXSW Report.
Presenter: Andrew McAfee, Principal Research Scientist, Center for Digital Business, MIT Sloan School of Management. Contact: @amcafee, amcafee@mit.edu. Resources: 2.0 Adoption Council
