Social business and the valley of disinterest

Jessica Stillman — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:04:53 +0000

With the rise of consumer social media and the untethering of work from a fixed geographic location, interest in ways to put social tools to work in the enterprise has been on the rise. A host of business-specific collaboration offerings from Yammer to Rypple are aiming to capture the interest of firms, while nearly every business is trying to figure out how to best utilize the likes of Facebook and Twitter. But are all companies equally engaged in figuring out how to do social?

Recent research that MIT Sloan Management Review conducted in collaboration with Deloitte reveals a striking pattern, according to an intriguing post in MIT Sloan’s Improvisations blog. When asked whether they believed social business was important, those at the biggest and smallest firms showed the greatest interest, with a steep fall off in interest among those at mid-sized organizations. Here are the percentage of respondents who agreed with the importance of social business by company size:

Less than 1,000 employees: 21.2 percent
1,000-5,000 employees: 13.6 percent
5,000 – 10,000: 13.6 percent
10,00-100,000: 12.1 percent
More than 100,000: 21.2 percent

Why might this be? The post speculates that, “social tools enable smaller organizations to appear bigger, and larger companies to appear ‘smaller’ — more accessible, responsive, and nimble,” noting that 31 percent of the smallest firms thought these tools were important to growing revenue, a much higher percentage than at larger companies. Gerald Kane, a professor at Boston College, suggests this may be because smaller firms can use social tools “as a way of increasing their voice, as a way of connecting with customers.” The analysis of the findings in ongoing, according to the post, and the final results will be published sometime this spring, so those who are interested should keep their eyes open for the full report.

In the meantime, what’s your reaction to these initial results – are mid-sized firms underestimating the potential benefits of social or are these tools really of less value to businesses of this size?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Nicholas_T.

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Study Shows Perks, Not Pay is Key to Attracting Talented Workers

Jason Harris — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:00:47 +0000

A key issue staring companies directly in the eye is the ability to acquire and retain highly qualified workers. This is especially true in the coming years as a main chunk of the workforce, the baby boomer generation, transitions into retirement. As the baby boomers trade the day-to-day job in for their first Buick, they leave behind many job roles and responsibilities that Human Resources departments must backfill.

Deloitte LLP conducted a survey amongst technology and telecommunications workers to help figure out what keys points recruiters and HR should focus on in attracting and retaining talented workers. Outside observers might jump to conclusions and quickly say more money is required. However, the study shows that flexible working schedules and flexible working environments are more persuasive that financial compensation.

This should come to no surprise to many web workers. Being able to work partially or fully from home is a valuable benefit that we enjoy. When it’s appropriate for an individual’s job role, it is in a companies’ best interest to be accommodating to worker’s needs. For example, if I have a doctor’s appointment to schedule, I know with my employer will allow me to work flexible hours. Therefore, I’ll schedule the appointment for 4:00 (late in the afternoon) and go into work an hour early to make up the time. Otherwise, I’d have to take an hour of paid leave for an activity that wasn’t nearly as fun as a vacation.

Other benefits arise from allowing employees to work from home. If an employee is granted the ability to work from home just one day a week, their fuel consumption is cut by 20% instantly. Plus the employee doesn’t have to drive to/from work, giving them more time for personal tasks and increasing their overall happiness with the company they work for.

Offering flexible work environments and hours is an advantageous ways for corporations to extend a benefit to employees in a no-cost manner.

What are your thoughts? Are there any business managers who have thoughts for or against flexible schedules/work environments?

(image courtesy: Flickr user Bill Dimmick)

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Social business and the valley of disinterest

Study Shows Perks, Not Pay is Key to Attracting Talented Workers