Groundswell – Winning in a world transformed by social technologies

Hi everybody,

World Wide Web (WWW) also known as internet has done a very positive impact to human being, thus making life easier, last ten years were the years where technology along with internet had great advancement.

One of the components of the web and most interesting one is the Web 2.0, often referred to as social media, which uses web design to promote information sharing and collaboration among users. The most interesting part of this service is that it differs from other traditional communication products, including typical corporate web sites and online services, and reason for this is because its content is to a large degree shaped by the users. Both the private sector and governments are looking for different way how to effectively use these new communication technologies. For the private sector the challenge is, on the one hand, to ensure that these new technologies are used effectively to attract customers and improve profits while for governments, the challenge is to squeeze Web 2.0 technology into policy and legislative frameworks that were created for a different era, to manage the paradox between existing reasonable and necessary policy and legislative mandates and the reasonable and growing pressure for the use of social media.. On the other hand, private sector needs to ensure that social networks do not become tools that are used to drive away customers.

Groundswell, Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies is a book, which provides private sector companies with the knowledge and tools to manage and benefit from technologies. Authors have paid attention not to specifically address the two issues identified above; instead they indirectly give instructions regarding corporate communication strategies and communication management decision-making.

As it is in every part of the life, also in business sector let it be public or private large bureaucratic organizations want to have in control and manage information and communications, whit regards to management of communication decision-making.

Authors state that decisions in these organizations can be divided into two types: routine operating decisions and “unstructured” “strategic” ones, and according to them there is also a third category of decision-making: unstructured yet operational, arguing that rigid company hierarchical decision-making processes and structures will not work with social media because they are too cumbersome and slow.

The challenge for companies is to create an environment where individual decision-making can occur within the parameters of corporate goal attainment and decision-making. The authors also suggest that a new approach to strategic corporate communication is required if companies are to benefit from the “groundswell”.

According to authors, companies need to see and use the potential of technology and make it to their advantage, this is also illustrated with some examples, where large companies are using Facebook or Twitter to hire young professionals, blogs can be used as vehicles to promote discussions among costumers, which then would be helpful to get online thoughts of companies products.

Blerina