We hosted a webinar with IBM last week about Social Business: a New Way of Working. Don Lewis of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota did a great job discussing what worked at his company and what tools they used to be successful. The webinar is now available for replay.
A couple of points you’ll find in our online discussion:
- Gauge interest by things like surveys and discussions
- You should do some “social analysis” and define who are your SME and hubs in your organization. They will drive the success of your social network
- Identify a champion and have him or her step forward. Don was the champion at his company and he was very successful.
- The champion should introduce the technology wherever he can. Get into staff meetings. Do lunch and learns. Target departments, etc.
- Don’t just talk to the head of an organization when introducing this type of technology. Get a larger meeting so the manager can see it with his people. You’d be amazed at how much better the meetings go with that approach.
- Either get the software running early or use something like Lotus Greenhouse. Then mock up communities, bookmarks, activity streams, blogs, activities, etc. When you are in a staff meeting and they see how it could be used in their context, it’s much more compelling.
- Don’t forget the importance of social governance. Get the right people involved early.
If you want, you can listen to the whole thing. There are some best practices if you are about to embark on your own social journey.
