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SNCR Study: Results Reveal Social Media's Impact on Traditional Professional Decision-Making Cycle

The Society for New Communications Research held their Research Symposium at Harvard University earlier this Fall. SNCR Fellows, Vanessa DiMauro and Don Bulmer presented their survey results of a study entitled "The New Symbiosis of Professional Networks."

The purpose of the study examined Social Media's impact, particularly focusing on the following research questions:

• Are professional networks being utilized by decision-makers in business?
• Is social media typically regarded as a trustworthy source of information for professionals?
• In what ways do professionals rely on social networks to support business decisions?
• Will social media change the business and practice of enterprise-level operations?

Core Findings Validate Social Media's Rise as a Trusted Information Source (Network)

• Professional decision-making is becoming more social
• The big three have emerged as leading professional networks: LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter
• Professional networks are emerging as decision-support tools
• Professionals trust online information almost as much as information gotten from in-person
• Reliance on web-based professional networks and online communities has increased significantly over the past 3 years
• Social Media use patterns are not pre-determined by age or organizational affiliation

...An Opportunity for Professional Decision-Making and Engagement

• Social Media is supplementing the traditional professional decision-making cycle with great affect
• Challenges are facing marketers who endeavor to mange or control social media network content
• The greatest opportunity business has is to engage collaborative influence – via immediacy of impact through social channel

FLF 10.30.2009 - Procrastination

I guess it wouldn't be hard to imagine that I actually came across this great video short story while procrastinating on a Thursday afternoon. While I am surprised that a creative would describe Procrastination as finding the perfect pen, making a cup of tea, or looking out the window, the message itself is - if you are doing anything outside of getting at the heart of the task, well, um, you are procrastinating.

Now, I feel this may fly in the face of the creative process, because many "bird walks" can lead to a perfect and innovative solution, it's just that these bird walks are a detour to the direct, bee-line approach.

What's your thoughts? I know we've posted on how to be more productive, but does this video "tell it like it is" or give the creative process, a little bit of a bad name.

Is procrastination part of your process? Do you get to get to your expected outcomes regardless of these diversions or not? Do they help you explore or avoid? Are you sabotaging your success or a deadline because of that cup of tea? How can procrastination work for you and against you?

Watch this video and see what you think!

Video by John Kelly

Creativity is not a luxury, but a necessity

The exploration of new ideas, the expression of different ways to present those ideas, and most of all the unique nature of communicating complex ideas simply or provocatively -- all require time and an open opportunity to explore, test, and try again. Creativity is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Reading through my feeds, I came across this great "tongue-in-cheek" article by Paul Sloane, author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking, entitled - Ten Great Ways to Crush Creativity. 

Sloane says, "Leaders have more power than they realize. They can patiently create a climate of creativity or they can crush it in a series of subtle comments and gestures. Their actions send powerful signals. Their responses to suggestions and ideas are deciphered by staff as encouragement or rejection."

Here's how Sloane sees a top 10 list to "crush creativity" in an organization:

1. Criticize new ideas
2. Discourage brainstorming or collaboration to explore new ideas or creative solutions
3. Hoard problems - don't seek ideas to create innovative solutions
4. Focus on efficiencies not innovation
5. Overwork - "hard work alone will solve the problem"
6. Adhere to the plan at all costs
7. Punish for mistakes, reduce taking any risk
8. Don't look outside (the organization, the processes used, the existing solution in place)
9. Promote only those who think and manage like you
10. Don't waste money on training - just learn as you go

For the full article, read on >>

See Paul Sloane's latest book, The Innovative Leader: How to Inspire Your Team and Drive Creativity.

Change Manifestos Worth Reading from ChangeThis

There are always great manifestos published on ChangeThis and some of the latest I wanted to share with you. If you are a manager in today's Organization 2.0, the following manifestos are an excellent read. These ideas and concepts are worth sharing. Check them out!

Change Master: Why Adapting is the Most Crucial Skill You’ll Ever Need
By: M.J. Ryan Web | PDF
“In order to not merely to survive, but to thrive during the greatest period of transformation humans have ever experienced, we are all being called on to stretch mentally, emotionally, and spiritually into the future. It’s my hope that this manifesto offers you both comfort and practical support as you take on this challenge and become a Master of Change.”

See M.J. Ryan's latest book, AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn't Ask For

What’s Your CQ and Why Should You Care?
By: David Livermore Web | PDF

“You’ve heard about IQ and EQ. But what’s your CQ? CQ, or cultural intelligence, is more than just a kitschy catch phrase for cultural competence. It’s a fresh, new approach to leading in our multicultural, globalized world. Cultural intelligence is defined as the capability to function effectively across national, ethnic, and organizational cultures. And research demonstrates a leader’s CQ may easily be the single greatest difference between thriving in the 21st century world and becoming obsolete.”

See David Livermore's latest book, Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage Our Multicultural World (Youth, Family, and Culture)

Below C-Level Strategy
By: John Spence Web | PDF

“Whereas C- level strategic planning is for people that ‘make’ budgets; below C-level strategic planning is for those of us that are given a budget. Folks at the C-level make broad reaching decisions that direct people and departments across the entire organization, while those of us below C-level often have to focus on the few places within the organization where we do have impact, influence and some level of control. Luckily, the most important strategies for creating a highly successful organization fall into a handful of key result areas, most of which are completely within your control.”

See John Spence's latest book, Awesomely Simple - Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action

Quit Managing Your Time… and Start Managing Your Attention
By: Lee J. Colan, Ph.D. Web

“The myth of time management never dies. Many people enroll in 'time management' classes and learn techniques like making to-do lists. That’s fine. Lists can be useful, even satisfying. It’s great to experience that rush—Ahhhh!—as we check something off the list. However, by the end of the day, or the week, or the month, most people discover projects that are still not checked off and some projects they haven’t even started. That’s when frustration begins to set in. The time is gone, and there’s no way to get it back.

You can’t manufacture time, you can’t reproduce time, you can’t slow time down or turn it around and make it run in the other direction.

You can’t trade bad hours for good ones, either. About all the time management you can do is to cram as much productive work as pos¬sible into each day.

What you can manage, however, is your attention..."

See Lee Colan's latest book, Winners Always Quit

Managing Gen Y or a.k.a Gen F, the Facebook Generation

There is a great article posted by Gary Hamel on The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500. It outlines a list of "12 work-relevant characteristics of online life" that the new generation of employees will use measure whether your company is “with it” or “past it.”

Read on >>

Being Proactive & Prepared for Response in Social Media - U.S. Air Force

There is an excellent business process workflow map published by the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Agency - Emerging Technology Division addressing their standard of operations for reputation management and response in social media.

It's simple, clear and addresses the way in which the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs intends to engage online. For any organization assessing their level of engagement -- what it is or will be, this visual decision map may help create a framework for discussion and planning.

Special thanks to Joey deVilla for sharing this at Global Nerdy.

Managing Millennials - How GenY Is Reshaping the Workplace

There's something about Millennials that is fascinating me right now and I believe it all relates to my passion for creating relevant, intuitive and engaging experience online and off.

BNet recently compiled some great articles and a video on Managing Millennials. The video is a light-hearted look at how Gen Y will reshape the workplace.

From Baby Boomers to Gen Y, we will always have "new entrants" into the workforce, just as we have new adopters to our digital experiences. Understanding millennials on all levels help shape what we create and consult on every day.

Learn More >>

iMediaConnection: The art of self defense against brand-jacking

As a follow up to our earlier post today, we came across another good article further emphasizing the need to actively monitor and protect your brand.

Tim Lynch, senior experience design specialist at Molecular, explores the concept of brand-jacking. "If your brand is online, it's susceptible to consumer influence -- both benign and malicious. See what steps your company can take to mitigate the risks."

Read More >>

Timeless Perspective & Wisdom on Web Development & Information Technology

We find there is a continuous challenge in the workplace as Organization 2.0 continues to impact, morph and mashup disciplines that were without question very clearly defined. Take the evolution of the I.T. department, for example. I just came across Steve Smith's 2006 post, Web Development and Information Technology that posed the question: Should Web development be housed under I.T.? I recognize tremors can be felt along much of the organizational fault lines by even posing such a question in many structured organizations, but it's interesting to consider, particularly as new lines are drawn and cross-functional teams are formed in today's Web 2.0 organizational structure.

The essence of Smith's post notes that each discipline within the Web development lifecycle contributes to the process and that contributors must work "hand in hand" to fully create a successful online experience. The post breaks down the territorial stance of where "Web development" lies within the organization. It also clarifies, which is refreshing, the difference between "Web development" and "Information Technology," which seems to be a common identity crisis in many evolving IT organizations.

So, in 2008, is this question, "What does Web Development have to do with Information Technology?" still relevant, important, even controversial? Are organizations shifting and changing to create more cross-functional "interaction" teams or standing firm as independent skill-based silos?

What I love most in this post is Smith's take up front about Web development:

"IT is a necessary part of keeping the web alive, but one that is so separate from the creation of a website that it makes me laugh every time I think about it. Information Technology is, and always should be, concerned with the reliability, stability, and effectiveness of serving a website. Those creating websites should focus their complete attention on the effectiveness of the message, the design, the interface and the content."

What's your thought? How do you define today's Web Team? Does it reside in one camp or another other? Is the modern enterprise ready for dynamic, non-traditional organizational structure that is collaborative and multi-disciplinary lead by specialists and championed by "customer evangelists?" How far have we come?

FLF 10.05.07: "Life & Business Are About Human Connections"

Nothing like experiencing a thematic week. Wednesday it was "People before Profits" and last night while watching NBC Must See TV, The Office resoundingly emphasized this point and threw in the added question -- where does "technology" fit into the mix in business relationships?

 

For Michael, Regional Branch Manager of Dunder Miffllin (Scranton), his belief is in the integrity of his relationships with people -- not technology.

"Life and business are about human connections. Technology makes you drive into a lake."

As a self-proclaimed "tech geek" Michael's scenes mimicking his boss on the Crackberry and failing to use reason, but instead relying on his GPS guide to drive right into Scranton Lake was brilliant. Cursing technology, yet acquiescing to the importance of the cell phone as a necessary communications device, Michael struggles with the introduction of a new B2B website and more so resists the idea that this will replace the human connection.

The fact that Michael knew his customer's daughter is allergic to nuts was poignant and telling that no CRM could truly ever replace that.

Last night's episode of The Office was smart and spot on -- examining how business and business culture is in a constant state of evolution, particularly where technology is concerned.

It was an eye-brow raising episode and a little like "Dilbert" -- all too familiar from one office to the next!

PS -- Not quite sure what NBC is doing here -- "community building" perhaps, but check out Dunder Mifflin's new Website -- DundlerMifflinInfinity. Apparently, they didn't work with any user experience consultants on this one. :(  Ryan (Regional Manager) -- Call me! ;)