systems of engagement

Why Zipcar Is Not the “Sharing Economy”

January 9, 2013

Zipcar isn’t a sharing business, so it can’t create the sharing economy. Who can? Businesses that support customer-to-customer relationships and reciprocal caring.

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Scale Positive Behaviors by Designing Them Into Social Software

March 20, 2012

Tweet Why doesn’t every piece of cake come with two forks? There’s no fixed reason why the cake can only come with one fork. But, having only one fork is an obstacle to sharing, even for the most generous of potential dessert-sharers. Why not bring me a second fork, to make it easy for me […]

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Growing Social: 4 Different Paths to Social Organizations

October 26, 2011

Organizations can ‘grow social’ through 4 different paths, driven by technology, social business, collective values, and ‘product’ resonance. Two of these paths are more likely than the others to create organizations that are authentically social. Can you guess which two, and why?

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Pay Attention to How Social Media Communities Create ‘the Organization’

September 20, 2011

Tweet Why do so many social business advocates overlook the organizational value of online communities? Too many people dismiss online communities for not being central to the organizations they serve.  These critics dismiss communities for being merely social, just another way to chat or swap tips. Even when they acknowledge how communities can be critical […]

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4 Reasons Why Socializing Your Intranet Makes Organizational Change Easier

August 3, 2011

Tweet You can make the process of becoming a Social Organization a little easier if you start by socializing your intranet. Why? Because the shared, cohering nature of your intranet makes ‘social’ change efforts more comprehensive, more democratic, less scary, and more reinforcing of collective identity. In my previous post, I argue that we should […]

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Social Organizations from the Inside Out: Start with Your Intranet

July 27, 2011

Tweet What’s the best strategy for making your organization more social? Where do you start to transform your systems, so that you can transform your organization? Many social media experts suggest that you work from the outside-in. They encourage organizations to start with one function and one stakeholder group, and ‘get social’ by linking CRM […]

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How Social Media Can Help Us Generate Productive Momentum

July 18, 2011

Tweet Social Media systems inside organizations should not be designed just to support tasks.  Social business systems should also be designed to support the emotional elements of interpersonal relationships, since these build momentum by helping us feel more meaningful and valuable as we work together. Often, people assume that digital social systems inside organizations should […]

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Purpose is the Killer App: Why Organizations Need Social Business Tools

July 12, 2011

Tweet What will it really take to get organizations to adopt social media tools inside the enterprise? Mere numbers won’t compel us, so don’t count on ROI. The shiny object syndrome won’t hold our attention, so back off with the bells and whistles. And, please, don’t work on us with peer pressure. We’re above trying […]

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How to Design Social Business Systems For Engaged, Social Organizations

June 23, 2011

Tweet Organizations are social — they always have been. But, organizations have rarely been designed intentionally to help us flourish as social beings while we work together. Neither our analog systems nor our digital systems have been designed to help us bring more of our social selves to our work together. But, it’s not that […]

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5 Ways That Systems of Engagement Bring Out Our Full Social Selves

June 22, 2011

Tweet Technology has a way of sucking the humanity right out of us. Consider how we describe, design and deploy ‘enterprise 2.0’ and work system technologies in our organizations: — When we talk about technology systems, we talk about machines, platforms, inputs and outputs.  We forget about values, emotion, flourishing, meaning and purpose. — When […]

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