Learn from the E2.0 Vanguard -Part 1

Here are my notes from the first session of the Enterprise 2.o Black Belt Workshop: Learn from the Vanguard

Speakers:

• Megan Murray, Community Manager/Project Coordinator, Booz Allen Hamilton @MeganMurray
• Jamie Pappas, E2.0 & Social Media Strategist, Evangelist, and Community Manager, EMC Corp @JamiePappas
• Rawn Shah, Social Software Practices Lead, IBM @Rawn

Notes:

[These are my quick notes, complete with  (what I hope is no more than) the occasional typo and grammatical error.  Please excuse those. Thanks!

From time to time, I’ll insert my own editorial comments – exercising the prerogatives of the blogger.  I’ll show those in brackets. ]

Jamie Pappas: Building the Business Case

• Define clear goals that tie to the business strategy and resonate with the key stakeholders in your organization.
  • The goals should be measurable (for ROI purposes))
  • Goals should be realistic — under promise and over deliver
• How does your social media tool address pain points that aren’t being addressed well currently.
  • Breaking down information silos and organizational silos that impede efficiency and efficacy
  • Identifying experts and connecting them to the rest of the organization
  • Will your initiative reduce redundancy?
• Find some tangible use cases
• Be realistic about the costs – it really isn’t free!
• Find executive sponsors and key players within your organization
  • Ideally, they are already using social media tools and understand the potential (and actual) value they provide.
  • These folks can help answer the What’s In It For Me question.
  • They can spread the message at a peer-to-peer level, which can be much more influential than generalized blast messaging.
  • Reflect the feedback of these sponsors to ensure their continued support.
• How to choose from all the tools available?
  • Try to satisfy 80% of your needs (don’t aim for 100%)
  • The tools should match your goals and address your pain points. Don’t adopt silo tools.
  • Don’t assume that the tool everyone else is using is right for your organization.
  • Start small. Be targeted. Then expand.
• Never underestimate the need for education.
  • Not everyone knows how to use these tools – they need to be taught.

  Not everyone wants to play with the tool in order to learn how it works.

  • Not everyone understands the dynamics of E2.0 tools – e.g., folks who start a wiki may not realize that others can (and should) edit their work.
  • Be sure that users know what is expected of them.  Don’t focus on the don’ts. Do focus on what they should and could do.
  • Provide a variety of training to suit a variety of learning styles.
  • Make sure you “train the trainer” focusing on equipping the internal advocates to train their peers.
  • Include the training in all new hire training.
  • Exploit existing corporate training methods and channels.  Take advantage of every possible training opportunity.
• Pitching the Idea – how to introduce the idea and who should you tell?
  • Focus first on your executive sponsor and key players
  • Consider who are the influencers, the advocates, the bit players for the purposes of this initiative.
  • Explain how they tools/program address the pain points.
  • Be very open to the feedback.
• Common Objections:
  • “This stuff is not for business”
  • “Social collaboration is not work.”
  • “You expect us to pay our employees to socialize???”
  • “Great. One more tool to keep track of…”
  • “This is going to take way too much time to learn.”
  • “I don’t have anything to contribute.”
• Dealing with the Critics
  • Acknowledge the concerns and then explain how the tool can help.
  • Engage in friendly dialogue – hostility will not advance your case.
  • Don’t be dismissive – often the initial criticism reflects a lack of education.  Seize the opportunity to educate and convert them.
  • Remember that this is not for everyone.  Very few tools are used by everyone equally.  You need to match tools to needs.
  • It takes a long time to achieve material levels of adoption.  Sometimes as much as 3-5 years.
  • The Ideal Rollout
  • Consider doing a soft launch rather than a highly marketed one.  Keep it small and let it go viral.
  • Try pilots.  Tell people not to tell others.  They won’t be able to contain themselves!  Result — viral spread.
  • Word of Mouth is the most powerful way to market.
  • Equip your sponsors and sponsors so that they can advocate for you and your program.
  • Keep the content fresh — people make snap judgments based on what they see.
• What is Success?
  • How do you measure the impact and success?
  • Can they find what they need?
  • What are the levels of participation and feedback?
  • How do users feel about it?
  • Some Benefits to Suggest
  • Build institutional memory
  • Expertise location
  • Personal and professional growth
• This is an Iterative Process
  • You can’t just do it once and forget about it.
  • You have to keep repeating your message
• Exercise: Crafting an Elevator Pitch to Sell Your Program
  • Exercise:  Crafting an Elevator Pitch to Sell Your Program
  • Collect Anecdotes of success stories
  • Open with results
  • Focus on your audience’s “hot buttons”
  • Explain how the program will ACCELERATE corporate STRATEGY by tearing down silos, targeting innovation, tap in into  knowledge resources addressing out pain points.

• Presentations:  http://www.e2conf.com/boston/2010/presentations/workshop
  • User name: Workshop
  • Password: Boston
• Presentations also on Slideshare: http://slideshare.net/20adoption