Enterprise social networks and a millennial workforce
This has probably been said before, and said better - but I'll still go ahead and post my thoughts on why business leaders should factor the needs of their next generation of employees when deliberating on whether to adopt Enterprise social software within their organizations.
"The Millennial child would rather lose their car than lose their phone/computer" -- says research. Find that, and more snippets on this 'over-sharing', 'tech-addicted', 'smartphone-obsessed' generation here. You might think that such usage of technology is a 'distraction' or 'time-waster' - well, hold that thought. While 'facebooking' is a leisure activity for many of us, it is a way of life for this next generation. This is how they consume information, and interact with the world around them. But there is something more to this -- For a millennial, the identity they create for themselves on social media defines how they view themselves, and wished to be viewed by others. They value their digital reputation and identity as much, if not more, than their real world selves.
So, the real reason why you don't tell a college hire to collaborate with their peers on email and shared drives - is not because they are not exposed to email, and email is 'so 1990'. Email is still (by far) the easiest communication tool ever - and learning to use it is not rocket science. The reason why a work environment exclusively defined by traditional tools will be frowned upon, is that it takes away from the user, a vital medium of self-expression, and this is something that a social platform offers right away. With an enterprise social platform, you could be 'Luke, the curator' or 'Pavithra, the problem-solver'.
I am not saying that millennials will place an exaggerated importance on the points and gamification elements of a social platform. It is more likely that they will not. But they will love the opportunity to brand themselves, as well get to know their peers better, through their social digital interactions. This in turn, will build great employee networks and enable free flow of information across organizational silos, and improve collaboration.
And this is why business leaders should care about implementing a social collaboration platform within the enterprise.
Global Risk and Compliance Professional | ex-Chief Analytics Officer and Data Leader
10 年Completely agree! Up ahead, tech from the consumer world will increasingly find a place in the employee (enterprise) world.
H&R Block | Zerodha | VIT
10 年That's a good thought! Generally the positives of Social Media are overlooked. I personally feel that social networking within a single entrprise is essential, to get to know the co-workers, atleast.
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
10 年Good one Sudha! This topic does need as much attention as it can get. Most organizations are able to keep their clients satisfied but are unable to do so when it comes to their employees as there is a significant underestimation of the needs and preferences of the 'millennial workforce'.