Enterprise Social Networks – what’s the big deal?

Enterprise Social Networks have been around for a while now, and have been hailed as the new way forward in increasing engagement, communication and collaboration across businesses. But can they truly deliver on these lofty promises?

Platforms like Yammer essentially work in a similar way to Facebook – although they are restricted to your staff’s eyes only. They have the potential to radically change the way your internal communications operates:

Your people tell the stories

Rather than relying on your internal comms staff to amplify every news story, your people can publish news in real time. Every staff member is empowered to create their own content, and your internal comms staff are able to pick up the stories which may be relevant to amplify on other platforms.

Feedback is encouraged and instantaneous

The very nature of social media is that people can like, comment, and share in a very easy way. An ESN provides a platform for feedback that is easy and informal – and as getting feedback from people can be a challenge, any platform that offers more feedback is a plus.

Communities are created

You can create groups in much the same way as groups are created on Facebook, so you are able to create vibrant online communities across country, region, or function, as well as globally.

 As our workforce are increasingly digital native it’s likely that your people are already using social media and so introducing them to an ESN is really like introducing a duck to water. They’re already great at it… but there’s a catch (or two).

You have to be ready as a business.

The very nature of an ESN is democratic. Everyone has an equal voice. You must be ready for this kind of communication and loosening of the reigns of your comms. If this kind of feedback, two-way communication, and empowerment of your people to create their own content isn’t a part of your company culture, think again about deploying an ESN.

Your managers MUST use it.

Your managers are the leaders of the organization, and as such set the tone for how, and if, an ESN will be used. If your leaders don’t use it, your people will think that it’s not worthy of their time and it will just sit there, doing nothing. Bringing your leaders on board, educating them on how to use it and the benefits, is key to its success.