Integrating Social Media into Everyone's Job - Even in Clinical Health Care

I recently watched the COO of a health care organization get excited when she suddenly "got it."  We were talking about how the company could use social media to help achieve its objectives.  We discussed market positioning, and brand awareness, and information sharing, and friends and family support groups.  The column titled "Clinical" on my brainstorming sheet, however, got little attention.  Until the COO took a second look at my preliminary ideas and suddenly saw how some social media channels and concepts could be used to improve direct patient care.

In that moment, the discussion shifted.  We were no longer talking about how to USE social media.  We were talking about how social media could change the core business model and operations.  Social media was being made part of everyone's job, even the clinicians'.

Health care organizations generally play only tentatively with social media.  They are concerned about privacy; many are big and bureaucratic; openness and transparency are rarely cultural identifiers (apologies and kudos to those small, agile, and culturally open health care groups).  But when social media is recognized as an enabler to improved outcomes and performance, the opportunities multiply.

Health care organizations can expand the engagement with patients, whether in a one-to-one  or one-to-many environment.  They can engage with the patient communities that already exist, help create new networks, and even enhance some therapies.  They can improve internal communication among staff, which ultimately aids patient outcome and operating performance.  The opportunities only exist, however, if all staff members - clinical and not - are responsible for integrating social media thinking and lifestyle into their jobs.

The COO of this health care organization was using the clover architecture approach to implementation (see http://bit.ly/r9oppb):

• She was leading by sharing her insights and asking everyone to think differently, and by identifying how she would use social media in her own job.
• A distributed governance structure was being implemented, with each staff person assuming responsibility; there would be a social media guru, but no central social media department.
• The cultural change that was beginning was enormous.  Each person, including clinicians, was being challenged to figure out how social media could help to drive better results.  Multi-directional and multi-stakeholder collaboration became key.
• The technology was kept user-friendly and simple.

By recognizing that the objective of social media is a lifestyle not initiatives (see http://bit.ly/rb0P2i), this health care organization is improving patient care and satisfaction.  Every department and person is invited to participate.

Internal Knowledge Sharing and ROI - It's Personal

Why would you give away your knowledge, not to a competitor, but to an internal colleague?  Team work is great, but in the end one person gets primary credit for the sale; one engineer is the lead developer; one customer service manager drives the highest customer satisfaction scores.  And that person gets the promotion, the biggest bonus, and the greatest ego boost. 

Yet organizations are adopting internal social networks with the hope of improving productivity and innovation through greater knowledge sharing.  Prescient Digital (www.prescientdigital.com) reported in their Intranet 2.0 Global Study 2010 that the main reasons that companies invest in intranet 2.0 tools are employee collaboration (76%) and knowledge management (71%).  Does knowledge sharing naturally follow?

Knowledge is far more than data; it includes the analysis and experiential wisdom that we bring to information.  Understanding when we need to share true knowledge and when we need to facilitate the transfer of information helps organizations build effective internal social media networks.  It is critical to driving the ROI of internal social media.

Knowledge versus Information Sharing

Two of the three factors that drive ROI for internal social media depend on knowledge sharing.  Only one factor is primarily data or information driven.  (see http://goo.gl/fb/pdpSI 3 Benefit Measures - The ROI of Internal Social Media Networks) Recognizing the distinction helps the change management process; employees can share at the level that benefits both themselves and the organization.  

v  Enhanced Employee Engagement depends on the give-and-take of knowledge sharing.  Numerous studies have linked higher levels of employee engagement to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, lower turnover and higher sales.  By facilitating greater sharing of both personal and professional knowledge, internal social media networks boost employee engagement.  Within about 3 weeks of launching its new social networking site, The Hub, SAS had almost 50% of its employees using the site and 425 groups established.  The Hub intentionally blurs the line between the professional and personal, creating stronger, more multi-faceted ties between employees and the company.  Becky Graebe, internal communications manager at SAS, describes the site as “kind of like a Facebook/LinkedIn behind the SAS firewall.” Sharing knowledge creates friendships and connections, across and up-and-down the organization, which drives employee engagement and positive ROI. (For more information, see http://www.ragan.com/InternalCommunications/Articles/SAS_internal_social_network_attracts_5000_users_in_42751.aspx)

v Better, faster innovation requires more structured knowledge sharing.  Success depends on governance structures that facilitate and reward cross-silo and cross-functional work - while continuing to recognize the primary sources of both inspiration and execution.  A key is bringing together individuals with complementary skills and reducing redundancy. Merely sharing data is insufficient for innovation; sharing must involve insight, analysis and creativity.  $21.8 billion pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly implemented an internal social networking solution to enable more efficient and cost-effective processes for new drug development.  R&D scientists and subject matter experts are now in touch throughout the product development process, across multiple divisions and around the globe.  Increased knowledge sharing has helped reduce costs and accelerate innovation.  Personal brands are enhanced not threatened.

v Streamlining operations depends on information sharing, not knowledge sharing.  Many tools enable employees to find data and experts more quickly, and allow executives to ensure that activities are focused on the key strategic initiatives.

Many internal social networks facilitate data sharing; doing the same things more efficiently yields a positive ROI.  Knowledge sharing multiplies the benefits that an organization receives.  Unlike data, however, knowledge is personal and reflects an individual’s value and builds his or her personal brand.  Internal social networks that enable true knowledge sharing must recognize the individual as well the organizational benefits.  The ROI of these networks rocket upward. 

Who Me? Social Media? I’m an Engineer!

It’s a cliché that a company is the sum total of the people who work there, and clichés are so often true!  Social media enables companies to give each person a voice, and to demonstrate the superiority of the company by showcasing the employees.  This approach also creates greater employee engagement. 

The Clover Architecture model of social media (http://socialmedia-insideout.blogspot.com/2011/04/clover-architecture-4-leaves-of.html ) is built on the 4 leaves of leadership, governance, culture, technology.  Inherent in each leaf is the idea that social media is integrated throughout your organization.  What does that mean?

v  Executives are actively involved with social media.  They blog (http://socialmedia-insideout.blogspot.com/2011/03/passionate-leadership.html); they deliver podcasts; they participate on internal and external social forums.

v  Central policies and processes define the guidelines, but social media activities are dispersed throughout your organization.  You might want to have a social media guru on-board, but s/he does not function as an approval log-jam.

v Collaboration, sharing, experimentation and transparency are part of the core culture.  The organization rewards process as well as outcome.  Individuals are incented to reach out to colleagues and customers.  Their individual voices and personal brands are valued as representatives of the organization.

v Technology platforms are easy-to-use. 

How do you actually implement these goals?

IBM helps employees to share their passions, their personal interests, and their professional and technical insights on personal IBM blogs.  (I love that “personal corporate blog” is no longer an oxymoron!)  As IBM notes:

 “…the opinions and interests expressed on IBMers' blogs are their own and don't necessarily represent this company's positions, strategies or views. But that doesn't mean we don't want you to read them! Because they do represent lots of business and technology expertise you can't get from anyone else.”

Then IBM lists the individuals’ blogs.  (Check out the blogs at http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/ )  The impact?  More engaged employees who are also professionally growing; more engaged customers who create personal contacts and recognize the depth of expertise in IBM employees – and in IBM.

As part of an effort to enhance customer experience, a high tech product company  with whom I worked decided to make their engineers more accessible.  At first, the engineers had mixed reaction – they aren’t social media wonks; they aren’t great communicators; they don’t have time!  On the other hand, they are passionate about their work and the products, and they love sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge.  We created discussion forums, and the key product engineers conducted live-chats at designated times.  The result exceeded the goals.  What happened?

v Engineers felt recognized and appreciated; they were virtually signing their names to their research and product designs and establishing their personal value.  They found that sharing their knowledge was fun.

v Engineers were re-energized; customers and other forum participants had interesting ideas and good questions.  Innovation began to expand beyond the limiting four walls of R&D; new ideas created more new ideas. 

v Customer service and customer satisfaction rose significantly; customers loved having access to the experts.  In addition, capturing the discussion threads and making the answers easily accessible drove down the number of calls to the customer service center.  The number of calls is the primary driver of cost, so customer service costs plummeted. 

Enabling employees to share internally and externally is a win-win.  What approaches have you found most effective?

Clover Architecture – the 4 Leaves of Extraordinary Social Media

Making social media an important and seamless element of an organization is like growing clover.  You get a lot of good efforts and almost-there’s, a lot of 3-leaf clovers. But 1 out of 10,000 times, you get a 4-leaf clover.  That’s when social media transforms an ordinary organization into one that truly stands out.

The four leaves of a clover traditionally symbolize hope, faith, love and luck.  The four leaves of the internal social media clover?  They represent:

§       Leadership (hope)

§       Governance (faith)

§       Culture (love)

§       Technology (luck J)

Each of these leaves is necessary for an organization to benefit as much as possible from social media.  Drop any one leaf, and the impact becomes ordinary.

Three veins keep each leaf healthy:

Leadership – Executives must be

v   involved

v   passionate, and

v   bought-in with strong ROI.

Governance – Strong social media implementation requires that silos tumble.  

v   Governance must be cross-functional

v   Expertise must be integrated across and within units, and

v   HR policies must take social media into account.

Culture – Key cultural characteristics of break-out social media organizations include

v   openness

v   trust, and

v   collaboration.

Technology – The final leaf of every 4-leaf clover is smaller than the other three, and for social media the fourth leaf is technology.  Technology is an important enabler, but without the leadership, governance, and culture, great technology is wasted.  Many platforms can be implemented that enable engagement and dialogue.  Keep them

v   simple

v   inexpensive, and

v   designed for social interaction, not for file sharing!

I have discussed each of the 4 leaves of social media in previous posts and will continue to delve into these internal issues.  (See, for example, http://goo.gl/fb/wthL8, http://goo.gl/fb/PBENn, http://goo.gl/fb/zUijJ)

What has been most instrumental in turning your organization into a social media model inside and out?

The 3 Stages to Becoming a Social Media Enabled Organization

When social media “works”, it changes how an organization is governed, how people work together, how employees approach their jobs.  How do organizations achieve the necessary change?  How do they evolve? 

Most organizations already have functioning, and often successful, business models when they begin to consider social media.  Employees have roles and responsibilities that are defined and on which they are measured.  How do “old-line” companies shift their operating style?  Creating the new environment takes time and intent.

I have found that most organizations go through 3 stages of transition, evolving from their established cultures and structures to more open, engaged, “social media” organizations over time.  Companies start with limited experiments (like single seeds in pots), expand to larger and more formalized efforts (plots with rows and cultivation plans) to engaging a whole plantation (end-to-end enterprise changes).

·        Pots – This is the first stage, when organizations test and learn, experimenting with diverse and separate initiatives.  Everything is contained in a separate pot.  Investment requirements are low.  The focus is on distinct activities – a Facebook page, a live chat on-line support function, a blog…  What seems to fit best with the organization?  What drives results? 

·        Plots – At this stage, the new activities that individually fit best begin to be accepted, and management begins to include them in broader planning.  Formalized structures and processes, along with increased investment, begin to take hold.  Culture change becomes more deliberate through new hires, employee training, and shifts in roles and responsibilities. Performance measurement begins to include “social media” factors such as buzz and the impact of ambassadors. 

·        Plantations –Social media activities and thinking are integrated into the core business and aligned with the strategy; the organization has reinvented itself without losing the essentials of its business.  Social and digital media are no longer distinct from the overall strategy.  The entire plantation has evolved to a new way of operating.

Companies can and do change.   Test and Learn.  Formalize and Change.  Integrate and Reinvent.

Connecting Touchpoints Internally - A Cisco Case Study

Jeremy Epstein in his blog NeverStopMarketing talks a lot about being remarkable at every customer touchpoint (http://jer979.com/igniting-the-revolution/touchpointsmatter/#).  As usual, he makes a lot of sense.

For many organizations, though, each customer touchpoint sits in an organizationally siloed unit.  Presale and post-sale activities, innovation and product development, billing, and customer service often don’t work together.  So not just being remarkable, but being consistently remarkable is a challenge.

One company that is tackling the internal aspect (as well as the external) is Cisco.  As one Cisco executive told me, providing a better customer experience is a key focus, and doing that requires connecting the right points internally.  In addition to its process oriented organization, Cisco is addressing the internal connections from at least 3 perspectives:

·        Connecting people

·        Integrating governance

·        Building the culture

People connections happen over a multitude of networks.  An internal directory similar to Facebook lets employees find the right expert quickly, whether they have a question about their own work or are dealing with a customer.  The directory also promotes a lot of socializing among employees, and people like to work among friends.  C-Vision, an internal YouTube type site, creates a lot of vibrant collaboration.  Blogs abound, allowing people to identify others’ expertise and passions.  Cisco also actively helps employees identify and use tools, providing everything from an internal website that discusses the many ways of interacting to instructions on how to blog.

Just the word Governance often brings to mind bureaucracy and barriers.  Good governance, however, enables and brings groups together.  The changes that Cisco has been making to its governance helps managers get past silo empire building.  The Board and Tech Council are truly cross-functional, and as one manager told me, “we make decisions now at the right point in the hierarchy chain.”  That point is generally at the director or senior director level, a step above the line manager, but people who still have the day-to-day pulse of the business.

Governance and tools to connect people work only when the culture actively supports a social organization.  The technical foundation of Cisco’s business helps, but Cisco was not born into today’s socially networked world.  So continuing to keep the culture fresh and evolving is a conscious and critical endeavor.  From brown bag lunches to mining and sharing best practices, managers work to build a high functioning, engaged, open organization.  The use of social networks starts at the top.  Video conferencing, wikis and podcasts are common management tools.   And executives encourage people to blog and contribute to forums.  As one manager pointed out, “just lurking on a forum can be equally productive and important to being on the phone.” 

As a company, Cisco benefits from social media since many collaboration technologies drive sales of their products.  So the fact that Cisco uses social networks internally makes sense.

But when I talk with Cisco managers, I come away feeling that they truly embrace social networking – it’s not just a driver of revenue, it’s the way the company operates.  Their enthusiasm and openness and constant internal innovation is exciting.   

Check out some of these other studies and sites about Cisco:

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac49/ac55/DeLong-CiscoCollaborativeCultureCase3-09.pdf

http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategy/b2b-social-media-cisco-case-study/

http://vimeo.com/5387719