What's Missing from the 2010 Social Software Predictions

Recently the Gartner Group released its key predictions on the use of social software and collaboration technology in the enterprise, details can be found here - 'Five Social Software Predictions for 2010 and Beyond.'

Among the five predictions the most interesting and provocative to me are two: Flickr - bitterjug

One - By 2014, social networking services will replace e-mail as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications for 20 percent of business users.

This may not seem like too bold a prediction, but even if only 20% of business users do migrate to social networking as the primary interpersonal communication tool that represents a massive shift in the primary means of electronic communication.  E-mail has been so dominant for so long, to see its primacy usurped even to this level is truly a bold prediction.  What is also likely is e-mail clients and services attempting to get more 'social', (G-mail to introduce status update streams), and social networks to get more classic e-mail features (Facebook to emphasize messaging). 

But still, for most business users, life without e-mail being the primary communication tool still seems a long way off.

Two - Through 2012, over 70 percent of IT-dominated social media initiatives will fail.

We have seen this prediction and finding again and again. When technology projects are dominated by IT, or seen by the business users as being 'IT initiatives', the likelihood of success diminishes. Gartner ascribes this to what they term as the traditional IT approach that has been limited to simply providing a technical solution or platform, as opposed to delivering a 'business' solution that meets the organization's needs. Social software solutions are many, the technologies vary widely, the capability and potential of a given tool really does need to be matched to a complex environment of organization structure, preferred methods of working, personal relationships, etc.  Simply 'providing' a technology (like IT does with e-mail, file storage, telephony, etc.) will not be a successful social software strategy for most organizations.

What's Missing

These predictions are drawn from a larger Gartner report titled: Predicts 2010: Social Software Is an Enterprise Reality, issued in December 2009.  This report reviews and expands upon the five predictions that were released more widely last week and runs about 10 pages long.  Rather than try and add to, or modify any of the individual five predictions in the report, (because really, if I issued my own predictions for 2014 here would anyone hold me to them?  For the record two words: Flying Cars), I want to focus on what the overall report and recommendations completely ignore.

What's missing in the short 'public' version, and in the longer source report is this: a single mention of Human Resources, Talent Management, or any indication that the people in the organization that are meant to be most attuned, and ideally responsible for understanding and promoting the kinds of behaviors, culture, and collaborations needed to truly make these social software projects successful in the enterprise.  No recommendations that HR has the expertise and the organizational imperative to make social software and collaboration an enterprise reality.  Not even a nod that IT should 'partner' with HR to develop strategy and plan for social software implementations.  Gartner does advise that IT partner with 'the business' in these efforts, but does anyone believe by 'the business' they are referring to HR?

To me, the point is not so much what these predictions specifically say, or how accurate they may or may not be.  The importance is that for organizations new to these concepts and technologies, ones that require a far deeper understanding of how the organization works (or needs to work) to be successful, that HR and the 'Talent' function might simply be ignored, or only consulted if a 'policy' needs to be crafted.

This is just one report, and perhaps I am over reacting a bit, but I do believe strongly that the introduction, application, and successful leveraging of social software in the enterprise is one of the most significant business opportunities for HR and Talent Management in the next 5 years.  It would be a shame for HR, and for the organization, to sit on the sidelines and watch IT wrestle with the problem.

Trulondon Track Preview - The Endangered Species List

Next week I have the great pleasure of heading over to trulondon, the dynamic Bill Boorman's true 'global mashup' that will bring together Human Resources, Recruiting, and Technology pros for two days of discussions, explorations, and certainly a bit of fun.

The event, as is becoming more and more popular, is framed as an 'Unconference', meaning no formal presentations, no Powerpoint slides, and with discussion topics finding their own way to the forefront.  Good ideas and concepts get promoted, while others that are not so interesting or compelling simply Flickr - katmeredrift off.

This week I want to highlight the sessions I have the honor of co-facilitating, as a way of providing and introduction of sorts to the session, and perhaps as a way for the co-facilitators and attendees to tell me I am way off track (or perhaps not).

First up a track called 'Endangered Species' with track Leaders: Peter Gold, Jon Ingham, Steve Boese

Track Description:

From H.R. to recruiters, we seem to hear of the imminent passing of all the trades we recognise are facing extinction from a changing world. Who is next to start pushing up the daisies? This track promises to be lively and global looking at who is on the endangered species list, why and what they need to do in the future to ensure a brighter future.

It is very easy and provocative at times to declare some traditional concept, or field of endeavor 'dead' and those that continue to cling to those old customs, behaviors, attitudes etc. as a kind of dinosaur of sorts.  In 2009, on several blogs and on a really lively edition of the HR Happy Hour show itself we even talked about all of HR being dead.

Certainly business strategies, management philosophies, and approaches to managing and engaging candidates and employees have to evolve over time.  The words is changing faster than ever (although we were saying the same thing back in the 70's and 80's), and organizations and professionals that foolishly cling to increasingly antiquated strategies and behaviors will certainly be at a competitive disadvantage in the 'new' world.

But the trick of course is deciphering which tried and true practices are truly enduring, and while perhaps needing a few tweaks here and there are still relevant and important today, and dropping the practices and ideas that are really the talent management equivalent of the dinosaurs. 

Not so easy to do I think, because unlike that massive meteorite that smashed into the Earth and wiped out all the dinosaurs (I am not sure that is really how it happened, but just go with for the argument), the changes in business and the game of Talent Management and Talent Acquisition are more subtle, more complex, and certainly not universally accepted as important and/or necessary for success. 

But since I am a track co-facilitator I figured I better have some suggestions for the endangered species list and rather than wait until trulondon to find out that I am way off base, I'll list a few of the ideas here to see if you think I am on the right track:

Endangered Species #1 - The 'Not Invented Here' attitude

How many R&D staff does your organization employ?  How many marketers, IT, or HR pros? No matter how many, they represent a tiny fraction of all the available talent in those fields.  Leveraging all possible resources for product development, engineering, and research is a concept that has begun to take hold in many large organizations (see what P&G Corporation is doing for example). But I think that HR, Recruiting, and Talent Management has been lacking a bit in this area.  When times are tight, we see stories of training and development cuts, reduction in professional conference attendance, and even at times a reactionary 'circle the wagons' attitude.  I would think that the longer and more stridently organizations continue to only look inwards, and cling to the 'not invented here' approach, that in some ways they will be sealing their fates as marginal players in the future.

Endangered Species #2 - The Company Man

Unless the title after your name reads 'CEO' or 'Owner', there is a high probability that the job your are in, and the company you work for will not be your last.  Downsizing, bankruptcies, and a relentless push by organizations to wring increased cost savings (often via outsourcing or use of temporary workers) all conspire to make the traditional long tenures many professionals used to enjoy more and more unlikely.

I know, this is not exactly breakthrough analysis. But while most individuals have come (hopefully) to this realization, I am not sure most organizations have.  Nor have they adequately prepared for the effects on the morale, engagement, and capability of the staff that remain after any downsizing or outsourcing.  Finally, I don't think many have really thought how they might strategically leverage those ex-employees in the future.

Endangered Species #3 - The Specialist (aka the 'That's Not My Job' guy)

Much like the likely career trajectory or story that most employees will undergo will likely be more fluid and dynamic, so too are the skills and capabilities that people will need to see continued success.  Unless you manage to hit on the one great idea that you can leverage for years and years, you almost certainly will need to work harder, smarter, and yes maybe even longer to stay on top of your field. Even in the interview process, smart employers are going to want to know what you do to make yourself better, and in an environment of 10% unemployment in the US, the chances are high that the organization can find someone else who won't play the 'That's not my job' card.

So what do you think?  What else is on the endangered species list? 

Besides long-winded bloggers (how did this post end up at almost 1,000 words anyway?).

The HR 101 E-Book

Over at the Creative Chaos Consultant blog, the King of NYC, Victorio Milian has organized a great series of posts called the 'HR 101' series.

These posts cover a wide range of business topics that HR professionals (and students) really need to become more familiar with and to develop a stronger understanding of to strengthen their skills, and to continue to make more significant impact in their organizations. 

The series covers topics like Law, Finance, and Technology among others, and has been a collective project (led by Victorio) to provide a forum for various subject matter experts to share their knowledge.

And better still, Victorio has assembled all the 'HR 101' contributions into a handy E-book that can be viewed and downloaded from his site.

The E-book can be found here - 'The HR 101 E-Book'.

I encourage you to check out the E-book and to share and distribute.

Thanks Victorio for allowing me to participate in the project, and for all your hard work creating such a valuable resource.

Possibly the coolest job ever

Last week on the HR Happy Hour show, our guest Grant McCracken author of Chief Culture Officer shared his thoughts about why corporations need to have mechanisms to better understand external culture, methods to leverage that understanding to make better strategic decisions, and to position themselves to anticipate where culture and markets are leading, instead of having to react always to changing consumer tastes and trends.

Grant's idea, and the thrust of his book, advocates for the creation of the Chief Culture Officer for the corporation. This is a C-suite level executive responsible for keeping the corporation attuned to external cultural trends, finding ways to assimilate this cultural awareness into business strategy, and allow the corporation to 'see' important changes in consumers and their markets before they occur.

Sounds like a hard job.

Since the audience for the show is almost completely Human Resources and Recruiting professionals, I asked Grant what were some of the essential attributes to look for in someone that might make an effective Chief Culture Office (CCO), as a way for HR and Recruiting folks to get a better understanding of what they would be looking for. 

Deep and Wide Knowledge - Unlike the CFO, who has to know a lot about a little, or the CMO that knows a little about a lot, the CCO must know a lot about a lot.  Pop culture, music, TV, movies, home design, fashion, technology, economics, etc.  are just a handful of the fields of study that the CCO must assess. And critical as well is understanding and appreciating the difference between 'fast' culture, (music, TV, movies, etc.) and 'slow' culture like the ideas around how people deisgn their homes, and how they interact with objects and space.

Interested in Everything - How can the CCO possibly keep abreast of all these influences on culture?  They have to possess a natural curiosity about culture, in all its different forms.  They have to be interested in everything.  They have to feel comfortable in museums, movie theaters, seminars, and city streets. People that possess a wide range of work experiences across industries and geographies often possess this trait.

Humility - The CCO is not the 'coolest' or 'hippest' person in the room.  They are not someone that claims to have all the answers, or have it all figured out. More importantly, they do not attempt to look down on the market or the consumers.  Many important components of culture, ones that likely influence the market for your organization's products and services are decidedly not 'cool'. The CCO can't be the person that looks down on Nascar fans or gardeners.  They can't feel superior to soccer moms.

Instincts of an Entrepreneur - The CCO has to think like an entrepreneur.  That means assessing and evaluating cultural trends and finding ways to leverage them into opportunity and actionable strategy (and measurable outcomes) for the organization. This can even be from inside the organization, Grant told the story of one CCO that leveraged several internal cost centers and turned them into profit centers aided by the application of cultural knowledge.  The key point is that the CCO is not a 'soft' position, rather the CCO has to deliver results to the corporation.

The discussion on the show of these important attributes for someone likely to succeed in the CCO position led me to think that for the most part they are pretty similar to the qualities you want in a Chief Human Resources Officer.

The CHRO has to find and attract the best talent (consumers all, in this case of the opportunity the corporation offers), develop and implement strategies to leverage this talent and their abilities, understand and empathize with the workforce, and finally demonstrate a deep understanding of the business and how through the organization's talent strategies the financial goals of the enterprise can best be reached. Seeing beyond 'traditional' HR may be an incredibly important attribute for future HR leaders in a rapidly changing world.

And maybe, just maybe the roles are similar enough that the road to the CHRO office could also be paved with monitoring MTV, movies, fashion, and the Pro Bowler's Tour?

One can hope.

You're Great. Now What?

Yesterday at the Fistful of Talent, the FOT crew announced their latest Talent Management blog power rankings.

And in a shock that has to rival Villanova beating Georgetown for the NCAA title in 1985, or the Jets surprising the Colts in Super Bowl III, my blog, this little HR Technology blog, came out at number one on the rankings.

I don't believe it either.  From unranked to number one. Calls for a recount are clearly warranted.

I am still waiting for Tim Sackett or Kris Dunn to announce the mistake and tell me that I have just been punked.

Seriously, many thanks to Kris, Jessica Lee and everyone at the Fistful of Talent for the recognition, I am truly appreciative and humbled.

It is great to get positive feedback, whether it is for the blog, the HR Happy Hour show, or for a sweet smoked brisket.  But to me the real key is how you respond, what you do next.

After the USA hockey team shocked the world in the 1980 Olympic games by defeating the mighty and seemingly invincible Russian team the truth is they had not really accomplished much of anything. They had to come back in the next game and defeat Finland in order to win the gold medal and secure their place in sports history.

Had they lost the final game to Finland, we would still remember them, but not quite the same way, not with reverence and not as the legendary team they became.

So here is the lesson:  if someone says you're great, whether it's your boss, your colleagues, or friends, accept their compliments (even if, as is the case with my FOT ranking, secretly thinking they are crazy), be humble, and then figure out how you are going to be better tomorrow.

Rankings, accolades, etc. are all temporary.  But consistent, deliberate good work endures.

For me, I will try to live up to the high praise from the FOT team, and keep doing good work here and on the show.

Thanks to FOT and to everyone that stops by the blog.