Discourse as corporate culture – how Enterprise 2.0 is revolutionizing companies

The success of Facebook and Twitter heralded a change in communication. Social media creates a closeness that classic marketing has lacked in the past: exchange on an equal footing. The customer expects a personal benefit from the new communication culture instead of mere brand messages. Responsiveness and information transparency must be guaranteed within the company. Enterprise 2.0 does both – solely through the consistent implementation of the social media premises.

Most companies are now recognizing the potential for more direct and contemporary external communication with their customers in the embedding of social media strategies. According to the “Global Social Media Check-up 2011” by the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller, 77% of large companies use Twitter, 61% present themselves on Facebook and 57% use YouTube. The number of company blogs, on the other hand, is only 36%. The promise of greater reach and sales lies in the broad impact of the social channels. Provided the company aligns its communication with the new marketplaces. The points of contact between brand and customer have multiplied, but the way in which the customer wants to be contacted by the brand is now much more differentiated: It is becoming more personal, more responsive and invites dialogue and interaction. How such so-called “touchpoints”, i.e. the contact options with customers, can be transformed into successful customer contacts via recognized behavioral patterns and semantic filters is currently a concern of the entire international marketing, market research and agency landscape. The topic will change these three communication disciplines like no technical development since. Because in a world in which everyone is networked with everyone else, the expectations of an individual approach also increase – whether in a real or virtual parallel world, as an instant reaction – in real time and as a service-oriented service on the spot. can be transformed into successful customer contacts via recognized behavior patterns and semantic filters, is currently occupying the entire international marketing, market research and agency landscape. The topic will change these three communication disciplines like no technical development since. Because in a world in which everyone is networked with everyone else, the expectations of an individual approach also increase – whether in a real or virtual parallel world, as an instant reaction – in real time and as a service-oriented service on the spot. can be transformed into successful customer contacts via recognized behavior patterns and semantic filters, is currently occupying the entire international marketing, market research and agency landscape. The topic will change these three communication disciplines like no technical development since. Because in a world in which everyone is networked with everyone, the expectations of an individual approach also increase – whether in a real or virtual parallel world, as an instant reaction – in real time and as a service-oriented service on the spot. The topic will change these three communication disciplines like no technical development since. Because in a world in which everyone is networked with everyone, the expectations of an individual approach also increase – whether in a real or virtual parallel world, as an instant reaction – in real time and as a service-oriented service on the spot. The topic will change these three communication disciplines like no technical development since. Because in a world in which everyone is networked with everyone, the expectations of an individual approach also increase – whether in a real or virtual parallel world, as an instant reaction – in real time and as a service-oriented service on the spot.

Anyone who wants to maintain contact between brand and customer will need one thing above all else in the future: a direct connection to the social platform of their target group and intelligent data management. But effective external communication only works with a stringent internal information structure. That means: Anyone who takes the new customer dialogue to heart must start from the inside – or from the very top. And for most companies that means: from scratch.

Because efficient communication principles of the network economy neither run from top to bottom along an organizational chart, nor can they be strictly separated inside or outside the organization. The information channels are network-like and diffuse through the entire organism.

Focus on new information channels

The idea of ​​Enterprise 2.0, which aligns its external as well as internal communication according to social media principles, inevitably means a complete restructuring. If you leave it to the departments to use the communication according to their own needs, it does not bundle the power of the entire network, but in its monofunctional orientation even damages the overall view of the company.

“ » In contrast to e-mail communication, enterprise microblogging is transparent for all employees, documented in a central location and can be searched at any time. « ”

Thomas Voigt, Director Economic Policy and Communication of the Otto Group, is currently accompanying the internal restructuring to Enterprise 2.0, to which 50,000 employees are to be connected. In an interview with the specialist newspaper Horizont, he warns against leaving social media measures to individual areas: “If you leave it to marketing alone, it becomes a campaign. If you leave it to the service department alone, there is a great tendency towards a general sales offensive. For their part, corporate communicators alone are too far away from customers. So we are forced to view social media as a collective effort and to act that way. Strategically, however, the threads come together with the board of directors. ”(Voigt, quoted in: Schütz / Kolbrück 2010 , p. 29)

Internal communication – often irrelevant

How rudimentary and impersonal communication has been in the company up to now, Trendbüro was not only able to determine from numerous of its customer contacts. It can already be shown how the term “internal communication” is partially interpreted: The company management and the communication department inform the employees about the desired internal and external view. Although there are now countless formats – from e-mail distribution to the intranet, the employee magazine to events or workshops – information is often understood here as a measure in the monologue. This means: access is linked to hierarchies and comments may usually only be made from established positions. The culture of dialogue that communications departments and press officers are currently having to relearn from the outside world, Most corporations are still completely lacking an internal basis. It is therefore doubtful whether, under such conditions, it is possible to react quickly and flexibly enough internally to meet the social media responsiveness to the outside world.

Facebook as a model for the intranet

So what should the new internal structure look like based on social media principles? The aim would be a dynamic distribution of knowledge in which the competencies can be assigned transparently to individual employees. This creates incentives for sharing know-how and responsibly integrates employees. If possible, they should also be able to communicate freely with each other across hierarchical and national boundaries. This applies within and outside of project groups in order to exchange experiences, enable interdisciplinarity and avoid duplication of work. The direct networking, which becomes even closer and livelier because the content reflects one’s own interests, would put the internal level of knowledge in the same dynamic as the content on Twitter finds its “followers” ​​and contributors. Projects and content would be constantly improved through suggestions, because those who submit their ideas remain recognizable as senders. As with Facebook, changes in the course of the project are documented in an activity stream. This makes flexible lateral entrances or locally independent cooperation easily possible. The structural dissolution of the information silos in heads and departments does not lead to chaos, but is caught by a network of involved talents who act in a thematically focused network and identify with their environment again. The Fraunhofer Institute for Work Organization (Ganz / Graf As with Facebook, changes in the course of the project are documented in an activity stream. This makes flexible lateral entrances or locally independent cooperation easily possible. The structural dissolution of the information silos in heads and departments does not lead to chaos, but is caught by a network of involved talents who act in a thematically focused network and identify with their environment again. The Fraunhofer Institute for Work Organization (Ganz / Graf As with Facebook, changes in the course of the project are documented in an activity stream. This makes flexible lateral entrances or locally independent cooperation easily possible. The structural dissolution of the information silos in heads and departments does not lead to chaos, but is caught by a network of involved talents who act in a thematically focused network and identify with their environment again. The Fraunhofer Institute for Work Organization (Ganz / Graf2009 ) speaks of an inevitable change in corporate culture through self-organization.

Implementation via microblogging

The company Trendbüro, a strategic consultancy for social change, and the parent company Avantgarde, a leading agency for brand and live communication, have co-developed a lively intranet à la Facebook that is geared towards their needs: 300 employees communicate with worldwide 13 locations via microblogging. Every suggestion, project information or (non-exclusive) presentation ends up on the internal intranet, which is like a mixture of Facebook and Twitter (see Figure 1 ).

The theoretical basis for the new communication structure is the “Flow.Control” strategy – a trend presented by Trendbüro founder Peter Wippermann during the 2010 Trend Day. As a result, the greatest challenge currently lies in filtering data streams according to the relevant content in order to e.g. B. to enable personalized offers. Trendbüro has now transferred Flow.Control to knowledge management in the world of work by using the communication system that is common in social networks. Communardo Software is responsible for the software basis of the microblogging system, whereby Avantgarde and Trendbüro have co-developed an upgrade to the current system with structural functions and more intuitive usability. Thus, an open communication system was created together,

The microblogging system is replacing the inertia of databases and the risk of exclusion from e-mail communication in a new way:

• ▪ Overcoming barriers: An intranet à la Facebook removes hierarchical barriers, democratizes communication and the exchange of knowledge. Anyone who is authorized can actively participate in or follow the communication.
• ▪ Identification with the company: The collective collection of knowledge with the participation of everyone and the linking of information with projects puts the utility value in the foreground. Working together on the matter creates team spirit.
• ▪ Appreciation of the information provider: In microblogging, those who share information rather than hoard it wins. The clearly identifiable sender ensures that the users are valued for their contributions.
• ▪ Motivation and knowledge optimization: The simple handling, the possibility of open comments or additions as well as the targeted and quick retrieval through keywording motivates employees to share information. This strengthens the knowledge base beyond teams, departments and locations.
• ▪ Workflow support: By networking people in communication, projects and relationships in the company become visible and information flows better. In contrast to e-mail communication, enterprise microblogging is transparent for all (activated) employees, documented in a central location and can be searched at any time. Employees working together on a project can thus constantly get an overview of the current project status and trace back all content.
• ▪ Involvement of external people: Sales representatives, freelancers and even customers can also be specifically integrated into daily communication. Both parties, external as well as internal, benefit from this. Because if external parties are also connected and can post their information on the intranet, they feel integrated and enter more information into the system. Thus, a larger community of employees can benefit from the knowledge of external parties.
• ▪ Promotion of creativity and innovation: Good ideas rarely cross the threshold of a traditionally organized company suggestion system. On the other hand, they are quickly posted and discovered in the microblog. If the idea arouses interest, it can be promoted and developed dynamically. The Twitter intranet promotes creativity and innovation management.
• ▪ Security: Internal microblogging means: You set up a protected area that you can only enter with a password and in which you can only distribute information to authorized persons and members of the company community. The uncertainties that exist when sending e-mails, for example, do not exist here, because information cannot be passed on endlessly as with e-mail communication.
• ▪ Permanent source of knowledge for customers: Agencies such as Trendbüro and Avantgarde, which provide their customers with advanced knowledge, also see the new system as an opportunity to give their customers exclusive access to the knowledge pool. Customers can also use this access to view, search and collect a maximum of current information for their own research purposes, either project-related or temporally.

The “democratization” of communication

So far, corporate heads have prescribed change as a measure and, thanks to their information advantage, have been able to direct and control the process. Power was closely related to control over information. They even knew how to use the media for themselves. Those who gain power through control will reject models with a loss of control. And so these decision-makers know the least about the changes that will fundamentally change corporate communication.

In addition to the loss of control, there are three other reasons that decision-makers block:

1. 1.They don’t take the implications for their business seriously because the way they communicate comes from private user behavior. Therefore, they approve of social media alone as having the potential for external communication.
2. 2.They underestimate the effectiveness of the users because they see them as lone warriors and until now believed they were influencing their consumers through advertising or the like.
3. 3.They consider social media to be a kind of teenage hype that will subside when users realize the importance of data protection, privacy and “true friends”.

But how effective social media can be has recently been recognized by world politics from Tunisia to Bahrain. The goals of democracy, equal opportunities and respect for the dignity of the individual can hardly be pursued and disseminated more effectively using any other communication strategy than via social media platforms. Their success lies in the principle of networking via content as well as in equal dialogue and the transparent exchange of information. The corporate management, for whom total control is part of the house rules, is also threatened by surprises.

Social intelligence is becoming a success factor

The aim of the internal and external measures is an exchange on an equal footing. Outwardly to the customer, who for years was dismissed as a manipulable consumer, and inwardly to and among employees, who are no longer seen as receiving orders, but are given their own identity in the company. It can be important what the individual has to say. When in doubt, the complainer is the more committed and emotionally involved in corporate skill compared to those who reduce themselves to working according to regulations. If the top of the hierarchy does not open up and respond to discussions, feed back ideas, initiate ideation rankings within employees and personally recognize good approaches, the company will gamble away its Enterprise 2.0 opportunity:

If the will to change is noticeable and if goals and values ​​have been agreed upon, internal communication becomes independent in a miraculous way: the employees themselves finish the ideas, take on the tasks and discuss the best solution with one another. The process is transparent, the discussion is focused on the matter, the sender is present, and departmental boundaries are overcome. It is clear to whom the recognition is due: Employees – no matter how old and no matter where – can position themselves professionally. Corporate communication agrees goals and values ​​with the board of directors. She gives the discussion about how to get there in the employee discourse, which she moderates between the idea generators. The employees will want to pursue their ideas further and thus show a higher involvement in the implementation. It is simple psychological causalities that ultimately lead to more identification and initiative. An intranet à la social media awakens a culture of participation and interaction. Social networking has a different status than supervisor regulations. Pulling together as an entrepreneur and passing on knowledge quickly and in a targeted manner within the company is crucial for the future. “Social intelligence” is becoming a success factor. is crucial for the future. “Social intelligence” is becoming a success factor. is crucial for the future. “Social intelligence” is becoming a success factor.

Young talents live change

The new rules of the game of communication not only correspond to the global networking that is practiced. They also correspond to the behavior of the “digital natives”, who are welcomed with open arms by the corporations under the sign of the shortage of skilled workers – and are usually frustrated after a few weeks because they feel restricted and controlled in the rigid structures. For example, when they had to hand in their mobile phones at the entrance of the automotive company so as not to be suspected of industrial espionage or, as employees in trend and market research, had to recognize that the firewall did not allow them access to social media platforms. Such suspicion makes it difficult to identify with the company. But the meaningfulness of the work that has to be done is not easily accessible to networked talents. If, for example, market research does not have access to the platforms on which consumers exchange information, one wonders how artificially complicated one should recreate the consumer perspective. Every halfway lively agency is now researching the acceptance of brands and products online using social media monitoring. New players have long been forming on the market who use data streams and semantic analyzes to create behavioral patterns and personality profiles of the target groups in real time. In-house market research with sinus milieus and “representative” questionnaires questions itself. It’s not surprising to hear that 37% of digital natives want the latest technology in the workplace, 45% use social media platforms during working hours and 66% ignore the IT security rules. The consultancy firm Accenture published these results in 2009 in the study “Millennials at the gates – what the Internet generation wants from IT”. This group is already living the change, the consequences of which their superiors have mostly not yet understood. From above, the fear of losing control usually hampers delicate experimental plants. The Burson-Marsteller Study ( From above, the fear of losing control usually hampers delicate experimental plants. The Burson-Marsteller Study ( From above, the fear of losing control usually hampers delicate experimental plants. The Burson-Marsteller Study (2011 ) of the 100 largest companies in the world, 26% still do not allow their Facebook fans to post on the company’s own wall. In Europe, 41% of companies have closed pin boards (ibid.). Such half-heartedness does not understand internally either the young talents or externally the community that needs to be inspired.

With new forms of communication for the new corporate culture

If companies want to be attractive to young talent, they will have to get used to this new form of communication sooner or later. Not only because they have to make greater efforts to attract potential talent in times of a shortage of skilled workers. But simply because, since Web 2.0, network structures have forbidden communicative one-way streets and require other forms of motivation: prohibitions from outside must be

• ▪ through guidelines on the code of conduct,
• ▪ inner commitment and
• ▪ replace a high degree of self-discipline.

It is not the house rules or clauses in the contract, but the rules of fairness that make you aware of the scope of your actions and your own area of ​​responsibility. Knowledge needs to be shared and problems should be tackled together. Important decisions should be moderated as collective processes instead of dictated from above. In Web 2.0, the status in the community is not defined by the given position, but the degree of personal participation. “Young employees are socialized through social communities,” says Thomas Voigt, Director of Economic Policy and Communication at Otto, describing the new talents: “Those who achieve the highest degree of efficiency have to be ‘let’ do ‘or motivated” to get the ball rolling to bring (quoted in Schütz / Kolbrück 2010 ).

Work and leisure are fluidly intertwined

New structures and new skilled workers demand more freedom. On the employee side, more freedom means more flexible and self-influenceable time management. For the work organization this means again a loss of control, because it is no longer the office hours in the sense of presence, but the working hours that count towards meeting the deadline. And how this is to be done is determined most effectively by the project group itself. The generation of decision-makers has, however, still been socialized in such a way that work means effort and leisure time represents the opposite pole. Work is to be taken seriously, free time is what is left over. Work takes place in the office or in conference rooms, leisure time with friends or family.

But the boundaries have long since become fluid: In the Communication Networks survey (Focus 2009 ), the statement that work and leisure are increasingly intermingling nowadays applies to all age groups with more than half of the respondents – except for the 30 to 49 year olds . If 47% of the 30 to 39 year olds agree, it is only 43% of the 40 to 49 year olds. A smooth transition often means that working hours drift into leisure time, which has become easy, thanks in particular to communication technology.

60% of managers check their e-mails while on vacation, according to the 2010 CareerBuilder survey of more than 5,200 employees. This shows not only a sense of duty, but also that the structures were usually laid out by the managers themselves so that they are as irreplaceable as possible. Those who demand leisure time or family time among the 40 to 49 year olds are still classified by this generation as a “wimp” because their own success story is seen as a role model that can be used alone. It wasn’t free time that put this generation in its leadership position. Rather, they had to fight for every level of success with many applicants of the same rank.

The network as a secure basis

The well-educated youngsters, on the other hand, see themselves as a qualified minority that the labor market will tear itself over. They associate work less with exertion, but primarily with realizing their own interests. It is not the workplace that offers them security, but rather the experience and network they have gained. It has become correspondingly difficult to keep young talent in the company for a long time. One way of reacting to this change in values ​​in an entrepreneurial manner is to provide closer support from personnel development and stronger coaching from the project manager. At Avantgarde, Trendbüro’s parent company, each of the 300 employees has their own personal profile in the company’s own microblogging network (see Figure 3), which documents his professional career in the company. Similar to an internal Facebook, there are visible and closed areas that are shared with different groups of people. The more personal the data, the more restricted the access rights. This can go as far as face-to-face communication directly with the HR manager, who provides suggestions and incentives for further development and can view feedback from superiors. Task areas can also be tailored more closely to the abilities of the individual, which makes it easier to change within the departments and leads to greater flexibility and interdisciplinarity in the teams. Thanks to data transparency and familiar closeness, HR managers become personal coaches. Even as profit centers, the departments only form a kind of functional framework that applies for the best employees in each case, just as every employee can apply for certain projects. This means that employees work more independently and more motivated because they have taken care of them – or they can develop themselves further according to their inclination. It also means a voluntary commitment to the workload and the division of working hours and free time based on the personal contingent. Such models would also be an important achievement for the future with regard to the connection between family and career. that employees work more independently and more motivated because one has made an effort to look after them – or they can develop themselves further according to their inclination. It also means a voluntary commitment to the workload and the division of working hours and free time based on the personal contingent. Such models would also be an important achievement for the future with regard to the connection between family and career. that employees work more independently and more motivated because one has made an effort to look after them – or they can develop themselves further according to their inclination. It also means a voluntary commitment to the workload and the division of working hours and free time based on the personal contingent. Such models would also be an important achievement for the future with regard to the connection between family and career.

The network connects the inside and outside world

Private contacts can be just as important for business as they are the other way around. This is where work and leisure combine to create a new source of common interest. Ideally, the employees themselves represent or communicate the company’s brand values ​​to the outside world. Namely when they feel part of a large family and not as a number, but as a valued person who actively contributes to the continued existence of the whole. However, this implies that they must be allowed to communicate: advanced knowledge, expertise and personal issues are the key issues that enrich and affect employees. Nothing else happens on the social media platforms: An intensive exchange of content and attitudes that give the connection the necessary substance and personality. The buzz is most lively at the nodes, the contents of which meet with the highest response. Regardless of whether these were ordered by the highest authorized body or come from a single user whose view appeals to many.

Internally, what applies externally applies: Without content experts, neither the company nor the brand values ​​retain their credibility. Company and brand values ​​should be compatible and visibly lived. Only then does the Enterprise 2.0 get a clear profile.

Conclusion

Competitive edge knowledge is just as important as in-depth knowledge. Access and transfer of information are more important than their possession, content ranks higher than hierarchical levels. What has already been achieved externally with social media – the emotional identification and targeted discussion of content and values ​​- gives hope that social media will also set new standards within the company. Collective intelligence, hierarchy-free communication and open innovation are the advantages that require a new structure within the company. It not only affects external communication, but also brings together all employees in all departments more closely and transparently. In Enterprise 2.0, everyone is an active part of a whole, the content and attitude of which can be shared by everyone, but can also be questioned and improved by everyone. A company is a process and it is time to adequately and comprehensibly map this to all those involved. Microblogging, activity streams and the data in the cloud are not just the infrastructure of the network economy. They depict the content that people want to talk about – and for the first time they create closeness in a social way.