Let the Revolution Begin!

Description

Following initial foot-dragging, many Fortune 500 companies are now actively embracing Web 2.0 tools. Among the major benefits, they cite increased collaboration, a democracy of talents, a corporate culture of trust and potential productivity gains. The Enterprise 2.0 revolution, it seems, is finally happening. But revolutions can be as disruptive as they are empowering. Clearly, if the e-revolution is indeed happening, then executives urgently need to rethink how they structure, organize and manage their companies. Their success in doing so will determine whether they ride the crest of the revolution or are swept away by it. The author proposes five strategies that companies can pursue to push their organizations toward becoming fully networked enterprises and ensure a relatively smooth transition in the process: choose the right technology, loosen control without losing control, harness the knowledge of youth, lead from the top and integrate across the company’s operations. Attempts to restrict or control social media are futile, he says, as changing demographics are speeding the demise of outmoded organizational forms.

Keywords

bureaucracy collaboration competitive intelligence cultural change democracy demographics e-revolution Enterprise 2.0 mentor Millennials operations social media transparency trust Web 2.0