Introduction to Working Smarter Through Social Media

Editor's Notes

• #9: Work and learning overlap to a degree that they are inseparable.Looking at changes in your own organization is preferred over knee jerk choices to “ I needa Facebook Page” or a Twitter account.Don’t fondle the hammer. Keep your eyes on the larger purpose of social media and what impacts you want from social media – The Why of Social Media
• #10: Examples: United Breaks Guitars; Wikileaks; Ford Motor; Red Cross of AmericaShift – Groundswell – renaissance – a new epoch of work and learningSocial media is fundamentally a shift in the culture and the expectations of how people consume and, more importantly, participate in media. An audience that expects an opportunity to engage, expects that an organization will listen and converse, How we communicate is fundamentally different from the broadcast-driven, one-way silos we grew to accept over the latter part of the 20th century.Social media can help any organization create more meaningful relationships with the communities around them – employees, customers and partners. Fundamentally it isn’t about size of audience or opportunity, it’s really about what social media does to a company and what the organization is capable of that defines the different challenges. Engagement is always about a willingness to listen, telling compelling and authentic stories, and a genuine desire to participate.In the end the essential understanding is that participating in social spaces is about being more engaged, not appearing more engaged.
• #11: Social Media is the infrastructure: The departments and the people in them are social learners, more connected, collaborative, creative through use of the social media infrastructure.With a framework and a broadened and deeper understanding of the context for social media to improve worker and organizational performance we can see social media in a more unified way. The monks are no long blind, they see the elephant for what it is and more importantly how working together they can use the elephant to further their shared purpose… a successful and prosperous business.
• #12: The 9 in 10 adults block: Powerful reminder how all populations use social media for recommendations.
• #13: From the New Social Learning - Bingham and ConnerExpanding Opportunities;Dramatic increase in our ability to connect, collective thinking, collaborations and our capacity to grow;Emerging Expectations:Organizations need to learn and do differently if they are to attract and keep staff; In 3 years, half the workforce will be Millenials or Gen. Y (born in 81-97) – high comfort level with technology; 60% will be females – higher value in connecting, relationships, social networks.Increasing Reach;Mashups; prosumer technology; change to a culture of co-production, co-design, co-development
• #14: Shift – Groundswell – renaissance – a new epoch of work and learningSocial media is fundamentally a shift in the culture and the expectations of how people consume and, more importantly, participate in media. In a world where communications must contend with an audience that expects an opportunity to engage, expects that an organization will listen and converse, and expect people’s voices to be amplified as loud or louder than those of media outlets, how we communicate is fundamentally different from the broadcast-driven, one-way silos we grew to accept over the latter part of the 20th century.Social media can help any organization create more meaningful relationships with the communities around them – employees, customers and partners. Fundamentally it isn’t about size of audience or opportunity, it’s really about what social media does to a company and what the organization is capable of that defines the different challenges. Engagement is always about a willingness to listen, telling compelling and authentic stories, and a genuine desire to participate.In the end the essential understanding is that participating in social spaces is about being more engaged, not appearing more engaged.
• #15: Shift – Groundswell – renaissance – a new epoch of work and learningSocial media is fundamentally a shift in the culture and the expectations of how people consume and, more importantly, participate in media. In a world where communications must contend with an audience that expects an opportunity to engage, expects that an organization will listen and converse, and expect people’s voices to be amplified as loud or louder than those of media outlets, how we communicate is fundamentally different from the broadcast-driven, one-way silos we grew to accept over the latter part of the 20th century.Social media can help any organization create more meaningful relationships with the communities around them – employees, customers and partners. Fundamentally it isn’t about size of audience or opportunity, it’s really about what social media does to a company and what the organization is capable of that defines the different challenges. Engagement is always about a willingness to listen, telling compelling and authentic stories, and a genuine desire to participate.In the end the essential understanding is that participating in social spaces is about being more engaged, not appearing more engaged.
• #19: working smarter is a culture supported by social learning; collaborative work and a leadership framework. Technology enables this but the three pillars are more important than any technology platform. A workscape environment.We all can look at ourselves and our own organizations to reflect on these 3 pillars. How do we collaborate and learn together to get the results we need for the organization and for ourselves. What type of leadership is in place to support such work.
• #20: If a culture is focused on service, the most pressing question is, "How can I help you?" How can I help you succeed? How can I help you ask strong questions, take wise risks and deliver great content? How can I help you prosper? Most importantly, how can I help you learn and make new connections? How can I help you serve the larger group, of which we are both a part?Nor have we dismantled the myth that fear and embarrassment somehow motivates people to learn. By choosing wisely where we place our attention, we have more attention and enthusiasm to give. Or as Clay Shirky put it at Web 2.0 Expo NY, "It's not information overload. It's filter failure.“Scarcity thinking by leaders and boards plus operating in a climate that fosters this mindset results in a culture that does not encourage or support learning.The emphasise is on social media improving individual and organizational performance. Doing better at their jobs, communication in and outside the organization. Social learning is amplified by Social media and and extends the ability of individuals and organizations to learn to be better;Social learning through social media is a connected, collaborative and continuous process. It can and does occur in formal, informal and social ways every day in and out of your job.Social Media + Social Learning improves performance & communication for individuals and organizations. Social learning + Social media amplifies & extends the ability of individuals and organizations to learn to be better;
• #21: Social Learning and working smarter is increasingly a requirement as higher valued complex work requires passion, creativity and initiative. Work is changing as we get more networked and people are not happy with the old structures, as 84% of workers in the US plan to change their jobs in 2011. These skills are not taught in some training program, but shared socially through modelled behaviour and over many conversations. Social media are the flagship of an inter-connected society, but every industrial discipline views them through their own filters, like blind monks examining an elephant. In this hyperlinked economy more of our work demands collaboration and we are seeing that work is learning.  
• #22: Social Learning and working smarter is increasingly a requirement as higher valued complex work requires passion, creativity and initiative. Work is changing as we get more networked and people are not happy with the old structures, as 84% of workers in the US plan to change their jobs in 2011. These skills are not taught in some training program, but shared socially through modelled behaviour and over many conversations. Social media are the flagship of an inter-connected society, but every industrial discipline views them through their own filters, like blind monks examining an elephant. In this hyperlinked economy more of our work demands collaboration and we are seeing that work is learning.  
• #23: Social Learning and working smarter is increasingly a requirement as higher valued complex work requires passion, creativity and initiative. Work is changing as we get more networked and people are not happy with the old structures, as 84% of workers in the US plan to change their jobs in 2011. These skills are not taught in some training program, but shared socially through modelled behaviour and over many conversations. Social media are the flagship of an inter-connected society, but every industrial discipline views them through their own filters, like blind monks examining an elephant. In this hyperlinked economy more of our work demands collaboration and we are seeing that work is learning.  
• #24: On the left, old model; on the right – as we are experiencing now in our complex adaptive environment. Work and learning have become 2 sides of the same coin or the yin and the yang of the organization.
• #25: Cubicle nation and Always On work – where are you, somewhereinbetween?
• #28: Hierarchies squash collaboration.
• #30: This process applies to the trades as well as conceptual workers involved in creative, innovative and experimental activities. You start as an apprentice, when you get your papers – your real training begins as an official and approved tradesman or women. By working in diverse sectors you learn to collaborate and build your expertise network and the recognition and respect for your talents is sought out. Those that don’t move to the collaboration level stay on as useful but not sought out tradesman.
• #31: 21st century skills : conceptual age (follows information age, industrial age, agricultural age): Daniel Pink author of Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us;Carrots & sticks don’t work: When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system which is built around external carrot and stick motivators – doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has 3 essential elements: (1) Autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
• #32: One way to look at network learning is as a continuous process of seeking, sensing and sharing.Seeking is finding things out and keeping up to date. Building a network of colleagues is helpful in this regard—it not only allows us to “pull” information, but also have it “pushed” to us by trusted sources.Sensing is how we personalize information and use it. Sensing includes reflection and putting into practice what we have learned. Often it requires experimentation, as we learn best by doing.Sharing includes exchanging resources, ideas and experiences with our networks and collaborating with our colleagues. My workshops and focus is about helping you and your organization be better at what it does. It’s not for idle play or wasted time on tools without purpose. It is to give you better purpose and outcomes for your organization.
• #35: Other examples are the HOTS network; Harm Reduction Exchange; EdLink
• #36: This tool was used to engage visitors immediately after viewing photo exhibit. They left comments about poverty in their community. Raise awareness about the issue and promote the work of the YRAEH.
• #37: Other examples are the HOTS network; Harm Reduction Exchange; EdLink
• #41: Grey’s Anatomy – The interns teach the Master the value of Twitter and networkingNetwork Learning – Harold Jarche (also called Personal Knowledge Management or personal learning networks) is an individual, disciplined process by which we make sense of information, observations and ideas. In the past it may have been keeping a journal, writing letters or having conversations. These are still valid, but with digital media we can add context by categorizing, commenting or even remixing it. We can also store digital media for easy retrieval.The Web has given us more ways to connect with others in our learning but many people only see the information overload aspect of our digital society. Engaging others can actually make it easier to learn and not become overwhelmed. Effective networked learning is the difference between surfing the waves or being drowned by them. It also helps us to work smarter.
• #42: This area expands the Social Non Profit/Business module # 5. It’s the context for the transformation happening in our workplace, in our competencies and skills.
• #44: One way to look at network learning is as a continuous process of seeking, sensing and sharing.Seeking is finding things out and keeping up to date. Building a network of colleagues is helpful in this regard—it not only allows us to “pull” information, but also have it “pushed” to us by trusted sources.Sensing is how we personalize information and use it. Sensing includes reflection and putting into practice what we have learned. Often it requires experimentation, as we learn best by doing.Sharing includes exchanging resources, ideas and experiences with our networks and collaborating with our colleagues. My workshops and focus is about helping you and your organization be better at what it does. It’s not for idle play or wasted time on tools without purpose. It is to give you better purpose and outcomes for your organization. The 3 blocks show the places where this happens and how it happens.