Social Change Agents - A Career Study

Social Change Agents
– a Career Study
August 2014

Study Synopsis
Social Media Today conducted an industry study to identify the career
implications for high profile "Social Change Agents." Whether working
externally as the face and voice for a large corporate brand, or as an
internal catalyst and advocate for enterprise-wide social collaboration, the
study examined how this new, highly visible professional role is impacting
long-term career opportunities.
The study focused on the impact a skill set that includes collaborative
and network technologies, storytelling, crowd-sourcing across
geographies and companies, as well as personal values placed on
transparency and authenticity, is having on individual career performance
and options.
The on-line web survey ran from July 17 to July 28, 2014. In addition,
qualitative interviews were conducted with four key individuals who self-
identify as social change agents.

Key Findings
• The majority of survey respondents are passionate about the values of
Social. It’s not just a job for many. Many survey respondents shared
their personal stories on how they took career risks to stand up for their
convictions.
• By an overwhelming majority, survey respondents see the social career
occupation as positive, leading to greater visibility and opportunities
internally and externally.
• Those who indicated that they saw themselves as Change Agents were
more likely to be the face of their brand, found Social to be a career
boosting asset, and reported they are part of a team dedicated to social
initiatives.

Who responded - #s
• 410 respondents answered the survey
• 63 were disqualified*
• 245 answered every question
• 102 responded partially, but didn’t finish
the survey
* Agency personnel, Vendors, and Industry/Financial analysts were disqualified

Who responded - by Gender
Demographics

Who responded - by Income
Demographics

Who responded - by Income and
Gender
Demographics

Who responded - by Age
Demographics

Who responded - Company Size
Employees Revenue
Demographics

Demographic Insights
• Female: More likely to work for an
agency working in Advertising or Arts &
Entertainment
• Male: More likely to be involved in
Banking, Finance, and Technology
(may account for pay discrepancies)
• Women were twice as likely to have
“Social Media” in their title than their
male counterparts. This could indicate
that women are more likely to be
considered as “social media”
marketers versus marketers in
general. Women were also five times
LESS likely to be considered an
“analyst.”*
Demographics
• Age:
• $100k+ range dominated by 30+
respondents
• 21-29 most likely to have “social
media” in their titles
• 30+ more likely to have Manager,
Director, or C-Level title
• 65+ More likely to be a consultant
*Marketing Analyst or Data Analyst, not Industry or
Financial Analyst which were disqualified.

Bryce Williams - Pharma
@TheBrycesWrite
Photo: Stephen Brashear
“Timing was everything. I had gotten to a point I was an IT guy
for ten years. I wanted to do something bigger. Had visions I
wanted to help the broader audience across the company.
I wanted to go from being a guy who does it to being a guy who
teaches others how to do it themselves. We had a vision Jam.
One of the themes emerged that people wanted an online
interactive community all the time vs. just that 2-week window.
I wanted to be a key champion to make that real. They created a
role, and I went after it. Even though a lot of people at the time,
my bosses even, said, ‘You shouldn’t do this. It’s a bad career
move. This is a fad. You’re going to be redeployed into
something you don’t like.’ But, I took the risk and went ahead,
and took it against a lot of people’s advice. It felt like stepping
out on a ledge, but it felt right at the same time.
On the positive side, it’s all about the relationship. I talk to so
many people on a daily basis. I walk around the halls here and I
go to lunch, and there may be names I don’t know, but I
recognize faces. I get personal reward every day from things
that I have no involvement in by watching these things go by
online, and that we’re helping facilitate these connections and
people getting answers. The positive is definitely being able to
see the return and feeling it in terms of the networks I’ve built
and the people I know.”
Work Experience

Years Experience
Work Experience
Majority (75%) of
respondents have been
working in a social
occupation for more than
two years. And nearly a
third (27%) have been
working in social for over
five years.

Brand Identity
Work Experience
Nearly half (43%) of the
respondents function as
the public face of the
brand they represent.
Do you function as the public face of your brand?

Personal Identity
Work Experience
Larger percentage than
we predicted (16%) have
melded their personal
brand identity with their
corporate brand identity.
Are you known personally as the voice of your brand? (e.g., Scott Monty for Ford)

Inspiration
Work Experience
Contrary to popular opinion,
most respondents got into the
role because of its
attractiveness as a new field,
as well as the opportunity to
align personal values and
make a difference. NOT to
become “web celebs.”
What drew you originally to a social occupation?
Key:

Richard Binhammer - Tech
@RBinhammer
Photo: Adelina Wong
“I was an old time PR and Public affairs guy. I media trained
executives and ran Michael Dell events. When I got this
assignment, I had to look up in Wikipedia what a blog was. It
was baptism by fire with the whole Dell Hell thing. Dell was
symbolic of every corporation who was a bad boy on the
web. Dell was the cause celeb for any F500 company.
Communications teams are one of the last bastions of the old
command and control systems. Comms teams think they’re
social because they put a YouTube video up and tweet the
latest news release. My view is Social upends the
communications process. You can actually start with what
people are saying about you on the web, and instead of
deciding what our messages are based on what the CEO and
Marketing want, you can actually listen to what people on the
web are saying, learn what people are talking about and what
resonates with them. Second, you can learn who those
people are.
As far as taking a career risk… I’m surprised I lasted as long
as I did.”
Values

Social Values - Peers
Values
Overwhelming majority (71%)
of respondents reported they
definitely had been in a
situation or situations where
they had to defend the values
of social with colleagues.
Have you ever had to defend the values of social with a peer colleague?

Social Values - Superiors
Values
Similarly, a large percentage
(62%) reported they had to
defend the values of social to
a superior.
The verbatims where
respondents described the
incidents are classic.
Have you ever had to defend the values of social with someone in the
organization at a higher rank than you?

Social Values - Conviction
Values
The respondents who said
“Yes” surprised us – 20%!
Again, look at the verbatims to
better understand these
responses.
Has there ever been a time that you felt you’d be willing to lose your job rather
than compromise your convictions about social?

John Stepper – Banking
@johnstepper
Photo: Adelina WongPhoto: Stephen Brashear
“There is no natural home for what we do. Everyone’s case is kind
of different. For me, I was either going to do something else at the
company or I was going to work somewhere else. That’s what led
me to pitch a bigger idea, a more ambitious plan to introduce the
social network, and go all in for that. And if it didn’t work, they’d get
rid of me. That’s meant a tenuous couple of years. I’d ask myself,
“Will they get rid of me this year?”
What we’ve managed to do, is take gradual steps that would have
blown our minds years ago. But, step by step… we have more and
more interesting use cases. With organic growth, next thing you
know, there are 50K people in the community. What it opens up
internally is a set of jobs that don’t exist yet.
Because you are so visible, you rally a bunch of people. And there
is a strength in that. The more you make it about benefits for
individuals and for the firm - and less about you or the technology or
being social - the more likely your ideas will spread and you'll make
the difference you aspire to make. Creating a positive, constructive
culture is key to success.”
Visibility

Visibility - Internally
Visibility
Interesting, although many
respondents reported they
were not drawn to social for
personal visibility, most (71%)
reported increased visibility as
a byproduct of the job.
How has your position as a social champion impacted your general visibility in
your organization?
Key:

Visibility - Externally
Visibility
Regardless of where the
individual fit in the organizational
hierarchy, the majority (65%) of
respondents reported being a
social champion had a positive
impact on their career visibility.
How has your position as a social champion impacted your public visibility?
Key:

Visibility - Communications
Visibility
As a primary channel for
communications, social opens up
several opportunities to “boundary
span.” This is true especially
within the organization where a
majority (76%) reported their
position gave access to new areas
within the company.
Has your position afforded you the opportunity to do any of the following?
Key:

Jeremiah Owyang - Tech
“There was a lot of rhetoric and discussion about how this
would disrupt PR and customer care. At the time I was a full-
time employee at Hitachi Data Systems, a hundred-year-old
company with over 300K employees, a massive
conglomerate. I helped to craft a business case, I brought in
speakers like Shel Israel, I bought books… I even remember
printing out the thesis from the Cluetrain Manifesto and
dropping it on the marketing manager’s desk [anonymously].
I helped to educate executives, and was fortunate to get
executive support to bless it.
Many colleagues thought it was a fad, it wasn’t real or didn’t
matter. They were so focused on analyst relations,
press/media relations, advertising, white papers, email
marketing, but I said, ‘This is two-way; it’s gonna come!’ So I
had to do an incredible amount of evangelism, and I did
receive some pushback. Corp. Comms was uncomfortable
giving up control in a classic sense, but in the end they came
around and took part in it. But it was certainly change
agency. They could see and feel control shifting and
comments opened up and actual customers could talk back
to executives.”
2006, STIRR tech mixerPhoto: Brian Solis
@jowyang
Career

Career Impact - Future
Career
Overwhelming majority report
either they feel social has
increased their job security, or
their role in social has set them
up well for future work inside
and outside the company.
Does having a profile as a social thought leader make you feel more or less
secure about your career prospects?
Key:

Career Impact - Internally
Career
Understandably, most report a
positive impact. Those few who
reported a negative impact point
to the newness of the position
impacting predictable career
paths.
How do you feel making the choice to focus on Social has impacted your
career trajectory at your company?
Key:

Career Impact - Access
Career
How often do you interface with executive
management in your company?
Do you feel your position in Social has provided
you with greater access to senior leadership?
Across the board, most respondents report easy and regular access to Sr. Mgmt.

Career Impact - Mobility
Career
Overwhelming majority (74%)
believe social has increased
their personal career mobility.
Most who responded, “Can’t
say…” either it was their first job
(ever) or their first position in
social and career mobility was
yet to be determined.
How do you feel the skills you’ve learned as a social professional have
impacted your career mobility?
Key:

Career Impact - Commitment
Career
The values of social are
important to social professionals
in a deeply personal way. Over
half (57%) of respondents self-
identify as Social Change
Agents.
Please select which of these sentences describes you best.
Key:

Appendix
• Additional data included for large
companies over $100M in revenue
• Select verbatims

Large Company Insights
>$100M
• 6.6% of Respondents stated that working in Social has limited their career
trajectory/mobility because there is not a career path at their company in social.
• 39.3% stated it made a neutral impact.
• 59% stated it had a positive impact.
• 19.7% stated that social has NOT given them greater access to higher ups
(these individuals were more likely to state that there was no real career path in
social at their company and/or that social isn’t valued).
• 21.3% can’t say whether they have more access to upper management
(more likely to state that social was now a necessary component of the job, and
that as “social becomes more important” they believe they will be valued more).
• 63.9% stated that they DO have greater access because of social
(more likely to state that learning new skills invigorates them, that learning new
skills always increases your value, and that opportunities outside of their company
are good, too).

Large Company Insights
>$100M
Salary distribution by gender

Verbatims
“Several partners in the organisation have refused to accept that social technologies are not a fad, rather that it is
important that both organisations and individuals need to learn about them, to learn about the social landscape and
opportunities which are presented to all. It took two years of solidly having one on one conversations with each to get to a
point where they acknowledged they were ready to consider the viability of utilising social technologies both within the
business and external to the business. My adoption of social technologies for use within the business has been done by
stealth and informally. In 2013 we reached a point where it was agreed that the senior partners would participate in
educational programmes to learn more about the opportunities and risks of not engaging with social. Hence a formal
programme has begun and traction among a small percentage has been obtained, the others are coming along slowly.
We're currently prevailing.”
“I continually have to inform members of my organization, peer agencies, and business leaders I meet of the value and
credibility of Social Media in both business and public health. My track record for success is roughly 50/50. I have given
presentations to local business leaders on how SM can impact their bottom line ($), and that seems to generate most
interest. However, convincing others in my own agency, even our PIO, of the importance of creating a community of like-
minded individuals through this medium took facts, figures, a power point and impassioned articulation. She's now on
board, as is our Director. However, I continue to attempt to pursued peers within the agency to join, follow, tweet, and like.
It is daunting.”

Verbatims
“Yes. While working for a consulting firm, the client asked for help with a "social media problem" that was plaguing them.
We had to convince the consultant AND the brand that the problem was actually a PRODUCT problem (carcinogenic
substance in a product; consumers were not happy), and that once they fixed the PRODUCT problem, then we could fix the
social media problem (and PR/media/investor problem).”
“Senior staff thought it was a waste of time, but with the right objectives and strategies in place I proved them wrong. I had
to educate them about social and explained the full benefits through real campaigns.”
“The CEO of a company I worked for wanted me to post under the guise of a consumer in order to help promote a product
and provide positive reviews. I informed the CEO of the fact that I cannot do that, and we argued for a bit until I basically
put my foot down and said that I refuse to post that way and if he/she wanted to proceed, he/she does so only with a
notice by me that the practice is not allowed. --- Luckily, he/she ended up backing down and did not proceed.”
“Many do not feel the need for social since it is difficult to determine ROI and doesn't always bring in direct sales. Many
times, social has been reduced, or in one case, even cut completely. I fought back with statistics, studies, and our own
metrics to show the value of social. I did prevail.”
“Also have had to defend social, especially to traditional/legacy brands that still think of the Internet as a place where a
bunch of people with too much time on their hands hang out to bitch/gripe. Had to explain, through examples, that these
online consumers are influencers, reputation makers, etc., and potentially valuable ambassadors who should be treated as
any other consumer, regardless of the channel they use to communicate with a firm/company/brand.”

Verbatims
“We are moving form a ‘modern toy’ point of view to ‘communication channel’ attitude. It really matters - the more people know
about value I bring to my company, my impact... the higher they estimate my efforts. I show them new ways to highlight our
messages, new formats. I experiment and work hard on building trust with key audiences (correct and up to date info, quick response
to their requests and so - followers can see that we are open to them... and they react positively, sharing their feedback with my
colleagues, who work with them (IR, HR and so on). So my colleagues can feel that I support them in their efforts - and get ready to
share their initiative for mutual promotion (e.g., simultaneously via IR and social media tools).”
“There is a skill to social and an ability to understand its constant ebb and flow that not all have. Senior leaders who understand this
value what social professionals bring to the table. It's often lacking in organizations who have yet to make a substantial investment in
their social presence, making an active social professional more desirable and knowledgeable.”
“Social skills and knowledge have elevated my existing skills and expertise in my profession as a change agent and an L&D
professional. By being an early adopter, I have been able to set myself apart to a certain extent within my organisation and can take a
leadership role in something that is still considered to be relatively new for the business and by combining these new skills with my
existing skills and experience I can support and guide in a much more effective way than could an external consultant.”
“For the last 11 years that I was working at a major corporation all along all of the different projects in multiple divisions, business
units and organisations, all of them came through social technologies whether my corporate blog, my social interactions or the work I
have done over the course of time around adoption and enablement of Social Networking / Business principles. Without social
technologies I wouldn't have been even capable of living where I have been living last 10 years, i.e. remote, about 6.000 km away
from my first line manager. In fact, for a good number of years I have been having my HR manager in Europe, my project manager in
the US and myself being located in Africa. Social made that possible. Every time.”

Social Change Agents - A Career Study

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