While focusing on measures and ROI for use of social media seems rational the fact is that social media is nothing more than a new and powerful "communications channel". Being social and using social media a two totally different things, and that it is being social that will create value through improved collaboration, innovation, customer engagement, talent management, and so on. In this sense, real beauty - a truly social business - comes from within; a business that wants to become social needs to transform itself from the core to the crust, from the inside and out, by turning itself outside in.
First lets start by defining "business social" the way I see it. Being social and using social media a two totally different things, and that it is being social that will create value orinating from improved collaboration, innovation, customer engagement, talent management, and so on. In this sense, real beauty - a truly social business - comes from within; a business that wants to become social needs to transform itself from the core to the crust, from the inside and out, by turning itself outside in.
Real adoption of new communication technologies such as social software implies that the communication culture is changed. The new tools will change how people communicate, what they communicate and with whom. The new or altered ways of communicating that will emerge will become part of the norm that regulates the communication within the organization.
I believe that a social business engages the entire workforce to support and interact with each other, with customers, with partners, and with the public to build trust and create value together. Trust is what your selling; very few companies sell a truely unique product or service. It must empowers anyone in the workforce to do and say things that help to build trust in the business and its services and products by having honest and open dialogues.
When asked how social software-powered communication and collaboration ties into business processes (without being specific about their processes), I can give them quite these answers: