Most Businesses Lack Fundamental Understanding of Enterprise Social Collaboration Tech

23rd August, 2013 - Posted by admin - No Comments

With so many travelers on the High Tech Highway so frequently on the move, employers and workers alike are seeking new ways to stay connected to one another and encourage collaboration. While social collaboration tools have gained popularity recently, new reports show that a majority of businesses still lack a basic understanding of this new technology.

In today’s Roundup, we take a look at some of the common misconceptions of enterprise social collaboration as well as tips for choosing the best tools for your organization. We’ll also take a look at how social collaboration is impacting the workforce today. Let’s hit the road:

Most Businesses Lack Fundamental Understanding of Enterprise Social Collaboration Tech
When it comes to social collaboration, many businesses that claim to use it aren’t really doing so, and many others that do aren’t using it to its full potential.

According to a recent study by Avanade, 77 percent of respondents say their organizations now use social collaboration tools. Of that number, 82 percent say they want to use more of them in the future. Unfortunately, the report found that many are in fact using consumer social networking tools rather than true enterprise social collaboration products. When asked which platforms their organizations use for social collaboration, however, most identified popular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Two reasons for the confusion proposed by the report include confusion over the true meaning and purpose of social collaboration and whether or not IT departments were actually providing enterprise collaboration tools.

In the end, despite the great confusion over what social collaboration technology entails, a majority of organizations want to do more with it.

Choosing Social Collaboration Tools? Focus on Business Needs
According to a recent TechTarget article, “the dirty secret when it comes to social networking is that many organizations feel pressured to jump on the bandwagon without a clear idea of how enterprise social collaboration tools will actually help them.” But in order to make social collaboration successful, organizations must approach the buying process as a business process change.

Organizations need to first understand their business needs. ”Once an organization has determined the right tool for the job, then training, executive support and change management become instrumental,” says Steve Weissman, founder of Holly Group.

Be sure to check out the full article to read Griffin Technologies’ experience with choosing the wrong social collaboration tool for their business needs.

Social Tools in the Workplace [Infographic]
A Microsoft infographic takes an in-depth look at how social tools are impacting the workplace.

According to the visual display of the research, government employees make up the largest group of workers using social collaboration, followed by those in the financial industry.

Other key findings include:

• Sixty-eight percent said their primary use for social collaboration tools is to communicate with colleagues
• Forty percent say social tools have resulted in more collaboration in the workplace
• Thirty-seven percent of survey respondents agree that they could do their job better if management was more supportive of the use of social tools.

Microsoft Social Tools in the Workplace Research Study by Mark Fidelman

Tags: collaboration, collaboration for increased sales, enterprise social collaboration, enterprise social network, ESN, Iron Bow, Iron Bow Technologies, Microsoft, social collaboration for small business, social collaboration infographic, social collaboration ROI, social collaboration strategy

Posted on: August 23, 2013

Filed under: Communicate