There has always existed a tension between the needs of organisations to protect themselves and the burgeoning world of social media.
Some organisations, amazingly, still hide away from social media or try to control it like a PR stream. Disclosing private details online, it was said, could harm your reputation and help competitors get ahead of you.
The watershed probably occurred a year ago when the SEC validated the use of Twitter and Facebook as a disclosure tool. It was, albeit quite private, momentous change in how social was viewed and we’ll never go back to world when disclosure of any kind is less than entirely transparent.
Transparency used to mean listing some internal details, or publishing a stakeholder focussed mission statement. Not any more, recent developments are challenging this old-school view and more organisations are using social media to increase their transparency and make it core to the way they carry on business and social responsibility.
It has in fact enhanced their reputations. The new breed of companies embracing the social world now bake-in this transparency into the core of their business model. It’s part of who and what they are.
We are now seeing many organisations fearlessly embracing transparency and moving to become collaborative. It’s amazing to see so many organisations throwing open their doors and sharing what was, historically, top secret or company-confidential.
For some years (but not that many), we’ve advocated extreme transparency across the whole of our business. This means sharing our technology, ideas and methods on the open stage. Does it give competitors an advantage? Yes, of course it does. But greater than that, it gives is an impressive reputation as all our great work and thinking is on show for all to see.
And ultimately, discerning organisations always choose to talk to the organ grinder. The monkey(s) can chatter to those organisations that just don’t get it.
If you want know more, then start by contacting us. We can both mentor and deliver, your call.
