HR Poll: Social Media Viewed As Community Builder And Communication Outlet

May
2012

HR Poll: Social Media Viewed As Community Builder And Communication Outlet

By Mike Dolen

May 10, 2012

Creating Community with Social Media

According to a recent Kenexa poll on LinkedIn, the most common – or best – uses of Social Media related to engagement are “community – sense of team” and an “outlet for ideas and opinions.” What does this mean for organizations looking to further refine their social media policies or enhance their approaches to engaging employees?

Let’s first consider the basics: For organizations, social media can be simply defined as including web- and mobile- technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between leaders and individuals. The aspect of social media that is most appealing to organizations is the degree to which it is easily accessible and scalable as a communication technique.

Creating Authentic Dialogue

However, organizations also struggle with how to control or at least monitor what is being said in a company sponsored forum, blog or other form of interactive exchange. When it comes to Human Resources applications, the most common implementations are blogs, content communities (such as YouTube), and social networking sites on special topics.

At Kenexa, we believe the benefits of creating best practices on “people topics” and the creation of two-way, authentic dialogue between leaders and employees outweigh the potential downside.

Why is the successful utilization of Social Media applications critical for Human Resources professionals? Because social media is a natural way for people to get involved. Business processes that do not reach the level of benefit that is intended most commonly fail because they expect the intended users to learn yet another system or process. However, social media applications thrive because they mimic the way people interact in their personal lives. Said simply, it is how they have become accustomed to behaving.

Trust Leads to Engagement

According to Kenexa research, one of the driving factors of engagement (individual motivation and discretionary effort) is the trust people have in leadership, which is strengthened by open, honest, two-way communication, creating an “us” mentality rather than an “us and them” mentality. Sound familiar? Further, one of the limiting factors in engagement programs has been the inability of the organization to harness all the good work that managers and leaders put forth – and share what works. Further, according to his recent book “We”, Kenexa CEO Rudy Karsan explains how engagement should not just be the responsibility of leadership, but rather of all employees.

Considering all of this, could Social Media applications on engagement be the biggest advancement since Priority Analysis?

What are your thoughts on the poll results? Let us know in the comments. Also, check out our current LinkedIn poll on millennials.

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Mike Dolen

Mike Dolen is Managing Partner at Kenexa and leader in the Global Survey Organization. Mike has 20 years of experience in multiple settings, including utilities, the public sector, retail, and the ser ...(Read More)

Posted in: Employee Engagement, Employment Branding, HR Tips, Kenexa News, Leadership, Social