Background
The internet has been one of the most innovative inventions of mankind. It has the ability to distribute information at an alarming rate and enables quick communication amongst a vast amount of people. It accomplishes this feat on a scale that was previously unimaginable and has revolutionized countless aspects of the world we know today. Over the past decade, the way we use the internet has been significantly influenced by social media. Understanding the impact of social media on a personal, social, and also institutional level can maximize its utility. Social media is a platform which enables a communication among individuals, communities, and organization. The authors of “Users of the World, Unite!” describe social media as a “group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content” (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Online social networks have permeated their ways into our lives and allow us to create digital identities of ourselves, create groups and micro-societies to rally behind a common interest, and keep in touch those we find around the clock. The new found powers of social media also calls for a new type of leader. A leader can no longer be one thing, but a dynamic and ever changing individual. Not only do leaders but amplify traditional aspects of leaders, but to tap into their ability to deal with a corporation’s social and political dynamics needs as well.
Leaders In Organizational Infrastructure
- Traditional infrastructure has a defined formal organization with explicit systems of accountability.
- An enabling organizational infrastructure marries vertical accountability with networked horizontal collaboration that is not mutually destructive.
- How can the leader embrace the value of sharing expertise and perspectives with family, friends, colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders around the world?
Companies used to have a formal organization with systems of defined accountability. Now, leaders that are finding themselves utilizing new media realize they have to divide themselves between two goals. They must establish an organizational and technical infrastructure that encourages free exchange while lowering the risk of irresponsible use. This is because below the formal organization, an informal kind of organization always existed, which now gets amplified through social media. Roland Deiser describes this shared responsibility as “employees must observe standards of transparency and integrity, refrain from speaking on behalf of the company without authorization, and be clear in their social messaging that their views are personal” (Deiser, 2013). Leaders must create a social architecture that provides a meaningful space for internal and external interactions. For instance, it used to be common that many firms to ban the use of social media by the employee during office times. Now leaders must create a network that blends traditional formal networks with the emerging informal networks spawning from social media.
Leaders in Dissemination Dynamics
- Traditional dissemination of information usually occurs through a controlled and linear chain.
- Social media allows leaders to reverse the process and the recipients are now the origin.
- Messages are rebroadcast and repurposed at will by recipients who repost videos, retweet and comment on blogs, and use fragments of other people’s content to create their own mash-ups.
- This type of leader needs to understand how the information should be released and predict what the message of the end product will be.
- They also need to take note of who the key influencers are and leverage their authority to push content through the right channels.
Leaders have traditionally distributed information along a controlled linear chain that begins at development and ends with the employee. While this distribution method will never expire, social media brings in a new method by reversing the process. Roland Deiser states “Social communication makes distribution the starting point and then invites company audiences to cocreate and contextualize content to create new meaning”. Messages are now broadcasted by those who receive messages, they retweet, comment on blogs, and use fragments of other people’s content to create their own messages. Social media follows a dynamic that determine whether the content goes viral or not, business leaders must become experts in controlling that information and thus letting them control the communication through the organization. It boils down to know what to say and how to say it and knowing how the messages will be transformed when releasing to a wider audience.
Leaders In Analytics
- Social media will always be creating new trends and innovations.
- Leaders must always be experimenting and looking for new opportunities, business models, and even a newer way to lead.
- This type of leader experiments with new technologies and makes sure to capture the advantages of early adoption.
Ever since the dawn of the Web 2.0, the next generation of connectivity is already knocking on the door. Developing technology is always opening new opportunities, new business models, and even a new way to lead in the nearby future. An important aspect of a leader is being able to predict and stay on top of all of the emerging trends and innovations. Leaders that are able to monitor ongoing developments and experiment with new technologies are able to take advantage of the newest technology. A good example would be when GE turned to the new platform Snapchat to help celebrate the 45th anniversary of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Kate Maddox quotes the global director of innovation of GE: “ “Snapchat is one of these new social platforms that is so interesting from a storytelling perspective. It fits into the world of erasable media — media that goes away after a period of time” (Maddox 2014) The concept behind the launch itself, though, is a perfect example of one of the philosophies that GE continually keeps when it comes to social media. They choose to experiment often with new platforms and see what works.
Conclusion
The potential of social media is immense and constantly growing. The change calls upon a new leader that can capitalize on the power of media while lowering risk. Social media amplifies what the informal organization that stayed quietly under traditional structure. Social media allows authentic communication and the ability to deal with internal and external communication within a company. Leaders must understand how to make a technologically linked social infrastructure that constantly promotes interaction across all platforms. A leader must understand organizational infrastructure, dissemination dynamics, and be an analyst in order to adhere to the growing technologies. Social-media engagement confronts leaders of the older ways of organizations. When a leader is able to embrace the power of social media as well as get their company on a similar media literacy, it will provide a constant loop of positive feedback and productivity.
-Jerald See
Bhargava, Rohit. July 2014 “7 Reasons GE Is The Most Strategic Brand In Social Media”. Rohit Bhargava http://www.rohitbhargava.com/2014/07/7-lessons-ge-social-media-strategy.html
Deiser, Roland. Feburary 2013. “Six Social-Media Skills Every Leader Needs”. Mckinsey https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/six-social-media-skills-every-leader-needs
Dholakiya, Pratik. November 2017 “Leadership With Social Media” The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2017/05/25/leadership-social-media-7-essential-tips-new-leaders/
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Maddox, Kate. July 2014. “GE Makes Super Materials Relatable With Moon Boot Makeover.” Ad Age http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/ge-makes-super-materials-relatable-moon-boot-makeover/294130/
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Leadership & the Network Revolution 