Page 350 - Using MIS

318 Chapter 8 Social Media Information Systems
Changing Communication

Prior to 1980, communication in the United States was restricted to a few communication
channels, or means of delivering messages. There were three major national TV networks and
no more than a half-dozen major national newspapers. Consumers got their news twice a day:
from the morning paper and the evening news. A small number of people decided which stories
were told. You got what you were given with few alternatives.
Communication within organizations was similarly restricted. Employees could commu-
nicate with their immediate supervisor and coworkers in their vicinity. It was difficult for em-
ployees of large corporations to get private meetings with the CEO or to communicate with their
counterparts in other countries. If an employee had a good idea, it was passed up through his
or her boss to senior management. As a result, it was common for bosses to claim subordinates’
ideas as their own.
In recent decades, the Internet, Web sites, social networking, email, cable TV, and smart-
phones have radically altered existing communication channels. At the societal level, you can
now get your news instantly from hundreds of different sources. Traditional news organizations
have struggled to adapt to changes in traditional communication channels.
Communication channels within corporations have changed in equally dramatic ways.
Using ESNs, employees can now bypass managers and post ideas directly for the CEO to read.
They can also quickly identify internal subject matter experts to solve unforeseen problems. In
addition, ESNs also enable collaboration with teams dispersed across the globe.
To better understand the potential impacts of ESNs, let’s consider an example. In 2012,
Yammer (a Microsoft subsidiary) conducted a case study analyzing how restaurant chain Red
36
Robin used an ESN to transform its business. The CIO of Red Robin Chris Laping rolled out
Yammer to Red Robin’s 26,000 employees across 450 restaurants in an effort to give line employ-
ees a voice. This effort yielded more than just stronger employee engagement.
When Red Robin rolled out its new Pig Out Style Double Tavern Burger, for instance, the
customer response was disappointing. Employees used Yammer to give management imme-
diate feedback about how the Pig Out recipe could be fixed. Within 4 months, the new-and-
improved burger was ready to go. Here, using Yammer to improve internal communication
resulted in an increase in organizational responsiveness. The result was a reduction in the
amount of time needed to revamp the menu from 12 to 18 months to just 4 months.
In another example, Red Robin’s CFO offered a $1,000 employee bonus for the best cost-
saving idea. The winning idea was reusable kids’ cups that saved hundreds of thousands of dol-
lars. Laping attributes the cost savings to the ESN, stating, “I’m convinced that idea would never
have surfaced if we didn’t have a social network.” 37

Deploying Successful Enterprise Social Networks

The use of ESNs in organizations is new, and organizations are still learning how to use ESNs
successfully (creating fascinating job opportunities for you, by the way.) Before deploying an
ESN, organizations should develop a strategic plan for using SM internally via the same process
they used for their external social media use. Once a strategic plan has been created, an ESN can
then be implemented.
Deploying new systems—including ESNs—can be problematic, so the organization’s strate-
gic plan should be sure to address possible challenges, including the likelihood of employee re-
sistance. Will employees adopt the new system? Not everyone uses every social media platforms
in their personal lives, so why should they use them at work?

36 Yammer, “Empowering Employees for Improved Customer Service and a Better Bottom Line,” Yammer.com,
accessed June 25, 2014, https://about.yammer.com/assets/Yammer-Case-Study-Red-Robin.pdf.
37 Yammer, “Empowering Employees for Improved Customer Service and a Better Bottom Line,” Yammer.com,
accessed June 25, 2014, https://about.yammer.com/assets/Yammer-Case-Study-Red-Robin.pdf.