Caroline Kealey's Pecha Kucha presentation on Employee Engagement and Social Media for the February 9, 2011 Conference Board of Canada’s Public Sector Human Resources Conference, HR Excellence in a Changing World. Connect with Caroline Kealey at Ingenium Communications: WEBSITE: http://www.ingeniumcommunications.com TWITTER: @CarolineKealey SUBSCRIBE to the Results Map Blog: http://www.resultsmap.com/category/blog/

1. Welcome to this Pecha Kucha presentation on employee
Welcome to this Pecha Kucha presentation on employee
engagement, version 2.0.
The focus is on exploring the connection between employee
engagement and social media. My objective with this
engagement and social media My objective with this
material is to provide some ideas on how to leverage social
media as part of internal communications – among
organizations with or without web 2.0 activities.
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2. The challenge of effective employee communication and
The challenge of effective employee communication and
engagement is significant.
Consider that your employees are operating in the most
information and media saturated environment in the history
information and media saturated environment in the history
of humanity.
Your challenge is to somehow pierce through that noise with
messages that not only inform, but that inspire and engage
employees to contribute meaningfully to your vision and
employees to contribute meaningfully to your vision and
objectives.
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3. So, why should you care?
So, why should you care?
Because ultimately, communications and engagement fuels
organizational performance. Thoughtful, effective and
efficient internal communications will propel your
efficient internal communications will propel your
organization further in achieving its mandate.
As we’ll see, no other communication tactic can compare
with the sheer power of social media in achieving these
goals.
goals
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4. Now let’s take a look at how social media fits in with
employee engagement.
The essential point is this: While your organization may not
yet have jumped on the social media bandwagon your
yet have jumped on the social media bandwagon – your
employees have. They are posting on Facebook walls,
Tweeting and looking for their next job on LinkedIn.
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5. And that means that if you re serious about engaging with
And that means that if you’re serious about engaging with
employees, at minimum, you have to be aware of how web
2.0 is shaping their experience and their expectation in
terms of accessing and sharing information.
At a practical level, social media has put an end to what we
have long known as the command and control approach to
communications. Despite the valiant efforts of many to hold
on– particularly in the risk‐averse culture of the public sector
p y p
‐ it’s dead.
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6. While many find this alarming social media actually holds
While many find this alarming – social media actually holds
amazing promise in terms of engaging with employees at a
whole new level.
Social media is not a threat. It’s probably the single most
powerful, cost‐effective opportunity your organization has in
terms of connecting and communicating with staff.
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7. Nature abhors a vacuum and this is vividly illustrated in the
Nature abhors a vacuum and this is vividly illustrated in the
field of communication. Not communicating is sending a
message in and of itself – and it creates a fertile ground for
employees to fill the void.
While this has always been true, it’s exacerbated by the rise
of social media in which there is a heightened expectation
for instant communication, regardless of barriers of time,
space or organizational status.
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8. This has a material impact on your organization, and here s
This has a material impact on your organization, and here’s
why.
This chart produced by the International Association of
Communicators gives a snapshot of the usage and credibility
of various communications channels. Notice that where it’s
at is the grapevine – and social media is basically the
grapevine on hyperdrive.
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9. Social media channels exponentially increase the velocity
Social media channels exponentially increase the velocity
and reach of grapevine conversations which can now take
place across traditional boundaries of time, space and
hierarchy.
This is a very powerful dynamic for high performance
organizations, because we know that best practices in
employee communications focus on trust and authentic 2
way communication – precisely the nature of engagement
that s mediated through web 2.0.
that’s mediated through web 2 0
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10. Regardless of your title or role, you know from experience
Regardless of your title or role, you know from experience
that communication happens up, down and across your
organization.
The unparalleled power of social media tools leads us to
The unparalleled power of social media tools leads us to
consider – which of these types of communication patterns
might be enhanced by social media? A CEO blog? Facebook
application on your Intranet or a collaborative wiki?
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11. A significant concept in the field of employee
A significant concept in the field of employee
communication and engagement is “Line of Sight”. What is
meant by the expression is the effort it takes to connect an
employee’s individual experience to the bigger picture of the
organization.
Social media channels such as blogs, internal Twitter forums
like Yammer and wikis can be powerful tools to help this line
of sight come alive for employees.
g p y
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12. Despite all of these benefits to social media, to be sure,
Despite all of these benefits to social media, to be sure,
many will resist. The naysayers will fret about inappropriate
messages and risk.
But if you take a step back I think you’ll see that if you have
employees writing inappropriate content on a blog or on
Twitter, you have an HR problem, not a social media
problem.
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13. Let s take a look at some of the ways that social media is
Let’s take a look at some of the ways that social media is
being used successfully right here, right now among
Canadian public sector organizations.
One of the most significant ways that social media
One of the most significant ways that social media
technology is being used to drive organizational
performance is among wikis used to share ideas and foster
co‐creation among teams, such as scientists at Natural
Resources Canada or Industry Canada’s intellectual property
y p p y
examiners.
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14. Many public sector organizations even some with very
Many public sector organizations – even some with very
conservative work cultures such as the Canadian Security
Establishment, have instituted leader blogs as a way for
executives to connect and share ideas with their teams.
Blogs are simple tools that facilitate sharing ideas and
setting up a dialogue that more easily cuts across the
hierarchical structures that often limit exchange.
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15. Because social media channels are organic and user driven,
Because social media channels are organic and user‐driven,
they naturally flow to what is useful, relevant, interesting or
entertaining for employees.
That shift is tremendously healthy in fostering more
That shift is tremendously healthy in fostering more
meaningful communication and engagement – but let’s face
it, it can also be very scary for organizations that are used to
carefully controlling and packaging the message.
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16. But even if it s at times uncomfortable, effective and
But even if it’s at times uncomfortable, effective and
meaningful employee engagement is important.
This stuff matters because ultimately your internal
performance is directly tied to your external performance.
performance is directly tied to your external performance
Given the efficiency and effectiveness of social media for
driving performance through employee engagement,
organizations ignore or resist it at their peril.
i i i i i h i il
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17. Here are some things to think about when designing
Here are some things to think about when designing
effective employee communication programs, including
launching social media activities.
The first is to demonstrate leadership and a sustained
commitment over time. Authenticity is critical – it’s about
building trust through credible and timely communication.
Ultimately, the focus should be on engagement based on
listening and connecting with employees.
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18. A shift toward social media triggers a shift in the nature of
A shift toward social media triggers a shift in the nature of
the conversation about employee engagement.
It’s no longer about the organization and what it wants to
communicate to staff in a one‐way, parochial setting.
communicate to staff in a one way parochial setting
Rather, to embrace social media is de facto about really
focusing on employees and what is valuable to them.
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19. The number one mistake organizations make in adopting
The number one mistake organizations make in adopting
social media techniques in employee engagement is failing
to really consider what success looks like.
Before jumping on the bandwagon, it s critical to really take
Before jumping on the bandwagon it’s critical to really take
a step back and consider what kinds of outcomes are being
targeted.
Having a careful, realistic plan is vital to ensuring that you
i f l li i l i i l i h
get the most out of these tools. It’s also the key to
managing expectations and risk exposure.
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20. Some final comments on where do we go from here?
Some final comments on ‐‐ where do we go from here?
The first step is what we’ve done together today – to think
about how social media affects employee communication
and engagement, even when it’s conducted off‐line.
Next is to experiment – to get comfortable with the
uncomfortable. Social media is here to stay. The question is
not if, but rather when, and how can you tap into its power
to effectively fuel your organization s employee engagement
to effectively fuel your organization’s employee engagement
– and ultimately, its organizational performance.
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