Why Social Business Leaders Are Shattering The Traditional Workplace

I recently chatted with Maria Huntalas of IBM about her latest eBook, “25 Inspiring Global Social Business Leaders, Why They Are Shattering the Traditional Workplace as We Know It.”

The eBook is based on a pilot program that IBM ran with The Economist Intelligence Unit to identify 25 of the most inspiring global social business leaders in the following categories: visionaries, culture shapers, strategic thinkers, storytellers and entrepreneurs.

While many of the outcomes from the project were unexpected, the engagement results were nothing short of profound. With over 24 million impressions captured and 1,500 unique viewers, the project was nominated for an Ad Age BtoB Award.

But why the massive results? Both IBM and The EIU really understood the value of teaming up and collaborating, especially when it came to engaging the 25 inspiring leaders. It’s a shift in thinking that says the dominant voice isn’t necessarily held by one individual, but rather by entire communities.

“This whole sharing of stories and storytelling in a community environment powered and fueled by social networks and technologies is really now the norm,” says Huntalas. “When you think about the huge implications that has on brand advocacy, that’s really why business leaders should care.”

For example, Ben & Jerry’s and Frito-Lay both turned to their communities for help in identifying the next big thing — the next big innovative idea or product — thereby employing a tactic that was similar to a crowd-sourcing strategy.

“I think that’s why business leaders really need to pay attention, because all of a sudden ideas are not coming from inside the four walls of their companies — they are coming from these communities,” says Huntalas. “The communities are exhibiting a much greater influence over their brands.”

It’s about making the customer the “hero” of the story through authentic engagement. In order to do that, you really do have to better understand them. In Huntalas’ book, she explains that this is where technology, analytics and cognitive computing help.

“My colleague, Simon Mainwaring, CEO of We First Branding and founder of the We First Leadership Summit – where we interviewed many thought leaders and speakers who are the subjects of the videos we featured in the eBook – always says: ‘Be the celebrant, not the celebrity,’” says Huntalas.

She suggests that if businesses start putting people at the center of the conversation, they could in fact inspire greater levels of innovation and collaboration, which will benefit everyone just from the sharing of information.



Original Article: http://svtechwire.tumblr.com/post/114598296383/why-social-business-leaders-are-shattering-the

What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below. Thank you!