The Dialogue Takes Off
The dialogue we hoped to spark when we published The Authentic Enterprise and launched this blog is taking off. References to our white paper and our blog are popping up all over the world in the blogosphere and in the mainstream media, as well.
The latest example is a terrific podcast of an interview with IBM’s CCO, Jon Iwata, on a PR technology website called For Immediate Release (FIR) (scroll down to May 6). It’s co-hosted by a pair of consultants named Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, who also write their own blogs, where they are prolific proponents of the use of Web 2.0 technology in corporate PR. Shel recently made a very thoughtful post about overcoming internal resistance to the use of social media in companies.
When asked about this in the FIR podcast, Jon offered an insightful response to those who worry about the ROI of Web 2.0 involvement. First focus on the “I,” not the “R,” Jon advises. The whole point of the digital networking revolution is that participation is virtually free. Once you quit worrying about the costs, and think about the value of having your employees participate in conversations where they might gain insights and influence critical constituencies, the barriers to participation begin to melt away.
By the way, the survey exploring these barriers, which was cosponsored by Page and the Corporate Executive Board and which Jon unveiled at the Spring Seminar, was covered in the online version of PRWeek.
Business audiences were exposed to The Authentic Enterprise in a column by Stefan Stern in the Financial Times. The white paper is also cited as a source in an article advising CEOs to communicate with the media and in Web 2.0 by noted author William J. Holstein in Booz Allen Hamilton’s strategy+business magazine. Holstein is the former editor of Chief Executive magazine.
Solid reviews of The Authentic Enterprise also appear on:
• The Institute for Public Relations website;
• Churbuck.com by David C. Churbuck, who is vice-president of global web marketing at Lenovo and was the founder of Forbes.com;
• Paul Gillin’s Blog, written by a consultant specializing in information technology topics;
• Social Media Explorer by Jason Falls, who holds the title of “social media explorer” at Doe Anderson, a brand-building agency based in Louisville, Ky.;
• Internal Communications Hub, a global membership organization for internal communicators;
• And Newsdesk PR 2.0, a Swedish blog written by Kristofer Björkman.
A welcoming, but semi-critical review of Page Turner, the Page Society blog, was posted by Michael Netzley, an assistant professor of corporate communication at Singapore Management University. I think we’ve addressed Michael’s concerns about subscribing to RSS feeds from our site, so give it a try, if you’re inclined. We’re also hoping to meet Michael’s – and your – expectations about content.
Our spectacular Spring Seminar program also has drawn substantial comment in the blogosphere from PRWeek, PR News, and from Page member and blogger Steve Cody, whose RepMan blog contains posts about the presentations of Ed Koch, Fareed Zakaria, and Rick DeLisi.
There’s much more out there, which can be found by searching the internet for Page Society Authentic Enterprise. But you get the point. We’ve begun to achieve our goal of stimulating dialogue about the trends impacting global enterprises and the role of the chief communications officer (CCO) in helping companies thrive in the rapidly changing environment.
If you have something to add to this conversation, comment here or elsewhere. We’d love to hear from you.
-- Roger Bolton
Senior Counselor
APCO Worldwide
Next entry: Looking Ahead to Future Leaders of the Profession
Previous entry: A New Role for the CCO – Defining and Activating Values
Member Comment:
Well, Elliot, you’ve been very active with thoughful and insightful comments, and I appreciate it. I’m sure others appreciate it, as well.
Your students really do get it. The collaborative nature of Web 2.0 is ideally suited to relationship-building, and this is the key to trust-building. It’s an exciting time to be in public relations.
By Roger Bolton on May, 09 2008
Comment:
Roger,
The discussion is really taking off everywhere except on the blog sponsored by the Page Society. Where are our members? Why have there been so few participants in these discussions? I am a bit surprised and dismayed.
I have used the “Authentic Enterprise” in several business school classes, both senior-level undergrad and graduate student. I have found several things coming from the students:
1. A growing respect for corporate communications
2. A belief that public relations rather than advertising is better positioned to flourish in the age of Web 2.0 because of the understanding of relationships and multiple stakeholders.
3. A recognition that they are more adept than their elders in the new media and can contribute greatly
4. A need to revamp educational curricula, both in business and communications, to reflect the changes (they were very struck by the changing roles of marketing, HR, CIO, etc.). Many of them are in or aspire to roles in marketing and finance. They saw the connections in the corporation toward an enterprise rather than functional approach to values and reputation.
The one thing they pointed out that is very important is that we not think of social media as another way to push information out of an organization. Rather, it is collaborative and should be embraced as that. If it is used as older media were used, companies will find few benefits.
Losing control scared them as well. They thought companies had more control than they now realize (I gave them a view of what things were like when I first started in the business, when we acted and believed we were in control, and were to a great extent). We discussed this against the changes and what this might mean to organizational change dynamics. It was very stimulating.
I would encourage anyone teaching to share the “Authentic Enterprise” with students and faculty for their reactions. Separately, I would hope to see more of the Page members participating in these blogs. There were more than 150 members at the Spring Seminar and to date we have had fewer than 10 members blogging--and most of those (Roger, Peter, etc.)--who are charged with the responsibility.
By Elliot Schreiber on May, 09 2008