Contrary to what you might think, this is not an assertion by some hyped Californian startup leader.
It is a very serious statement by Adm. Gary Roughead, until recently the Chief of Naval Operations of the US Navy.
Like any other organization, the military finds that it is good to adopt social networks and a proactive social networks policy. Just erecting high walls and prohibiting people from using social networks would be a disaster.
And the Navy has found how social networks like Facebook can bring tremendous value to their action. Compared to official reporting, social networks give a more agile and deeper communication system, allowing to touch people directly, allowing a community to form and help on a local level, complementing the traditional hierarchical system of command.
As an organization, through social networks, the Navy also engages successfully the community of the sailors families, future recruits and any other person concerned by a Navy’s operation.
Adm Roughead goes on to mention three challenges for leaders in the Fourth Revolution:
- the limit between work and private life is blurring considerably;
- a balance needs to be found between accountability and empowerment;
- resist the temptation to make it about you – don’t be ego-driven.
A final quote from Adm Roughead:
“it would be a strategic error of the most basic nature to not do everything you can to empower your workforce to communicate on behalf of the organization”
I encourage you to read Adm Roughead entire speech on social networks.
If the military can open to social networks and even leverage on them to be more effective, why are you still shy of adopting them in your organization?
