How social media dissolves hierarchy, confusion and pesky 'catch up' meetings

With the rise of social media ‘Ninjas,’ ‘Gurus’ and ‘Mavens,’ we’ve seen an outpouring of advice on how to master the social web. In addition to examining how we can improve at social marketing, I believe we should ask what social media can teach us about leading a company or team. Yes, instead of being social media ‘Jedi’ today, let’s take on the role of ‘Padawan’. There is a great reason for doing so: as much as our creativity and innovation guide the development of technology, technology also guides the development of our own thinking.

For instance, the Western world could not conceptualize mass communications until Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type printing technology in 1450. The invention reinvented the way that governments, religious leaders, revolutionaries, scientists and businesses operated and understood the written word and its role in the world. The printing press had not just uses but also lessons for everyone who experienced its rise.

In a no less profound way, social media demands that organizations and institutions reinvent the way they think and operate. In the business world, social media provides new answers to the same questions that leaders have struggled with: How do we build a team that communicates, collaborates, adapts and solves its own problems? How do we build a culture that unifies rather than divides an organization?

To get high productivity without high maintenance and build a powerful culture in the 21st century, business leaders should look to the principles of social media. For the manager or executive who wants to build communication, collaboration and cohesion, here are five key lessons to take from the social web.

1. Catch up meetings are history

In the business world, managers often use meetings to “get people up to speed.” In the social media era, everyone is already up to speed. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter alone, we are up-to-date on politics, product launches, scientific research, sport games and birthdays, to name but a few examples. Managers should be creating continuous, web-based discussion to get people on the same page without spending the time and money to gather everyone.

2. It’s time to champion collective knowledge

Businesses have a tendency to silo information with one person. Linda knows the invoicing process. Dan knows all about the company firewall. They don’t tell anyone else what they know. Now compare this to Wikipedia, where multiple experts generously share their knowledge, edit each other’s entries and ensure that content evolves with current events and new discoveries.

Wikipedia knowledge is more up-to-date and thorough than what one person can produce. And from a management perspective, collective knowledge minimizes risk. If Linda and Dan document their specialties on a company wiki, that knowledge sticks around if Linda and Dan get sick or leave the company. Business leaders should focus on creating collective, web-based reservoirs of knowledge.