Being Peter Kim

Binary thinking

2009-11-03T09:03:00-05:00

A couple months ago after Snow Leopard was released, I was speaking with a friend about base 2, base 10, and base n numbers in general. Over the past month, I've been thinking about the definition of Social Business Design and considering the range of reactions from supporters and detractors.

All business discussions can be reduced to a single binary argument focusing on the bottom line. Does it improve profitability, yes or no? In practice, the range of decisions a manager must make consists of a multitude of choices better described by real options theory and system dynamics.

To make a difference in social business, activity must be measured and managed, whether loosely or tightly. There's value in focusing on the 0's and 1's while understanding how they roll up to create bigger, more elegant numbers. Let's start simple, because we're still only at the beginnings of social business.

A conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk

2009-10-27T09:01:00-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I had a public, online conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk aka @garyvee. He’s on a PR blitz to promote the release of his new book “Crush It.”

If you’re not familiar with Vaynerchuk, he’s a self-trained wine expert who has used social media, online video in particular, to drive exponential growth in his family's wine business. At the same time, he's built a kingpin personal brand, signing a seven-figure, ten-book deal in Spring 2009. Vaynerchuk stands as proof of how participating in one’s customer ecosystem leads to business success.

To view the entire conversation, visit The Dachis Group Collaboratory.

And you may want to consider subscribing to the Collaboratory's RSS feed.

Defining Social Business Design: Style vs. Substance

2009-10-26T10:26:00-04:00

Since communicating the definition of social business design earlier this month, I've noted a wide range of reactions to the concept.

For the most part, people understand that we're talking about what's on the horizon for business. However, most detractors seem to take issue with the style of the idea's communication rather than its substance. Some say they don't understand. I'll take that at face value and suggest they try harder. Others ask why simpler words weren't used. Well, as a certain bald-headed guru told me, "words matter."

Words do matter. When I began my stint as a Forrester analyst, I was directed to write for the smartest clients in the room. I patterned my blog with a similar approach. I'm not a journalist, reporting about what's happening now - Mashable, Consumerist, and TechCrunch are great at that. I'm a business consultant who analyzes what's happening now in order to advise companies on what happens next.

But style matters too. A lesson I learned the hard way years ago was that often perception matters more than reality. Some people have difficulty with how Dachis Group has defined social business design, which reminds me of another lesson I learned long ago - if you're going to complain about something, offer a constructive solution.

As for substance, I believe there's quite a bit in our thought piece. However, to put a finer point on the definition:

Social Business Design [the key concept] is the
intentional creation [deliberate, not accidental] of
dynamic [live and constantly changing, not static] and
socially calibrated [a primary filter/perspective]
systems, process, and culture [three key elements of all organizations].
Its goal: helping organizations improve value exchange [whether monetary/non-monetary or short-/long-term]
among constituents [people who care about the organization for some reason].
Social Business Design uses a framework [i.e. how it can be applied to different scenarios] of
four mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive [MECE is a key to strategic problem solving]
archetypes [ideal states that serve as goals]:
ecosystem, hivemind, dynamic signal, and metafilter. [connections, culture, communication, content]
This model can be applied to improve customer participation, workforce collaboration, and business partner optimization. [business functions that relate to professional roles]
Doing so provides insight to help measure and manage business [you need to measure it to manage it] to
produce improved and emergent outcomes. [results - read this for more on emergent outcomes]

I welcome the conversation around social business design and hope that we can help guide the way for the confused.

How open are you?

2009-10-19T09:19:00-04:00

A couple weeks ago, my company launched its online presence, The Collaboratory. Part of the site contains a feed of our communications activity - whether public tweets, private "yams", or messages emailed. Each channel carries a varying level of opacity, for good reason.

After operating the live stream in public view for a couple weeks, each of us has reflected upon the experience and shared our thoughts. My take:

The Collaboratory made me rethink my perspective on authenticity in social media. For the most part, people live by the old T.S. Eliot quote, "prepare a face to meet the faces you meet." That is, despite claims of openness, most social media presences are carefully crafted, user-controlled portraits of what they want the world to see. As a company that advises clients on social spaces, it's paramount that we push on boundaries ourselves. I'll admit, I was uncomfortable when we turned the feed public - but the more I thought about what was being shared, the more I realized how often legacy thinking can roadblock new ideas...and how much work we have ahead of us before people truly understand the fundamentals behind social business design.

To read perspectives from the entire team, read We Work In Public on the Dachis Group Collaboratory.

And if you find the content interesting, may I suggest subscribing to the Collaboratory's RSS feed.

Enterprise 2.0, Social Media Marketing, and Social Business Design

2009-10-14T09:01:00-04:00

How do you refer to "this space"?

If you're from a marketing or communications background, you likely refer to "Social Media Marketing." If you're from an IT background, you likely refer to "Enterprise 2.0." Recently, thought leaders have been shifting focus to "social business." This evolution is natural - and fully anticipated.

There's nothing wrong with these terms, but it's time for us to straighten out terminology, especially when it comes to Social Media Marketing, Enterprise 2.0, Social Business, and Social Business Design...

Continue reading on the Dachis Group Collaboratory