A networked Europe – c’est possible? I read today that Axel Schultze is in charge of developing a social media strategy for Europe – yes, Europe!

Just – think about it: think about the barriers you might be able to identify in any one of your current collaboration-orientated projects and then multiply them, say, a few billion times. 

As it happens, I’m working on a collaborative behaviour workshop for the Knowledge & Innovation Network. Here are the top four enablers and barriers I come across while researching my book (not specifically with regard to Europe, but I guess we can apply them):

Key enablers

  1. Social Leadership – leaders that behave in a supportive, enabling manner. They empower others, are passionate and inspirational. They communicate openly and are good at explaining complex things in an accessible way.  
  2. Networked culture – a culture that values connections and knowledge exchange across all parts of the organisation, and beyond. Information flows freely and constructive feedback is welcomed. The organisation is connected and weblike, a starfish not spider.
  3. Reward systems for collaborative behaviour – Renumeration and promotion for people showing collaborative approaches, peer recognition and acknowledgement. Gamification of rewards if possible.
  4. Social proof – real world examples of where collaborative behaviour has paid dividends in some way. This can be anything from increased sales or profits, improved fundraising, a rise in new and repeat customers/ beneficiaries to industry awards and media mentions. 

Key barriers

  1. Anti-social leadership – empowering and promoting favourites, showing volatile and inconsistent behaviour, over-complicating things, not telling the truth, acting mostly in personal interests.
  2. Legacy systems – (both tech and human). Hierarchical structures and processes, over-obsession with security issues and fear of losing competitive advantage.
  3. Reward systems that reinforce the above.
  4. Paying lip service to change without actually changing one iota – something European businesses are very good at (especially banks).

Maybe there is scope here for some kind of international competition for social media consultants to come up with a solution (heh, I’m not joking)! Certainly this is a fabulous top level challenge to community managers everywhere – fancy stepping up to the plate? You can join the discussion on the Digital Agenda Assembly website.

Photo: L Church (via Flickr)

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