I read a blog post yesterday in which the author railed against companies who would dare to limit the social networking activity of their employees. He claimed that because social networking (he calls it Social Media) is becoming such an ingrained part of our communication and collaboration infrastructure, limiting use of said social media would inhibit productivity.
Really?
And, does he believe that one should handle every Email message, text message, or instant message the moment it arrives because it might be too important to miss?
For years, productivity experts have urged us to focus, eliminate distractions, and stop multi-tasking. Multi-tasking is the bane of productivity, which is why top executives have their assistants answer all of their incoming text-based messages.
We get far more accomplished by focusing on one thing for a reasonable amount of time, and social networking demands quite the opposite.
When I was a business coach, I had a client who insisted that his job depended on answering every single Email and instant message within minutes of receiving the message. He was simultaneously scared to death that he’d lose his job because he wasn’t getting his work done. Duh.
A Way Out of the Rabbit Hole of Social Networking
While it’s true that social networking and social media use will increase in the coming years, and they’ll become more integrated into our daily lives, we DO NOT need them to be productive.
Proponents say that social networking/social media improves collaboration by offering us instant group communication and sharing. I won’t argue that point, but I can’t think of a single job outside of the social media/social networking department that needs instant communication to be productive.
I would argue that instant communication gets in the way of productivity because it has people zigging and zagging when they should be spending more time going in a straight line. Collaboration is important to staying ahead of the fast-paced world we live in today, but it’s not the thing that’s going to make or break your company.
The primary difference between a company like Apple, who always seems to come out with winners, to all the Apple wannabe’s is that Apple stays focused. You won’t see them jumping down the rabbit hole of new technology just because it’s new. They get things done because they create a strategy and stick with it, even in the wake of public outrage over things like Flash (Adobe).
Saying that we need Facebook and Twitter to remain competitive is like thinking that every wave that rolls into shore is representative of the direction of the ocean. It doesn’t work that way.
My sense is that the most successful companies of the future will use social media and social networking effectively, but not exclusively. They’ll set a course, and use social networking to make mild course changes, if at all. Those who roll with every wave will find themselves gasping for air within months.
And, my advice is to use social networking/social media wisely. Use them to stay in touch, but don’t think that they’ll ever replace a thoughtful strategy or good leadership.
