Keyword ‘Corp’

Business Practice

Community Management Should Include In-House Culture

December 2nd, 2009 by Andrew Swenson
Image Credit: Thanachart R.

Image Credit: Thanachart R.

When we talk about the practice of community management, we often speak only of the external relationship between an organization and its customers. I contend that organizations must weave together the practice of active online customer engagement with the management of in-house culture.

Culture Meets Customers

Considering that 60% of employees are considering jumping ship for new opportunities as soon as the recession ends, I’d say we have some work to do in company culture development.

What’s scary is that your company’s culture is important not just internally, but externally as well. As Bradford Shimp remarks:

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Business Practice

Department Meetings are a Waste of Time (there is a better way)

November 16th, 2009 by Andrew Swenson
Photo Credit: wynand van niekerk

Photo Credit: wynand van niekerk

Many companies still continue the outdated practice of weekly (or even daily) department meetings for passing along information (including project updates). It’s my opinion that these meetings are a complete waste of time that could otherwise be spent solving actual business problems.

The better option for passing information

This is by no means groundbreaking, but the simple solution to preventing the monumental time suck of departmental meetings is an online forum using a service like Google Wave, Ning, Facebook, or a custom install behind the firewall.

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Business Practice

Why I Hope Corporate Hierarchy is Fracturing

June 29th, 2009 by Andrew Swenson

I recently read this article on CNN Money that spotlights a stay at home mom turned 6-figure entrepreneur. There was also this one about teens-turned internet entrepreneurs on the New York Times website.

I think there’s an interesting dynamic going on here: People who are out of work (and out of options) are marketing their professional capabilities with the aid of the internet.

Moreover,  I hope there’s a fracturing of corporate hierarchy going on, too.

It’s my opinion that in the pre-recession economy, many were rewarded for a lack of innovation. You came to work, put in your hours, climbed the ladder, and in return, you got the corner office and a golden parachute.

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Career

Gen Y: Made for Collaboration; Time-Clock Incompatible

June 25th, 2009 by Andrew Swenson

Entrepreneur.com recently blogged about biz/tech journo Michael S. Malone’s new book: The Future Arrived Yesterday: The Rise of the Protean Corporation and What It Means for You.

Malone argues that Gen Y (or the millennials, or whatever you want to call us) isn’t a hard-working or loyal generation, but it’s one that will, as Entrepreneur puts it:

“Accelerate the nation’s evolution form a corporate economy of worker bees to an entrepreneurial one of innovative thinkers and rapid change.”

While that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (sorry “worker bees”), I’m a little miffed about the hard-work/loyalty crack. I don’t think that loyalty and hard work are the point.

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