Does your organization use social media so that it can be seen as a more transparent organization? Are your executives turning to posts and tweets in an effort to engage employees?
If you answered “yes,” wait just one moment before you pat yourself on the back. A recent survey by Deloitte, Core Beliefs and Culture, finds that while many executives believe social media can help build their organization’s cultures, employees are less inclined to agree. In fact, 41 percent of executives say that social media helps them build and maintain the organization’s culture, yet only 21 percent of employees agree with this statement.
Drilling further down into the results, it also appears that views surrounding social media’s ability to make management more transparent differ – 38 percent of executives believe social media improves management transparency compared to 17 percent of employees.
There’s a simple, yet important, lesson here. Improving communication with employees requires a significant investment in terms of both time and resources. Social media can play a role in your efforts, although it should be used as a tool that supports a comprehensive strategy rather than as the strategy.
