"Salesforce CEO admits 'social enterprise' pitch didn't work. Apparently no one knew what 'social enterprise' meant – not even the guys who coined the term." (http://www.zdnet.com/salesforce-ceo-admits-social-enterprise-pitch-didnt-work-7000023336/)
This article by Rachel King for Between the Lines
caught my attention for its validation of a fundamental premise – that the much-hyped term would do little to push the case for business unless it could deliver value in tangible terms. A tool's value would be determined by whether it was fit-for-purpose. The problem with most "me"-centric terms is that they get caught up in the narcissistic web of looking at how they become the centre of attention. And in the process fail to meet their raison d'être – to serve the customer.
Marc Benioff has moved on to a new term – the Internet of Customers. And at least this time, the focus is on the customer – and hopefully, this coinage will probably have a longer and more useful lifespan than the declaration at Dreamforce 2011. It has become quite clear that collaboration and social media tools without any specific purpose do not really end up being very useful knowledge tools. While there may be traction in terms of getting people to create some chatter, the real value that one gets from providing direction to the conversation is missing.
I think it is this perspective that Marc Benioff seems to have gotten right the second time around, with the launch Salesforce One, and the "Internet of Customers" pitch. Here, clearly, the focus is away from product-centric statements that highlight messaging prowess, and instead focuses on what it can do for the customer. This was highlighted during a recent conversation with my good friend Sukumar Rajagopal, when he spoke about bringing "purpose" into the equation when implementing KM initiatives at Cognizant. From the initial thrust of generating a buzz – primarily through getting people to participate in social media, the focus shifted towards innovation as the reason for KM activities. This clearly ups the ante in terms of engaging people in conversations that have a clear purpose. What also becomes apparent is that it is not about the tool or the employee – it is about his participation in making a difference to the customer. The interesting aspect is that this also enables performance measurement. We are able to clearly identify if the KM initiative is headed in the right direction.
How well-defined is the purpose of your KM initiative? Share your feedback.
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