Enterprise 2.0: How Social Software Will Change the Future of Work

Citation

Barker, P. (2010), "Enterprise 2.0: How Social Software Will Change the Future of Work", The Electronic Library, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 350-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471011033738

In recent years, developments in the World Wide Web have taken place at an astonishing pace. One of the most significant of these is the movement from “Web 1” (which is essentially a uni‐directional information dissemination medium) to “Web 2” (a bi‐directional information sharing facility). This book explores how some of the implications of Web 2 developments, particularly social software tools, might influence the future of work and organisational development.

Following a Foreword by Don Tapscott and an Introduction by the author, the main content of the book is organised into four multi‐chapter parts. These deal with, respectively, the following topics: social media and social software; the “4Cs Approach”; implementing social software within the enterprise; and social software outside the enterprise. An appendix, reference section and subject index are also provided.

The three chapters that make up the first part of the book are of an introductory nature and serve to provide relevant background to the main thrust of the book. They cover the recent “explosion” in social media availability, the origins and birth of social software and its use within organisations and enterprises. As a precursor to the second part of the book the author describes the SLATES and FLATNESSES models for describing the concept of Enterprise 2.0. In the second part of the book the author presents and explains the “4Cs Approach” – this is essentially a very simple taxonomy of social software. Each of the chapters in this section covers one aspect of the approach: communication, co‐operation, collaboration and connection. Having considered the underlying rationale, models and tools to support the concept of Enterprise 2.0, the two chapters in the third part of the book discuss models for success (and failure) and the implementation and adoption strategies that can be used to introduce Enterprise 2.0 concepts into business organisations. A number of different approaches are considered – including the “4C” method that was introduced in earlier chapters.

In the final part of the book (entitled “Social Software Outside the Enterprise”), the important messages the author conveys relate to the challenges of Internet communication (and conversation): “Listen, Learn and Engage”. By listening to the conversations taking place in the “blogosphere”, an enterprise can gauge the size of the “conversation gap” appertaining to its activities. Some of the current techniques mentioned in this section of the book include: “automated sentiment analysis” and measures that reflect the “share of the buzz” that an organisation has in relation to particular topics.

This is quite an interesting book in that it brings together and consolidates (under the banner of “Enterprise 2.0”) many of the recent Web 2 developments within the context of an enterprise environment. Many of the tools and techniques that are described are reinforced through the use of practical “real world” case studies taken from within contemporary organisations. Although it comes at the end, the book's appendix provides a very useful review of the literature relating to social software.