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Social media and corporate innovation management—Eight rules to form an innovative organisation

Social Media und Corporate Innovation Management – Acht Regeln für eine innovative Organisation

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Abstract

This paper explores the potential of using social media to achieve a higher degree of effectiveness in innovation management in a corporate context. When using online social media platforms to increase in-house communication effectiveness for innovation processes within corporations, two complementary worlds have to be considered separately, but have to be combined and harmonized as they are closely intertwined: the creative phase of flexible and uncontrolled information exchange, as well as the linear process world that is needed to steer the financial and business management issues of a company.

So far, the general discussion has mainly focused on certain aspects of social media, such as the mass-scale networking of users of different self-portrayal and interaction platforms, such as LinkedIn and Xing, or the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ effect for large scale idea platforms, or as a marketing tool to reach target groups with dedicated messages.

However, there are essential cultural and motivational issues, which have to be given due consideration as a prerequisite for the implementation of social media as an in-house communication platform in the context of corporate innovation management. Social media mechanisms are principally based on information sharing. In a corporate environment, however, shared information does not necessarily translate into equal benefits for all those involved. Such a mismatch could lead to significant drawbacks for staff members and consequently hinders effective innovation processes. Thus, the barriers to effective innovation performance have to be promptly identified and duly considered when implementing Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) tools based on online social media functions.

The findings of the study, described in this paper, which are based on the practical observation of the real-world behaviour of employees within an organisational context, will contribute to better understanding when and how to use online social media tools within organisations. They also clearly demonstrate that the implementation of new IT systems within organisations is not only a mere technology issue. The paper proposes as conclusion eight recommendations to form an innovation-supportive organisation culture as a prerequisite for an effective online social media usage within firms.

Zusammenfassung

In diesem Beitrag wird das Potenzial von Social Media untersucht, um im Unternehmenskontext einen höheren Grad an Effektivität im Innovationsmanagement zu erzielen. Bei der Nutzung von Social-Media-Plattformen zur Steigerung der internen Kommunikationseffektivität für Innovationsprozesse in Unternehmen ist man mit zwei komplementären Welten konfrontiert, die dennoch kombiniert und harmonisiert werden sollen, da sie eng miteinander verknüpft sind: die kreative Phase des flexiblen und unkontrollierten Informationsaustausches sowie die lineare Prozesswelt, die erforderlich ist, um die finanziellen und betriebswirtschaftlichen Erfordernisse eines Unternehmens zu steuern.

Bisher konzentrierte sich die allgemeine Diskussion hauptsächlich auf bestimmte Aspekte sozialer Medien, wie die massenweise Vernetzung von Nutzern verschiedener Selbstdarstellungs- und Interaktionsplattformen wie z. B. LinkedIn und Xing, oder die Verwendung des ,,Schwarm-Wissens“ für groß angelegte Ideenplattformen oder als Marketinginstrument, um Zielgruppen mit speziellen Botschaften zu erreichen.

Allerdings gibt es wesentliche kulturelle und motivationale Themen, die als Voraussetzung für die Implementierung von Social Media als interne Kommunikationsplattform im Rahmen des Corporate Innovation Managements entsprechend berücksichtigt werden müssen. Social-Media-Mechanismen basieren hauptsächlich auf dem Austausch von Informationen. In einem Unternehmensumfeld bedeutet die gemeinsame Nutzung von Informationen jedoch nicht unbedingt den gleichen Nutzen für alle Beteiligten. Ein solches Missverhältnis könnte zu erheblichen Nachteilen für die Mitarbeiter/innen führen und folglich wirksame Innovationsprozesse behindern. Daher müssen allfällige Hindernisse in Bezug auf eine effektive Innovationsleistung bei der Implementierung von CSCW-Tools (Computer Supported Cooperative Work), die auf Online-Social-Media-Funktionen basieren, ermittelt und entsprechend berücksichtigt werden.

Die in diesem Beitrag beschriebenen Ergebnisse einer Studie, die auf der praktischen Beobachtung des realen Verhaltens von Mitarbeiter/innen im organisatorischen Kontext beruhen, sollen zu einem besseren Verständnis beitragen, wann und wie Online-Social-Media-Tools in Organisationen effizient eingesetzt werden. Dabei zeigt sich auch deutlich, dass die Implementierung neuer IT-Systeme in Organisationen nicht nur ein technologisches Problem ist. Der Autor gibt zum Abschluss acht Empfehlungen, um eine innovationsunterstützende Kultur als Voraussetzung für eine effektive Online-Nutzung sozialer Medien in Unternehmen zu schaffen.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is based on a PhD thesis carried out under the supervision of Prof. David Hutchison and Prof. Mark Rouncefield at Lancaster University, UK, and performed within AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Department for Digital Safety & Security.

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    Helmut Leopold

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Leopold, H. Social media and corporate innovation management—Eight rules to form an innovative organisation. Elektrotech. Inftech. 136, 241–253 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-019-0729-5

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