There are still concerns by leadership that internal social networking tools are used exclusively or mostly for casual exchanges about pets, humor, and vacations – the frivolous. The cry is that it’s a waste of time. I’ve argued it’s not. These are actually healthy signs of relationships between people that can foster good working relationships or as Harold Jarche simply said, “cooperative people collaborate.”
However, what if someone posts a new idea or approach or questions a change in company direction – basically if they open a larger issue for the organization and it goes largely unaddressed and ignored? Hmmm… why won’t people publicly comment on, add to, or even engage in trying to understand this post if it’s unclear?
What is clear is that the relationships between people may be fine… but how about that relationship between people and the organization?
Fear and apathy are far worse for an organization than the frivolous.
