It’s not so much that management fears Web 2.0 (blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc.), it’s just that they don’t care. They really don’t give a dam because they have a lot of better and more important things to think about it. In fact, it wouldn’t even crack the top 50 things that concern senior management.
Apparently it takes a rocket scientist to figure this out because the extraordinary and unfounded hype about Web 2.0 has not only continued unabated but has increased exponentially since the start of last year.
It’s not to say that they won’t always be so apathetic to Web 2.0, but let’s face it Web 2.0 is only a collection of tools – it’s not a revolution folks (don’t believe the hype). Don’t get me wrong, I’m advocate of social media tools particularly blogs and wikis, but senior management just don’t care (yet). Of course, there are always progressives and exceptions to this rule.
For those that do care and ‘fear’ Web 2.0, Jerry Bowle’s has good column (reposting his most popular hit of 2006) Top 10 Management Fears About Enterprise Web 2.0 from the FASTForward blog. Oddly enough they’re posted in the form of questions but they are still valid nonetheless:
1. How can I be certain that the information that is gathered and shared behind the firewall stays behind the firewall?
2. How do I control who has access to particular levels of information and databases?
3. How do I protect the integrity of the information from malicious tampering by disgruntled employees or managers?
4. How can I be sure that information is being “tagged” properly for efficient retrieval later?
5. What kind of training do employees need before they can effectively use the technology?
6. How can I monitor the system to make certain that what individuals are saying and sharing reflects company policy?
7. What are the legal dangers in saving and sharing so much loosely supervised input?
8. How do I distinguish “productive” use of the technology from horsing around?
9. How do I “manage” the gathering and disseminating of so much unstructured information?
10. How do I know if I’m getting my money’s worth out of the investment in technology?
(Thanks to Bill Ives for steering me in this direction).
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