yee-haa! frank's on the path to becoming a certified WorldBlu Democratic Organization in 2012. pretty cool! and pretty heady company to hang with and learn from: Zappos, Hulu, Davita, Groupon, WD-40 (yes, WD-40!) and many others are all WorldBlu-certified. (See the 2011 list here.)

 

WorldBlu helps create "freedom at work" that drives employee engagement and many other business benefits. frank works to "create brands that shine from the inside out," powered by people who are respected, aligned and connected to their leaders, colleagues and customers through social collaboration technologies.

 

Peering into 2012 for business-building ideas for our clients and for frank, we found it fascinating that democratic organizations are so well-positioned to harness the natural energy of their people and new collaborative technologies. We've often said that you can't build a 2.0 business with a 1.0 mindset. Guess the updated version of that is you can't succeed as a social business with a non-democratic culture.

 

The business of democracy is social.

The business of the future is social.

 

Let's look at some powerful business trends shaping up for 2012 – through the lens of five of WorldBlu's 10 Principles of Organizational Democracy:

 

TRANSPARENCY: Senior-level business leaders will get hit with a social surge of new strategies, sites and apps this year. With about 80% of one of the strongest voting blocs – people from age 18 to 40 – using SMS, and about 50% of those users are on smartphones, mobile social media will tell the real story and influence voters in this year's presidential election. That's pretty much the same deal in corporate America. Transparency is here to stay: how you handle its so-10-seconds-ago speed inside & outside of your organization will determine your fate. (What if the 2012 Election was decided on FB & Twitter? Today's results here!)

 

DIALOGUE + LISTENING: They're two essential strategies of a successful social business. Sad news is, most decision-makers still don't fully understand that social media is about listening, not just broadcasting. (Maybe that's why we're all suffering from "social exhaustion" as @LanceUlanoff describes it: too much content!) But @jowyang sees an opportunity: he believes more companies will leverage some of these social media management systems to "turn to their employees to help listen and triage the right information to the right teams." (Man, that approach alone pretty much embraces all 10 of WorldBlu's prinicples!)

 

INDIVIDUAL + COLLECTIVE: Hey, we're all quirky human-beings. Democratic organizations enjoy celebrating and channeling those idiosyncrasies into distinctive business value, often by pairing individuals within the company with customers, clients and value-chain members who have the same nuances, shall we say. Sure Facebook will hit one billion members in early 2012, but emerging niche social networks are gaining real traction. Pinterest, Instagram (definitely moving beyond the iPhone in 2012, I hear), Svpply, Polyvore – oh, my three daughters adore Poly! – blend the power of social media with our personal passions. Could be the perfect algorithm for helping us do more and be more of what we love.

 

DECENTRALIZATION: No question that successful democratic organizations put more power into the hands of more people. Harnessing the collective intelligence is a natural benefit of social enterprises. frank specializes in change communications for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations, which involves the overhaul of back-bone legacy systems that calls for a ton of personal transformation in the process. The end game is a cleaner, singular technology system that empowers more inter-connected employees, generates more visibility across transactions, relationships and financials and delivers relevant, real-time business intelligence. More open, agile, social, cloud-based ERP implementations are showing up to accelerate all of the above. SAP-SuccessFactors' $3.4 billion deal foreshadows it. Forrester's prediction of a $6.4 billion enterprise collaboration technology market quantifies it.

 

REFLECTION + EVALUATION: "Untangle." Chris Brogran picked it as one of his 3 words for 2012 and I think it's the perfect word to start the year with – maybe keep it near & dear throughout. Agonizing over content-overload again, I like how @mike_stelzner puts it: "Replace the 'be everywhere' mantra with 'be where it matters to your business.'" Yes, getting there does take time, patience, conversation and discipline to stay the course. Then again, those attributes are often second nature to democratic, social and successful businesses.

 

Even after getting to this point writing this post, I'm struck by how business success in 2012 – at any point in time, really – is never about trends, sexy tech or other tools promising to be a silver bullet. It's about the fundamentals of knowing your core, connecting with others who have similar beliefs, values and aspirations, then putting it all into play in a mutually respectful, mutually beneficial way – for people inside and outside of your organization. (I am talking about a competitive business strategy here, though it sounds very personal doesn't it? Absolutely!)

 

I'm grateful that frank's in partnership with so many clients committed to that direction.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts ... especially on how you see the other 5 democratic priniciples stoking social business. (So many other exciting 2012 trends to discuss: gamification, location, crowdsourcing, social clout, content curation, blue-collar blogging and social gifting, for example.) This is an important conversation. Let's keep it going!

 

In the meantime, here's wishing you, your community and your business a prosperous 2012 – a year filled with rich learnings that will sustain your success for a very long time.

 

- john4frank

frank turned six this month, so McKinsey's new report on social technology within the enterprise was a great gift! It quantifies the benefits (and frustrations) of developing a social business – as the authors put it, "extending the organization" inside and out. Plus it had a strong personal resonance with me because it confirmed so many of the reasons we created frank. (Hah! Check out the original frank manifesto we posted Jan. '06.)

 

Over birthday cake & franktinis, here are the Top 5 McKinsey findings that sent shivers down my spine (I swear it wasn't the franktinis):

 

1. experimentation: social technologies as a group have reached critical scale at the organizations represented in the survey ... 72% of the respondents report that their companies are deploying at least one technology
 
2. business benefits: when adopted at scale across a networked enterprise and integrated into the work processes of employees, social technologies can boost a company’s financial performance and market share
 
3. key performance indicators: market share leadership and operating margin improvements correlated positively with the integration of social tools in employees’ day-to-day work
 
4. red flags: about 50% of the internally and externally networked enterprises backslid, that is, they did not maintain the benefits of using social technologies they had achieved a year earlier
 
5. opportunities: many executives believe significant changes will occur as (or if) constraints on social tools and technologies are lifted, such as cultural obstacles, for example. (Check out the chart below to see their vision of likeliest org changes!)

Study the full report for yourself. (Creating a quick McKinsey member-profile is required, but it's worth it.) The nuances to my top-line summary are explained and the report is statistically representative, highly credible and packed with great numbers, charts & graphics to motivate any decision-maker to invest more in social business strategies and technologies that improve processes and drive results.

 

People passionately performing in organizations with the above characteristics was the vision that inspired us to create frank six years ago. (Besides a few beers at McSorely's as we sketched out our model on the napkin to the right.)

 

Since then, frank has had the opportunity to work with and generate exciting results with many courageous clients who took the social business plunge with us.

 

In 2012, we'll launch ERP change-communications solutions to spike the ROI of tech transformation by empowering human transformation. We'll continue working with brands committed to leveraging their people, cultures and transparency as untouchable market differentiators. And we'll kick up our own organizational excellence as frank goes for its WorldBlu certification as a full-fledged democratic company!

 

The McKinsey report closes with this perspective: "Companies that can create change themselves – instead of reacting to it – are likely to benefit the most." Those are the real rewards of authentic business transformation ... within our organizations, our teams and ourselves.

 

- john4frank

Social business gives us so many opportunities to expand: professionally and personally! Just this weekend, I discovered a new way to describe the social strategy work I do at frank: I'm an "Emergeneer." I like it. (See the new infographic from @dachisgroup to learn why you should hire a bunch of them!)

 

Orbit, collect & transmit the wisdom of your brand's crowds: Check out our new frankfile now!

Businesses of all shapes and sizes in all industries need a ton of guidance to optimize integrated, collaborative technologies and champion change inside & outside of their organizations. Our latest frankfile features a new tool – a Social Strategist Satellite – to help Emergeneers (and all types of social business leaders!) maintain their strategic & personal bearings as they orbit, collect and transmit employee and customer intelligence through all of their relevant channels. Read our frankfile on Slideshare ... download your own Social Satellite template now!

 

Explore my Social Satellite...

With so many conversations, communities and channels to monitor, sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough. Other times I feel like there is no "OFF" switch. Having my frank social business strategy mapped out in one place keeps my priorities straight and aligned with my values. I plotted it all on my Social Satellite, so explore it here and let me know what you think.

Social business is a personal business. Those of us leading it need to be it to inspire it in others. Have fun!

 

@john4frank

I love it! The shift is on from "social media tactics" (a grab-bag of participatory, party-favor technology) to "social business strategy" (an intelligent, integrated approach to driving business results by courageously connecting and learning from colleagues, customers and partners.)

 

Ethan McCarty, IBM Senior Manager of Digital & Social Strategy sums it up perfectly in a recent Fast Company article:

 

     “Social media is about media and people, which is one dimension of the overall

     world of business. With social business, you start to look at the way people are

     interacting in digital experiences and apply the insights derived to a wide variety

     of different business processes.”

 

And there are others imploring corporate leadership to wake up to the wisdom of their crowds, that is, amplifying the fact that you can't build a 2.0 business with a 1.0 mindset. Here are just a few voices on this ...

 

Michael Brito – Edelman SVP of Social Business Planning and author of the new book, Smart Business, Social Business, based on this premise (and cool infographic!): "Organizations cannot and will not have effective, external conversations with the social customer unless they can have effective internal conversations with each other first."

 

Nadira Hira – writer and author of an upcoming book about work attitudes among 16- to 32-year-olds who believes: "What many companies get wrong when they think of 'social' is they think of it as a marketing ploy rather than a way of extending what you already really are as a company or as a brand."

 

David Kirkpartick – tech journalist and author of the Forbes article, "Social Power and The Coming Corporate Revolution," who writes: "The world is becoming more democratic and reflective of the will of the people. And pragmatically, social power can help keep your company vital. Newly armed customer and employee activists can become the source of creativity, innovation and new ideas to take your company forward."

 

Passionate perspectives about the real revolution going on. Once again, it's not about technology, it's about people. So we better get serious about our social strategies – inside and outside of our businesses – because as Kirkpatrick reminds us, "People are changing faster than companies."

 

@john4frank

Call me a cynic, but high employee-engagement scores alone do not equal open, creative, collaborative cultures. No question that engagement and collaboration are two sides of the same cultural coin when it comes to thriving business environments that progressive leaders want to empower and employees want to participate in, but high 1.0 engagement scores on their own don't cut it.

 

In a rich piece about how engagement affects collaboration, @jacobm puts it this way: "Employees may be 'happy,' but I think that effective collaboration is another variable that should be considered."

 

Check out the "workplace tradition" slide from a recent frank presentation.

 

It depicts some of the characteristics of a dictatorial organization. (Too strong? WorldBlu research states that 1 out of 4 Americans still believe they work in a dictatorship.)

 

Thing is, dictatorial isn't all bad: follow the rules and you get rewarded with comfy benefits, lush pension plans, sweet company perks and the soothing perception of stability. Work in an environment like that and you're damn right you're going to say, "Hell yes, I'm engaged!" when the survey comes around. Congrats: you've generated high 1.0 engagement scores.

 

But those attitudes and resulting types of siloed, stick-to-my-knitting, don't-rock-the-boat, entitled cultures won't last long in the marketplace. At their competitive heels are companies that shine from the inside out, succeeding with open, flat, fluid, fast, self-actualized people and cultures; 2.0 business collaboration at its best. We love to say they run "at the speed of trust."

 

Are they engaged? Definitely.  But it's not just about the bennies. It's really the inverse of that: it's about achieving success through personal accountability, confident collaboration and of course, leveraging new technologies to make it all sing.

 

The bottom-line business metric is always about "performance" of course, and Gallup says that in world-class organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is about 9.5:1. In average organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is about 1.8:1.

 

So yes, work on employee engagement. But do it for the right reasons: like authentically fueling an agile, 2.0 collaborative, individual mindset and long-term, collective success. 

 

@john4frank

 

The Drinkin' for Dowds team made our sponsors proud! We finished the race before nightfall and we raised even more cash for Mark's new bike when he's ready to ride. Thanks to everyone who supported our adventure – especially WorldBlu and Brainpark!

And we're not done yet: the final push is on to kick up the donations through Sept. 20.

Please Chipin today!

It truly is in all of our best interests to get Mark Dowds up & running ASAP ;-) thanks!

@john4frank

 

 

-------------------------------- 

JUST RELEASED: NEW RACE-DAY T-SHIRT DESIGN

Inspired by how the Irish always see the lucky side of life, our new t-shirt design will ensure the smiles as we knock off the miles. (Thank you Elissa & Jody!)

 

NEW TEAM SPONSORS: THANK YOU!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Come Sat. Sept. 10, frank friends will take to the street to collect some serious cycling cash for Mark Dowds, our good friend and business colleague sidelined for months after a knee-crushing bike accident.


So while Mark's on his road to recovery, we'll be Drinkin' for Dowds to rally support and raise donations for a sweet, new ride when Mark's ready to roll.

We've made it easy & fun for you to help. Here's how:

1. ChipIn now to donate to Mark's new bike!


2. Join us for a true Irishman's 5K: 9/10 Mill City Suds Run!






3. Like the Mark Dowds Support Team page!

4. Do all of the above!

Last thing you need to know: Mark's frank friends will be in regular, intense training for the Suds Run from here through event day. If you need practice perfecting the pacing of your James Page beer consumption over the 5K course, contact me for Happy Hour training schedules. Sláinte!

@john4frank

From franktini's to Traci Fenton to beer-braised short ribs – WorldBlu frankfest was an awesome experience!

Click here for pics ... watch the video here!

Thanks to everyone who joined us ... to our special guest speaker, Traci Fenton, founder of Worldblu ... to three-year, WorldBlu-certified New Belgium Brewing for all the great beer flavors ... to our local friends at Uptown Tattoo, Moxie Hair Salon, Flanders Bros. Cycle and Planet Soccer MN for all the sweet gift certificates ... to Gastrotruck for the delectable democratic street food ... and to our summer interns – Zoey & Caitlin – who planned & pulled off a great party + interviewed Traci the next morning!

Watch Traci Fenton's interview here!

Have a great summer everyone ... fall frankfest will be here before we know it!

@john4frank

After last week's incredible presentations and conversations about freedom at work at WorldBlu LIVE!, a smaller group got together to brainstorm how to “gamify” the WorldBlu certification process. (I love the idea … even started creating a few taglines for the new game sprinkled throughout this post!)

 

WorldBlu is an emerging brand with a bold vision: see 1 billion people working in free and democratic workplaces. It’s also a brand with a courageous, compassionate leader in Traci Fenton and a brand that stands for personal and organizational transformation. Technology can amplify those attributes. Better yet, gamificaiton can model WorldBlu’s values in fun, fresh, experiential, scaleable ways: all mapping directly to WorldBlu’s business goals. (And thanks to @DanMezick who provided more momentum by urging us to watch Jane McGonigal’s shrewd TED talk: “Gaming Can Make a Better World.”)

 

O.K. O.K. There were resistances … gaming the process might cheapen the WorldBlu brand; it’d put more focus on a virtual experience vs. the authentic human experience WorldBlu stands for; gaming concepts such as earning points, competition and striving for status are just the things WorldBlu opposes in a command & control, corporate world. (But c’mon … we all want to change the existing game of business, so let’s loosen up a bit – at least to play with some ideas for now!)

 

Thankfully, we all agreed on the main WorldBlu business goals: 1) increase general awareness; 2) efficiently deliver more education & generate more global conversation about democratic organizations; 3) build active community; 4) get more new members to drive revenue to drive the mission – and of course; 5) do it fast, do it big, do it on a shoestring budget!

 

So let’s log in and imagine the new WorldBlu certification game …

 

After an exciting build-up to BillionBlu, hundreds of international organizations begin the journey at the same time! (Yes, once a year, participants have 60 days to complete the task.) The journey map is set out before them. Education modules and video testimonials from journey insiders who’ve played the game (CEOs, VPs, Directors, Managers, Team Members, Consultants, etc.) can be viewed and leveraged for perspective and help along the way. Points are earned for tasks and phases completed along the way. Badges are unlocked and displayed online: printable posters are available for posting progress at work. Visibility to other organizations in the process helps everyone compare and contrast how they’re individually progressing. Challenges are made by others in similar business categories, sizes, regions, cities to spike the fun. Groups can also be formed within those categories. There’s a central leaderboard to display everyone’s success. And if you see an organization that needs help? Earned points can be gifted and more points can be accumulated for supporting others. Online conversations during the game light up global social networks. Traditional media can cover one organization’s journey or the entire freedom frenzy at the big event … that is, the next WorldBlu LIVE! and the thousands who attend and celebrate!

 

It’s a conceptual sketch, got it … and I’d love to hear ideas on how to enrich and improve it.

 

The possibility I wanted to create for now, is that authentically gaming any business process or experience can pay big dividends. It has to be done by honoring the intent and integrity of any organization’s mission and values, yet that’s an opportunity, not a barrier to creating powerful, engaging, energizing, viral experiences.

 

WorldBlu is committed to re-inventing the corporate game and creating freedom at work. Impacting 1 billion people in the real world might take a while. Creating a visceral online version of that vision can happen in a few months. That’s where I’d put my chips! -john4frank

 

 

[[ GAME ON! read our new frankfile for gamification tips from the experts + see the six games we’d love to play at work! ]]

Thanks to LOHAS for the opportunity to learn so much from so many passionate sustainability experts at last week's Minneapolis conference ... and for inviting us to lead our workshop on "How to Create Buzz and Generate People-powered Success Inside Your Organization."

View our deck on SlideShare now!

Co-presenting with Jill Kolling, our EcoHive.com partner from Paydirt, we had a lively, creative time taking on some key barriers to sustainability advancement listed here.

Seems like a lot of organizations have developed official sustainability programs: not so many have sparked deep participation and ongoing action beyond small, loyal groups of green-team employees within their organizations.

Hopefully our deck will deliver some fresh ways to make that happen. We also believe it's time to leverage best-of-class, enterprise, collaboration technology to empower employees to drive sustainability success. (Slide 11 from our deck lists some of the premier tech platforms in the collaboration space. Also check out Ecohive.com that brings it all together for your corporate sustainability goals.)

What stuck with me from the conference was all the heart-felt discussion about expanding and connecting the local Twin Cities' sustainability community; the opportunity to amplify the voice of those doing great sustainability work; the need to attract more grass-roots involvement and engagement.

These are all values of a Web 2.0 and the exploding world of social media. Hopefully many other attendees of LOHAS' Minneapolis conference will turn to tech for more help. Like any great revolution, educated individuals incited to act is what fuels the movement. And the global sustainability conversation is as important as any to revolutionize ASAP!

- john