Enterprise 2.0: answering some of the tough questions

Euan Semple on the New Web from Dennis Howlett on Vimeo.

Following on from my Enterprise 2.0: what a crock post, I thought it might be useful to show Euan Semple's perspective on what this 'stuff' is all about.

Euan and I met earlier in the year and I wanted to explore some of the themes underpinning much of what we see surrounding the E2.0 meme. Key take aways from this 13 minute discussion:

• Enterprise 2.0 has served to describe some of the tools but is not always a helpful notion
• Community is not necessarily a good way to describe what is going on
• Acknowledging that management is not necessarily equipped to understand the shifts that are being exposed through the use of social computing technology does not necessarily imply business change management projects
• Understanding that the technology is an enabler for exposing the value which can emerge from broader cultural shifts should help business better grasp the values which can be unlocked
• Assisting companies in coming to terms with change is hard work - arguably harder than earlier forms of process change
• Broad adoption may easily take 50 years or two generations. This needs to be seen from the perspective of the web being only some 30 years old
• One of the biggest risks to seeing these changes through is a lack of patience

I don't necessarily agree with everything that Euan says but I respect his experience and practical approach to the E2.0 issues. It contrasts markedly with much of the hand waving I see elsewhere and which does not jibe with my own experience in this arena. I am with Euan that some enthusiasts massively under estimate the effort needed to help organizations make discernible steps on the road to business transformation.

I will return separately to the many helpful blog posts that emerged from my earlier crack at this topc. They make excellent points but as always leave nagging questions.