Labels and buzzwords are simply an opportunity to sell more. Hence the the ongoing involvement of the vendors particularly, who are quick to create a 'solution' for something and present themselves as experts on things they just fundamentally don't understand or 'get'. "Emperors Tailors" as someone recently called them. Quick to agree the organisation is naked and even quicker to knock up an imaginary set of clothes.
You made a good point - "What he doesn?t do is explain why management has failed to make sense of the people centric argument." - and the reason is that 'management' or 'leadership' just don't get it. They are not interested in having a people centric organisation, especially an 'open' or 'social' one simply because they lose control. They are no longer the 'experts' and more importantly, their methods can be called into question which they don't want. Why do you think we are still having this debate about tools and people etc etc after 30 years??
Truth of the matter is though that this time the changes cannot be ignored. Sooner or later organisations will be people centric weather they like it or not. The only thing to say about technology is that it has enabled the ability for people - employees and customers alike - to connect and share REGARDLESS of whether the organisation, its leadership or management want that to happen or not. And its a good thing. All this endless talk of Social Media and Enterprise 2.0 is just symantics. Labels.
And pevans_greenwood i have to take issue with one of your statements - "Social Media for most intents and purposed is just a tool to communicate with customers earlier in the sales cycle. Enterprise 2.0 is a tool to improve employee communication and capture (some) tacit knowledge. These are all good things, if you need them; however, most/many businesses don't need them."
These are all good things if you need them??? IF you need them?? IF you need to talk to customers??? IF you need to improve employee communication?? This attitude is one of the key reasons why organisations are not getting it and why, on the whole, most organisations only achieve average performance. As Jim Collins pointed out, there are very very few Great companies. And also, very very few Great Leaders.
Luckily, the 'social' momentum/movement call it what you will removes the IF decision from organisations and people like pevans_greenwood. You no longer have the choice, its no longer within your control. Even if you try and shut out the noise by failing to adopt the principle or banning access to social tools within the business, for example, it wont matter.
Its a social tsunami, and those that don't get it are standing on the empty beach in their speedo's wondering where all the water went.
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