Keeping HEROes Safe: How IT Can Manage the Risks Inherent in Employee-Driven, Technology-Based Innovations

By: Ted Schadler and Josh Bernoff

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Synopsis: There was a time, years ago, when IT security meant locking down your company's network and databases, putting everything behind a firewall, and giving only a few authorized people the password. That's no longer possible in a world in which your employees, armed with groundswell technologies like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr aren't just powerful-they're dangerous. In this chapter, authors Josh Bernoff-coauthor of "Groundswell"-and Ted Schadler address the risks inherent in companies powered by employee HEROes-Highly Empowered and Resourceful Operatives-who are using social technologies to turn themselves into a continuous force for innovation in serving customers. The authors explain that it's not IT's job to try to stop your employees from using social technologies. Instead, IT needs to keep them safe. This requires two changes. First, help HEROes and their managers assess, manage, and mitigate risks. Second, educate your employees about where the guardrails are in social media: 1) Put your name on everything you do; 2) Remember that you are an employee; and 3) Own up to mistakes and fix them. With compelling examples from Kodak, Domino's Pizza, and Cisco, this chapter is a must-read as you consider whether your company is ready to be HERO-powered. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 12 of Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business