How Connecting with the Groundswell Transforms Your Company: Embracing Social Technology-The Road to Success

By: Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li

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Synopsis: Once you've engaged with the ever-expanding community of social technology users that inhabit the groundswell, your organization goes through a mental shift-you become so engaged with your customers that you walk in step with their needs and wants. But this mental shift doesn't happen overnight. And the fact is, many business leaders feel unready to take the plunge. In this chapter, social media strategy leaders Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff answer a fundamental question: How can I get my company to engage with the groundswell? They offer a wealth of techniques, focusing on case studies of two huge companies-Dell and Unilever-that gradually, and at times quite painfully, transformed their traditional marketing and customer support organizations into organizations led by the groundswell. The authors describe three essential elements to this kind of transformation: take a step-by-step approach, have a vision and a plan, and win executive support. The chapter concludes with practical advice for starting your company on the path to success within the groundswell. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 11 of "Groundswell, Expanded and Revised Edition: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies."