Research overview: how social technologies are transforming business practice, career

progression, politics and education

Lisa Harris6th October 2010

About me…

• 10 years in banking industry• MBA Oxford Brookes• PhD @ Brunel, investigating case studies of

technological change in banking industry• Teaching @ Brunel and Director of MBA programme• Teaching @ Soton and Director of MSc Marketing

Analytics and new programme in Digital Marketing (2010)

• Qualified tutor University of Liverpool e-MBA

Plan

• Eric Qualmann video ( 4 mins) • Recent IT-related research projects I have

been involved in– Punch Above Your Weight (3 phases)

• Current work – How to build and manage your digital presence – The role of social technologies in education and

politics – growth of social shopping (Facebook project)

How do you use social media?

A: finding, storing and managing information (iGoogle, Delicious, Netvibes)

C: creating your own original content (Wordpress, YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare)

B: collaboration, networking, commenting on the work of others (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook)

D: all of the above

I like these quotes…

“Alternatively, you can ignore this advice, close the blinds and gaze lovingly at your peer-reviewed papers. All I would say is: remember Betamax.” http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=408419&c=1

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less”

(General Eric Shineski, US Army Chief of Staff)

How many of these existed 10 years ago?

John

Punch Above Your Weight

• How SMEs use new technologies to build their brand profiles and be competitive in their dealings with larger firms

• How entrepreneurs develop their own profile online

• How SMEs use new technologies for collaboration and networking

PAYW phase 1 (2007)

• This project surveyed 400 small businesses in the South East of England and compiled 30 detailed case studies of early adopters of Web 2.0 technologies (‘gifted amateurs’ who are using Web 2.0 technologies to grow their businesses creatively and cost-effectively)

• Many SMEs struggled to build and maintain usable IT systems as they grew and dealt with the challenges of adopting more formal ways of managing.

• Some have started to use the tools of Web 2.0 and cloud computing to avoid installing a formal IT network at all. These firms seek to avoid employing staff and getting enmeshed in bureaucracy as far as possible

• We found that proactive gifted amateurs have acquired new online marketing skills which they use to raise their profile through– blogging – networking – judicious use of search engine optimisation techniques (Harris, Rae and Grewal, 2008)

“New breed SME” deliberately keeps IT infrastructure to a minimum

PAYW Phase 2 (2008)

• We investigated how small businesses collaborate using Web 2.0, using a qualitative case study methodology based on interviews with the owner-managers of 12 small businesses

• The benefits obtained from the use of Web 2.0 to collaborate were identified as:– improved internal operational efficiency – enhanced capability – more effective external communications – customised service offerings and – lifestyle benefits

• Full details available in Barnes et al (in review)

PAYW Phase 3 (2009)

• A comparative study of networking styles by SMEs in the UK, Continental Europe and the USA.

• A survey (645 responses) investigated the impact of various factors on owner-managers preferences for online or offline networking.

• We developed a taxonomy of networking based on size, business model and attitudes of the business owner

• Our analysis showed that online and offline networking are not alternative practices. We found a significant number of dedicated strategic networkers who were fluent in both approaches

• Key challenges included the significant amount of time involved and the need for communications to be more transparent, open and honest than is normal in traditional, ‘command and control’ organisations

• Full details available in Harris, Rae and Misner (in review)

What is personal branding?

• According to Olins (2003), a brand is “a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product or service”.

• Chris Brogan (www.chrisbrogan.com) notes that a strong personal brand is a mix of reputation, trust, attention, and execution:

“A personal brand gives you the ability to stand out in a sea of similar products. In essence, you’re marketing yourself as something different than the rest of the pack.”

Digital Presence Issues

• Rapidly build sustainable networks with high quality connections at low (or no) cost

• Work efficiently and effectively with others on a global platform• Develop credibility and a community of interest around your work• Quickly identify and share new resources, breaking news and current issues of

relevance to your network• Benefit from immediate and global forms of publishing• Access, manage and critically evaluate relevant online information• Interact online in a responsible manner with due consideration of safety, security

and privacy issues• Project a consistent and appropriate brand image across a range of online media

for the benefit of future employers, students or project partners• Understand the principles of ‘givers gain’ and be prepared to contribute opinions,

ratings or reviews for the benefit of the community

The times they are a changing…

• Availability of free content (e.g. video of lectures) by global experts both in education and industry from the likes of MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Oxford

• University reliance upon the ‘Russell Group’ arrogance – but this is a 20th century brand.

• Expectation from students of flexible evening/weekend/online learning options, as they seek to maintain job and family commitments

• Accessibility and breadth of information now available online alters the traditional role of the lecturer as gatekeeper to relevant knowledge

• Difficult economic conditions and higher fees adjust the risk/reward calculation of attending university

• Student profile increasingly international and with a wide range of ages and work experience

Democratic

Amateur

Distributed

The production and consumption of information is now:

Educational opportunities presented by Web 2 tools

• Generically known as “social technologies” which are built around participation and collaboration – essential aspects of ‘action-based learning’– Communities such as Facebook or Ning for communication

and collaboration– Blogs and micro blogs to generate content, access

information on latest trends, or access global networks of expertise

– Wikis for collaborative working and editing– Bookmarking sites such as Delicious or Digg to save, rate

and organise material

First cohort of 300 students from 100 countries started in Sept 2009

Social media *fail*: the UK general election (May 2010)

• Despite the best efforts of those politicians who ‘get’ social media: – the parties tended to view social media as new forms

of old channels, using them as broadcasting tools– they continue to fear the lack of control and probing

transparency that truly engaging with social media involves

– social media were not integrated into an effective combination of online and offline comms as part of a systematic and long term relationship building strategy

#gomartintod• Just voted for @mpntod - hope he wins it... #gomartinTod #ukvote

Thursday 06 May 2010 13:52:30 • • Everyone I've spoken to in Winchester today has voted for @mpntod #gomartintod

Thursday 06 May 2010 13:48:33• • Just voted for @mpntod, very best of luck to him. #gomartintod

Thursday 06 May 2010 10:20:22 • • #gomartintod will be voting for @mpntod, best guy for the job, a vote well spent!

Thursday 06 May 2010 09:59:08• • Time to go and give @mpntod a big kiss on my ballot paper. X marks the Tod! #gomartintod

Thursday 06 May 2010 08:52:26 • • Amused by this letter in the Times. Our poster volunteers have done a great job! #

gomartintod http://bit.ly/9aCRt9 Tuesday 04 May 2010 12:48:47

Facebook spreads across the web...

Thank you!

You are welcome to follow me on any of my social media sites:

• www.lisaharrismarketing.com• www.delicious.com/lisaharris1• www.twitter.com/lisaharris• www.linkedin.com/in/lisajaneharris• www.slideshare.net/lisaharris• www.netvibes.com/ljharris

ReferencesHarris, L., Rae, A., and Grewal, S. (2008) ‘Out on the Pull: How small firms are making themselves sexy with web 2.0 marketing techniques’, International Journal of Technology Marketing

• Harris, L. and Rae, A. (2009a) ‘The revenge of the gifted amateur: Be afraid be very afraid’ Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

• Harris, L. and Rae, A. (2009b) ‘Communication, collaboration and aggregation: how online communities are transforming marketing strategy for entrepreneurial small businesses’, Journal of Business Strategy

• Harris, L. Warren, L. Leah, J. and Ashleigh. M. (2010) ‘Small steps across the chasm: ideas for embedding a culture of open education in the university sector’ In Education, (16) 2

• Harris, L. Rae, A. and Misner, I. (in review) ‘Punching above their weight: the role of networking in effective SME marketing’ Journal of Small Business and Enterprise development

• Barnes, D., Clear, F., Dyerson, R., Harindranath, G, Harris, L. and Rae, A. (in review) ‘An exploratory investigation into the use of Web 2.0 by small businesses: Increasing collaboration and improving connectivity?’ Journal of Small Business Management

• Harris, L. and Harrigan, P. (in review) ‘Social media in politics: ultimate voter engagement tool or simply an echo chamber?’ Journal of Marketing Management