The Social Media Garden is an open-access research project that uses the wisdom of crowds to generate insight about the barriers organisations face in adopting social media practices in the workplace – and solutions to overcome them. It is, in itself, an effective demonstration of how social technologies are changing the way we engage in conversations and exchange knowledge about our opinions, experiences and ideas.
The study was run from February to April 2012, achieving 644 participants from over 30 countries. A full report of the findings can be downloaded here.
In addition to identifying top-rated comments, text analysis identified 16 barriers that prevent organisations from embracing social media practices. Four barriers are identified as particularly important
- failure of leadership to accept new ways of working
- difficulties in creating a robust business case / showing return on investment
- lack of knowledge and understanding about social media
- fear of the unknown.
Each of these barriers is explored and practical suggestions are provided to facilitate the introduction, and development, of social media in organisations.
The Social Media Garden is still open to explore and can be accessed here.
