Order, control and social media specialists

When Dee Hock introduced the world to chaordic theory in 1993, he also gave us an interesting way to think about the transition companies go through as they shift away from purely traditional forms of communications. 

Chaordic theory essentially views chaos, order and control as existing on a continuum with each system characteristic overlapping the next in sequence.  The intersection of chaos and order is what Hock calls the chaordic path - where the minimum amount of order is maintained that allows for the creativity inherent in chaos to be positively channeled. A gross oversimplification of course, but that gives you a sense of it. You can learn all about it here if interested further.

I've found that an awful lot of so-called social media specialists like to dazzle their clients with talk of the chaos of it all. (Official Notice: calling the blogosphere the 'wild west' has to be at least 4 years out of date.)  And companies spend a lot of time lamenting the loss of control, or more accurately a loss of perceived control.  

If you endeavour to earn a living counseling clients in social media, the real work ahead is not in explaining how twitter works or endlessly musing about the intricacies of the blogosphere.  The real challenge is in helping them come to terms with the fact that their previous sense of controlling the message was simply an illusion and then working with them to introduce a level of order to their work in the space - one that allows them to embrace the perceived chaos and begin making the real change that is necessary for them to be relevant going forward. 

In other words, your work is in helping them find their chaordic path.  

Comments

[Harold Jarche]

Rob Paterson has a good article, The Real Enterprise 2.0 - The Chaord, on the FastForward Blog.
http://is.gd/hoLb

[Maria McGowan]

Very true Carman. There needs to be a little bit of chaos for the creative element. Also, helping a client "ride the wave" of social media, rather then swim against it, is key.

[Kathryn]

talk of chaos? - you must be listening to the wrong so-called SM "specialists"..... Order is chaos and chaos is order.

[Giles Crouch (Webconomist)]

Most excellent point Carman...I've said a few times "you can no longer control the message, but you can manage it."

And isn't "social media" about being "social?" it is about group organizing and such after all?

Maybe it's not the "specialists" in social media...maybe it's all those social media guru's...

says this adept hopefull of social media...

[Paul Wilson]

Great post Carman - Marshal Mcluan would love to be around to see how things have "devolved".

The illusion of control is the panacea that consultants are offering their desperate clients. The true opportunity for companies today is the volume of authentic conversations that they can engage in.

Companies like Radian6 (http://www.radian6.com) and dna13 (http://www.dna13.com) are bringing technologies to the market that address the existence of conversations about brand and reputation but at the other end of the line there is still a human, not only a prospect, or a client. The response to chaos can't be inflexible - it has to be authentic.

Great post!

[Amber Naslund]

Hi Carman,

You're quite right that the much larger issue - beyond all the social media tools - is the education required to teach businesses that the message has never really been theirs to "control". It's just that the morphing of that message in other channels was harder to see.

Now, we're able to empower companies by helping them see the holistic conversation, wherever it may lead. Tracing that dialogue across the social web opens a lot of eyes, and puts the humans behind the brand in a much more enlightened position to engage and respond.

Thanks for the post, and thanks, Paul, for the Radian6 mention.

Best,
Amber Naslund
Director of Community | Radian6
@AmberCadabra