Social networking is also flattening organizations by distributing access to information. Everyone is equal on the social network. No hierarchies need get involved.
The biggest threat presented by social networks is to middle managers, who may become obsolete when they are no longer needed to convey messages up and down the organization
via blogs.hbr.org
An interesting read from an HBS professor...I was really struck by the notion that social networks eliminate hierarchy, especially for the middle manager...although I am not sure it is true. Maybe they sometimes circumvent hierarchy? After all, part of what the middle manager does is interpret the messages between upper management and the front lines. In addition, the middle manager does much more than serve as a conduit. It's interesting that the author thinks that new roles for the middle manager include leading projects. Medtronics must be a very different organization than every library I have worked! I have never had a management job where my only responsibility was to communicate (don't get me wrong, communication is at the core of job, I just mean that there is a lot more on my plate than PR).
All that said, I think every manager benefits from direct communication with the rest of the organization, as well as with the consumer. I don't want to recount times when I have heard a library director speak, only to think that the director was well out of touch with her employees AND with most of her patrons. If social networking makes this change, I will be on top of the world!
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