Appendix: The Ten Tenets of Social Business

Although no list of concepts about social business will ever be 100 percent complete, certainly some are more fundamental than others. To this end, the tenets listed below go directly to the heart of why social business is a highly effective and more potent new way of working. Together, these tenets represent a fundamentally open, participative, scalable, and rich way of living, working, and otherwise connecting and engaging with the world. As we presented in detail throughout this book, the use of these tenets, planned or otherwise, is making its way deep into the work processes, information technology systems, and business models of enterprises, transforming how they operate and achieve results.

The ideas of social business, as they appear in virtually all areas and functions of enterprises today, require clear and sustained focus and are improved by deliberate cultivation and intentional application to the key functions within the business. Although these tenets must be adapted to the specific needs of any organization, as they stand, they represent one of the most succinct and useful statements of what social business actually is, free of jargon or technology:

Tenet #1: Anyone can participate.

Tenet #2: Create shared value by default.

Tenet #3: While participation is self-organizing, the focus is on business outcomes.

Tenet #4: Enlist a large enough community to derive the desired result.

Tenet #5: Engage the right community for the business purpose.

Tenet #6: Participation can take any direction. Be prepared for it, and take advantage of it.

Tenet #7: Eliminate all potential barriers to participation. Ease of use is essential.

Tenet #8: Listen to and engage continuously with all relevant social business conversations.

Tenet #9: The tone and language of social business are most effective when they're casual and human.

Tenet #10: The most effective social business activities are deeply integrated into the flow of work.