The Innovative Properties of Social Media

How does social media help the public sector innovate? Before we answer this question, it’s worth understanding just what innovation is. While SharePoint and OPIN are excellent innovation platform software suites designed specifically for the public sector, organizational managers must first foster an atmosphere of innovation in order to encourage employees to contribute their ideas to the platforms. Innovation springs from passion, risk-taking and diversity in both experiences and thought processes. Due to its informal format and geographically unlimited span, social media helps to create an atmosphere that is conducive to the development of new ideas.

One of the most advantageous parts of social media in regard to its ability to foster innovation is the fact that online, traditional organizational hierarchies vanish. People feel free to contribute ideas across a wide spectrum of departments, disciplines and authority levels. The focus is placed on the idea itself, not on the ranking of the contributor. This freer association makes it easy to create truly original solutions.

Social media also helps companies create a fuller view of a problem. Because employees feel free to complain, joke and otherwise honestly state their outlook, a problem is no longer conceived of purely in administrative terms. While this can sometimes be annoying, frequently it can help shed light on a solution that would have otherwise been overlooked. However, social media makes it easy to monitor a discussion without having to become embroiled in a particular viewpoint or topic. This allows ideas that have merit to rise to the top, and digressive conversations to fall by the wayside.

Finally, social media opens up the doors to the public without overwhelming the ability of the organization to process requests or suggestions. Public projects benefit from community input. In the past, it was a challenge to keep track of everyone’s opinions and suggestions. Social media makes it easy to quickly visit different discussions and topics by a virtually unlimited number of contributors. From public works projects to proposed new policies to budgetary concerns, social media acts as an excellent forum for the free and passionate exchange of ideas. That’s shorthand for innovation.

How does social media help the public sector innovate? Before we answer this question, it’s worth understanding just what innovation is. While SharePoint and OPIN are excellent innovation platform software suites designed specifically for the public sector, organizational managers must first foster an atmosphere of innovation in order to encourage employees to contribute their ideas to the platforms. Innovation springs from passion, risk-taking and diversity in both experiences and thought processes. Due to its informal format and geographically unlimited span, social media helps to create an atmosphere that is conducive to the development of new ideas.

One of the most advantageous parts of social media in regard to its ability to foster innovation is the fact that online, traditional organizational hierarchies vanish. People feel free to contribute ideas across a wide spectrum of departments, disciplines and authority levels. The focus is placed on the idea itself, not on the ranking of the contributor. This freer association makes it easy to create truly original solutions.
Social media also helps companies create a fuller view of a problem. Because employees feel free to complain, joke and otherwise honestly state their outlook, a problem is no longer conceived of purely in administrative terms. While this can sometimes be annoying, frequently it can help shed light on a solution that would have otherwise been overlooked. However, social media makes it easy to monitor a discussion without having to become embroiled in a particular viewpoint or topic. This allows ideas that have merit to rise to the top, and digressive conversations to fall by the wayside.

Finally, social media opens up the doors to the public without overwhelming the ability of the organization to process requests or suggestions. Public projects benefit from community input. In the past, it was a challenge to keep track of everyone’s opinions and suggestions. Social media makes it easy to quickly visit different discussions and topics by a virtually unlimited number of contributors. From public works projects to proposed new policies to budgetary concerns, social media acts as an excellent forum for the free and passionate exchange of ideas. That’s shorthand for innovation.

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• Staying Ahead of the Innovation Curve (csedev.com)
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• Appropriate Social Media Tools for the Public Sector (csedev.com)