Reflections on Social Business Design

It's been almost a year since I started building Dachis Corporation to make sense of all the social things going on out there.  Along the way, I've constantly been asked, "what are you working on?"

Today I'm ready to share part of the answer with you, which is social business design: a framework for understanding and applying social constructs to business (visualized above).

Social business design is a mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive way of considering how a corporation, business unit, or project can create and capture value from today's emerging technologies and evolving operating environment.  The social business design framework captures ecosystem (community), hivemind (culture), dynamic signal (collaboration), and metafilter (content).  Putting these into play creates improved business outcomes as well as emergent outcomes.  Measurement provides the backbone to the entire framework, as driving change requires proof.

Dachis Corporation has developed advisory and implementation services to help companies understand and implement social business design.  Over the past year, we've worked with some major brands on component parts of the big picture.  Moreover, I've been talking about social business design all year; to learn more, take a read through these posts:

• It's Time To Transform
• Emergent outcomes 
• Four parts to transformation  
• Platforms or point solutions?  
• Culture, measurement, and managed expectations critical for business success   

Although we're actively engaged with clients, still haven't officially launched with a name or website.  To be notified when we launch, tell us about yourself here.

My colleagues have also posted their thoughts today on Social Business Design:

• David Armano: From Social Media to Social Business Design
• Jevon MacDonald: Taking The Leap: Social Business Design 
• Kate Niederhoffer: Social Business Design - A Social Psychologist's Take

Comments

[Ryan Stephens]

It's been fascinating reading the team's posts and others that David (and others?) have shared via delicious links and on Friendfeed as this has progressed. Just as interesting as the forward thinking, next-level shift in the conversation, is the fact that anyone who has wanted to has had the opportunity to witness you guys (and Kate) sift through it in your own minds.

Thanks for sharing the process and discoveries with us.

[Keith Privette]

Peter Kim and others thank you for taking the time and effort to put this into words and pictures. The times are a changing and it is an exciting time to learn and understand how a social business works these days. I have been on a journey for the last 6 mos having many conversations about how social businesses work from a for profit and a non-profit perspective. Having materials from industry recognized individuals like yourselves sure helps in the conversation. The one thing I always find funny is when people say lets make this thing "a viral marketing campaign"....I always say uh? Social Business practices are so much more than that. They to quote you "change the way we work and live" You find ways to create connections and build relationships with your customers not just push your marketing through another channel. It is a circular reference of engagement (thanks @mleis) the business socially interacts with its employees as well as their consumers and guess what your employees can socially interact with your consumers also, wow what a trust path that could put your business on!!! When I speak of socially I don't mean go for drinks, play golf on the weekends or go camping with them (it could happen), but it is about having a conversation about the relationships you have and the trust you are building as a business both with your employees and consumers. So I just wanted to say thank you for the efforts and it has not gone unnoticed. It is appreciated and respected. Keep up the good work and maybe someday our paths will cross within a socially built business. When you swing through Minneapolis let me know and lunch is on me!