Finding My Place in the Blogosphere
It dawned on me today why I have had such an uncertain reaction to blogging. (It has really been bothering me, because I consider myself a very open change agent.) Some of my personality traits have been contributing to this dichotomy. On one hand, I love a healthy debate and constantly seek other points of view. On the other hand, I strongly dislike writing and am a very private person. I go out- of my way to ensure that my life remains private. I do not publish my phone number, nor do I ever give it out to strangers. I even behave this way with my email address. If I have to provide an address for a site I do not want to receive email from, I use an account that I never utilize. Only my close friends and family have my email address, phone number and home address.
If we lived by our own limitations we could never be change agents, and therefore I have been seeking out more information on how blogging is being actively used in the marketplace and workplace. This month’s issue of Wired magazine contains several very interesting articles on transparency in the workplace and Microsoft’s Channel 9 blog. The articles are called “Gimme a B! Gimme an L! Gimme an….” and “Get Naked and Rule the World”. (See www.wired.com) These articles focus on transparency, through two different perspectives, but this is the main aspect of blogging that has made it difficult for me to “create a place” for blogging in my sphere. I encourage everyone to look at the history of blogging at Microsoft. What began as 2 rouge blogging activities, transformed Microsoft’s image and my viewpoint. Blogging allows for anonymity and creates a lack of corporate control, but these are the elements that can be used for organizational growth and competitive advantages.
These article really resonated with some principles I learned in Designing Sustainable Strategic Change. While an organization should be concerned about the messages that are being sent in the marketplace about them, sometimes you have to address the “elephant in the room”. No organization is perfect in the eyes of the marketplace, or its employees. But, how does an organization overcome the challenges and bottlenecks that unintentionally get created through growth and by its own hierarchy? I believe one of the solutions can be blogging. Many times the individuals within an organization can identify its challenges, but often lack a voice for change. Other times there are internal change agents that lack the support or resources to make a difference. I feel that blogging can create the platform to address these challenges and collectively solve organizational challenges. Giving employees a forum and a voice is only the first step. The organization must take action on recommendations and build a level of trust with employees. These actions will not only improve trust, but further encourage employees of all levels to be engaged in improving their organization and having accountability for not doing contributing.
Another important aspect that is often overlooked is the reflective aspect of change. Many times organizations ignore the past and do not consider it when creating the future. Although Bartlett-Bragg’s article, “Blogging to Learn”, focused on blogging in the academic environment, many lessons can apply to corporations. In particular, little importance is often placed on reflection. Reflection, “the process of turning experience into learning” (Boud, 2001:10). Once blogs become more mainstream they can be utilized as a historical tool to understand how it has learned, what is has learned and how to apply that to future strategic change initiatives.
It may have taken me a couple of weeks, but I may have finally found my place in the blogosphere!
May 15th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
[…] are many different reasons people blog — reflecting more and learning are good examples of common reasons to blog. A few weeks ago, I was listening to a (pre-recorded) session where […]