One of the few things that we hear about when discussing enterprise social software or collaboration is “that special something” within companies. I’m not talking about some secretive thing that makes organizations better than others I’m talking about something that just makes them different. With all the frameworks and methodologies that are created the one thing I think we all fail to address is that little bit of “unknown” that exists within every enterprise. It’s not something you can quite put your finger on nor is it something that is readily visible, it’s just…”something” that is there.
You can call it a vibe or a flow or perhaps an aura, but I view every organization as a type of living breathing organism and while they may all consume the same resources, develop similar products, be comprised of the same elements, and have identical inputs and outputs, they are still not the same. I know it might sound a bit weird but it’s true. We pick up on these vibes from people, from establishments we set foot into or from situations that we are presented with and the common response we hear is, “this feels off” or “I get a good feeling about this.”
Organizations all have the unique “special something” that lives within the four walls of the building. It’s more than just corporate culture and personality though, these are things one can pick up on quite easily.
This unique “black box” that exists within organizations is something you can truly understand when you spend some time with the people and inside the walls of the enterprise. It’s this something that I think we as consultants need to understand exists and one of the reasons why we cannot offer blueprints, formulas, or step-by-step methodologies for organizations.
What do you think? What do you call that “special something” within organizations? Do you think this even exists?
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