Social Media Goes the Way of Total Quality Management
In the 80s and early 90s Total Quality Management (TQM) was all the rage. As the idea moved from concept to execution – TQM divisions were set up within large organizations. Then a funny thing happened. People realized how ridiculous it was to charge one division with “quality.” Wasn’t it everyone’s business to be responsible for quality? Thus TQM responsibilities began to be distributed to the various divisions.
We are nearing the same inflection point with Social Media. Dell, who have pioneered direct relationships over the web for the past 10 years, and who represent a more mature “social business” have come to this same conclusion (from today’s post by Richard Binhammer of Dell):
After three years of experimenting, listening and learning, however, we have concluded that social media is ultimately about connecting and communicating across all aspects of our business. This means that while a core social media team remains, the marketing, sales, service and support, and product groups all need to have their own fingers on the pulse and arms around their customers. While social media started as a way for Dell to distribute news and special offers, it has evolved into a critical relationship builder, integrated into all business units.
As communications move from one-to-many to many-to-many it is going to seem increasingly inane to have a single Social Media division. The skills involved (knowledge of the toolset, tacit understanding of the cultural norms of the social web and building strong relationships etc.) will eventually need to be distributed across the entire organization. As companies mature, the whole “social” prefix will dissolve as a signifier of something unique. In the end, it will become business as usual.
