As always your comments are most welcome.

Alan

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We have been lucky enough to get a real expert on gamification to shed some light on this important area. Victor Manrique is 22 years old and founder of the website Cluers. This spanish language site gathers feedback from customers on top brands, mainly through ‘gamification’ techniques – offering badges, levels and league tables based on site activity. Victor also runs the Epic Win Blog discussing all things gamification. Not bad for someone still completing his studies at university.

What is gamification?

There are many definitions for gamification and there’s been a lot of research about this subject but put simply

“Gamification is the use of game elements in a non-gaming context to achieve a goal”

If we use the metaphor of a car. The vehicle has many elements to it; one of them is its wheels. Now take one of those wheels to make a swing for your kids and that’s gamification. What was the goal? To make your kids happy and have fun of course. Gamification is not the same as game design as this post Gamification and Serious Games by my friend Andrzej Marzcewski (@daverage) explains.

Playing = happiness but don’t just take my word for it

Think for a moment how you feel when making the perfect shot in Angry Birds or to get through that difficult level in Plants vs Zombies? And what about helping your friends with some lives in Candy Crush saga?

Games are a source of happiness and motivation and are related to the basic well-being elements identified by Dr. Martin Seligman in his book Flourish and to the key human motivators described by the extended Self-Determination Theory of Deci and Ryan.

What research tells us is that games are a powerful source of well-being; through their MDAs (Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics) they make us feel and experience positive emotions, engagement, social contact, and a meaningful purpose.

Games are fun and they motivate us intrinsically and extrinsically (through rewards, levels, grades). They generate happiness as shown by the amount of people worldwide who have joined the gaming revolution. I write more about the link between happiness, motivation and games in Playing to happiness.

But why use Gamification?

Put plainly you should use Gamification because it will help you to achieve your business objectives. This is important if you consider that engaging and energising your customers isn’t getting any easier – customers have better things to do than being part of your latest company campaign. Moreover, the traditional approaches to rewards and incentives do little to motivate your customer base.

It is not surprising that companies are starting to create games around a whole-range of non-game areas, as the examples below illustrate:

• Foursquare: the company started with a new set of gamification ideas after the failure of its former founder’s trial. They failed to achieve a critical mass but gamification solved this issue by engaging users through points, badges and leaderboards (PBL). The site has evolved but it still relies on these kind of MDAs for its success.
• Nike+: Nike wanted to introduce their branded products into the running market in a more effective and powerful way. Through the launch of Nike+, a system of game MDAs around running were created (including Apps, fuel bands and watches). It has helped establish Nike as a leader in this area.
• Line: The app which provides video and voice calls was one of the biggest success stories of 2012. A serious competitor to Whatsapp. How did they achieve their success? A great part of it is the use of stickers “So many popular and attractive stickers at the Sticker Shop! Try using them with your friends!”. Users were reminded of their childhood, collecting cards and stickers. Great approach.
• Samsung Nation: Samsung has created a gamified loyalty programme of badges, levels and league tables which users unlock “by visiting, reviewing products, watching videos, participating in user-generated Q&As, etc.” Samsung Nation is the first gamified corporate website.

You can read about more reasons to use gamification here.

Not a panacea…

Gamification is not a panacea and we would recommend against its use in the following instances:

• If there is no clear reason to start the task and no meaningful goal to accomplish
• If the motivation exists already to do the task
• If we are dealing with unethical /amoral issues

For more information see this post on the subject. 

I hope I have helped you to better understand the world of gamification. I would be very glad to answer any questions or discuss any aspects raised. I can be contacted through comments on the Energise Blog.

As they say – Game ON!

(Thanks Victor! – Alan)

The post Gamification: what you should know (guest post) appeared first on Energise 2-0.

This will also involve participation in several interviews with local radio/media discussing the growing importance of Social Business in the region.

Given that Asia is moving in this direction, it is probably a legitimate question to ask what progress are we making on the Social Business front in the UK/Scotland?  With a few exceptions, not much in my experience but that is a debate for another day.

For those interested, the following Press Release has just been issued about the Summit. Please contact Prof Nick Wreden if you wish to attend.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   Contact: Prof. Nick Wreden, UTM nickwreden@gmail.com (media only) info@socialbizsummit.com +6 019-243-5856

Editor’s note: “Social Business” refers to enterprise collaboration & innovation that use social technologies to boost corporate, customer and social value. Social Business does NOT refer to social marketing (PR) or social entrepreneurship (helping rural businesses). Please contact Prof. Wreden if you have questions. Custom articles on Social Business are available. See below.

 IBM, GARTNER, MOSTI & OTHER HIGH-PROFILE THOUGHT LEADERS TO HIGHLIGHT FIRST ASEAN SOCIAL BUSINESS SUMMIT

Premier 1-day event in Malaysia to provide business and government with insights, case studies & useful tips for high-ROI innovation and collaboration

KUALA LUMPUR – The emerging arena of Social Business, which helps firms to substantially boost collaboration and innovation within enterprise ecosystems, will be explored at the landmark ASEAN Social Business Summit 2013 on Wednesday, May 22, in Kuala Lumpur. (www.socialbizsummit.com)

High-profile international speakers at the premier event, whose theme is “where innovation and collaboration meet,” include IBM, Gartner, MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) and other Social Business leaders. Presentations include case studies, strategic insights and hands-on advice and tips about optimizing innovation and collaboration. IBM is a Gold Sponsor of the event.

The keynote speaker, one of the foremost world experts on Social Business, is Dr Jim Hamill, Business Fellow at the University of Strathclyde Business School. Dr. Hamill will present a case study of a UK company that leveraged a Balanced Scorecard approach to become a Social Business.

International business and government leaders such as GE, Australian Bureau of Statistics, CEMEX, China Telecom, Asian Paints, HP, DHL, Shell, NBCUniversal and many more have turned to Social Business to streamline organizational processes, enhance customer collaboration, speed information flow, fast-track innovation and improve access to expertise.

According to a study by McKinsey & Co., “We asked 4,200 global executives how organizations deploy [Social Business] and the benefits it confers. When adopted at scale & integrated into work processes, social technologies can boost a company’s financial performance and market share, respondents say.” As a result of these benefits, Forrester estimates that the Social Business market will increase 61% through 2016.

Major speakers and topics include:

David Aron, Gartner: “Impact of Social on Business Models: Broad and Deep”

• Brian Cheng, IBM: “4 major trends shaping Social Business 2013 and beyond”
• Cuneyt Uysal, Newsgator: “Collaboration: It’s not only about future work, but also how the future works”
• Azim Pawanchik, Alpha Catalyst Consulting (ACC): “Case study: Using Open Innovation to expand the Social Business ecosystem”

A limited number of sponsorships for this high-profile, high-value event remain available. For more information, contact marcus(at)fusionbrand.com.

The event fee is RM1,500. Early-bird and other discounts from 20-35% are available. For more details and registration, visit: www.socialbizsummit.com

The event is organized by the UTM (University Technology Malaysia) Perdana School of Science, Technology & Information Policy (www.perdanaschool.utm.my) and the Initiative for Social Business Innovation (ISBI) (www.socialbusinessasia.com). FusionBrand is the event organizer.

For more information, contact: info@socialbizsummit.com

Editor’s note: A limited number of custom articles on Social Business for your publication are available with sufficient notice. Contact nickwreden@gmail.com

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Embedded below you can find two sets of slides to be used during the three day sessions, including a brief explanation of how we will run the classes, assignment requirements etc. If you wish to download and save the slides, please click on the ‘View on Slideshare’ button and you can download from there.

Petronas-Towers

Please Note: there are a large number of slides in each set. These are intended as background reading. I will NOT be going through these slide by slide. The sessions will be a ‘two way conversation’ rather than a ‘one way lecture’ so please come along prepared to participate and join in the discussion.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the class.

See you all soon and take care.

Slides below……

Jim H.

Slide Set 1 – mainly Social Media

Slide Set 2 – From Social Media to Social Business

The post Strathclyde MBA: Social Media/Social Business Class, Abu Dhabi and KL, May 2013 appeared first on Energise 2-0.

Which of these did you like best?

Alan

The post 50 Customer Experience Quotes appeared first on Energise 2-0.

The overall aim of the strategy is to position Glasgow as a leading digital city over the next 5 years, securing and growing competitive advantage by providing opportunities for residents and businesses to embrace the full benefits of the digital age.

The strategy states that ‘the effective use of digital technologies by citizens, businesses, voluntary organisations and in the delivery of public services has the potential to transform the way the city works: boosting productivity, driving economic growth, providing jobs, connecting communities and revitalising the way services are delivered’.

The Digital Glasgow Strategy will ensure alignment of both existing and new
investments, programmes and initiatives across the following key themes: urban wireless/mobile; broadband infrastructure; SME/e-commerce; incubation and start up; citizen participation; training and employment; digital public services; benchmarking and impact assessment.

We have been asked to lead the session on ‘Digital Skills for Enterprise and Getting a Job’.

In the presentation embedded below we argue that:

• Digital is NOT just a channel change e.g. putting services online. It is a major paradigm shift in the way we do business/ the way our organisations operate
• To ensure that Glasgow and Scotland fully leverage emerging technologies for improving our international competitiveness, we need a reliable supply of Digital Leaders – young people with the hybrid skills and experience for developing, implementing and managing effective digital strategies for building sustained growth and competitiveness (Social, the Cloud, Big Data, Mobile etc)
• All the evidence points to a growing skills shortage in these areas (see Alan’s recent post entitled Fast Running Out of Digital Skills)
• The presentation calls for the establishment of a Gen C Digital Leaders Programme – a programme that will deliver an innovative new approach to creating quality job opportunities for our young people, tackling the twin problems of youth unemployment and underemployment, while at the same time delivering real tangible business benefits to Scottish companies – improved performance and international competitiveness.

We very much welcome your thoughts and feedback on this very important issue.

Take care.

Jim, Alan and Vincent

As usual, if you wish to download and save the slides, please click on the ‘View on Slideshare’ button and you can download from there.

The post Launch of the Digital Glasgow Strategy appeared first on Energise 2-0.

In his most recent blog post – ‘The Gap Between Social Media and Business Impact: 6 Stages of Social Business Transformation’ – Brian argues that social media is becoming a lot like email; every organisation is now doing it. The last few years have seen a rapid increase in the pace of Social Media adoption, mainly for marketing and customer service.  However, according to Brian, there is a growing disconnect between the use of social media and the bottom line.  This is forcing many executives to rethink their overall approach to social and the infrastructure put in place to support it. As a result of this reflective process, social media initiatives will transform into deeper Social Business Strategies.

Based on an extensive research study with Charlene Li (co-author of ‘Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies’), Brian identified a major gap between organisations who just execute social media programs and campaigns and those that specifically invest in social business strategies. The former tend to invest in social media without intentions or outcomes being tied to business goals. A Social Business, on the other hand, aims for deep integration of social media and social methodologies throughout the company to drive tangible business impact.

Based on their research, Brian suggests that only:

• 34% of businesses have a social strategy closely connected to business outcomes
• 28% adopt a holistic approach to social media, where lines of business and business functions work together under a common vision
• 12% were confident they had a plan that looked beyond the next year
• half of all companies surveyed said that top executives were “informed, engaged and aligned with their companies’ social strategy.”

Based on their research, the authors identify six stages of Social Business Transformation shown in the image at the start of this article (please click on image to enlarge); and explained in more detail in the blog article.

It is interesting to note that the findings reported in Brian’s most recent article are almost identical to the findings from our own State of Digital Scotland Surveyconducted in the Autumn of last year and reported in more detail here.

A key finding from our own survey was that the level of social media adoption in Scotland had increased rapidly but few companies had a clear social strategy or action plan for ‘getting there’. The lack of strategy is limiting the scope of social implementations and the level of business benefits derived. More importantly, the lack of strategy is preventing companies from transforming to become Social Businesses.

In the Digital Scotland Survey, 90% of respondents claimed to be using Social Media (100% in Brian’s research). However, only 35% were using it strategically – almost identical to Brian’s 34%.  Only 5% of those participating in the Digital Scotland survey had made the move to becoming a Social Business.

In a follow up post, we will map out a pathway for your organisation to become a Social Business.

As usual, all comments and feedback are very welcome.

What stage is your own organisation at in becoming a Social Business?

Jim, Alan and Vincent

The post Social Business Transformation (Part 1) appeared first on Energise 2-0.

This shift towards digital requires more than a marketing makeover or a ‘bolt on’ Facebook or Twitter presence. To be successful in years ahead requires organisations to become ‘social organisations’; to begin to engage with customers, employees, suppliers and partners across every area of the business. To process information, to make decisions and to learn in real-time (or as near to it as possible). See some of our recent articles on this subject here.

This will be a challenge for many; questions will be asked around the effectiveness of the current organizational structure and the adequacy of systems and approaches. However, perhaps the single biggest challenge will be in acquiring and building the necessary digital skills needed within our organisations [1].

Riding the Wave takes skill

The Connected Customer ‘Tsunami’ has arrived and it demands new skills around areas such as big data, cloud computing and social media. According to a study by Oxford Economics, organisations in the Asia-Pacific region have already highlighted digital business skills as being mission critical [5]. To reinforce this point, Energise2-0 will be providing a keynote address in May at Asia’s first  Social Business Summit.

Digital Skills can no longer be focused within one department or function. The recent Global Workforce Study by McKinsey suggested that IT was neither driving digital change within the business nor was IT actively engaged or supportive of the changes taking place [1].

Digital business leadership is key if companies are to succeed in this area [1]. McKinsey found that companies that have appropriate leadership in place, capture more value than their competitors [1]. Peter Sondergaard of Gartner believes companies have no option in this area – they will will need a ‘chief digital officer’ and by 2015, 25% of organisations will have one [6].

Productivity + Engagement

A recent McKinsey productivity study estimated that by effectively implementing ‘social tools and technologies’ productivity can be increased by 20-25% [2]. When it is considered that most of us use 60% or less of our work time productively [3] and much of this time involves managing e-mails or looking for ‘internal information’ it’s easy to see where the quick wins are.

Arguably, there is a bigger up-side from helping to create and support an ‘engaged’ workforce. A recent study of 32,000 full-time workers from Towers Watson, suggests that 26% are ‘disengaged’ (uncommitted, de-motivated and unsupported) [4]. It also found that those that work remotely or flexibly (47%) have “more positive views and perceptions of their jobs and organizations” than those in offices [4]. This suggests that digital has a big part to play in creating a more (rather than less) engaged workforce.

Bridging the Gap

Gartner (and Sondergaard) believe that despite a burgeoning demand for digital business skills (some 4.4 million jobs will be created worldwide by 2015), only around a third of these jobs will be filled [6]. Gartner are not alone in this view, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, recently detailed a new programme to fill some of the 900,000 unfilled ICT vacancies soon to be realised across Europe [7].

While technology students question whether university is good value for money – for some it is not providing the digital skills they need [8] and when the European Commission estimates that there will be 700,000 school leavers and graduates without basic IT and digital skills by 2015 [9], the question must be asked – how will we bridge this gap? 

Making sense of Digital Skills

Organisations need to ‘get on board’ and recognise the importance of ‘social’ for their organisation. The results from our recent State of Digital Survey 2012 suggest very strongly that whilst companies are getting involved with social media, few are developing a strategy or measuring performance. Fewer still are looking to become ‘social organisations’.

Our combined failure to view this area strategically nor fully recognise the long-term importance of ‘digital’ will put us on a backfoot in the fight for scarce digital skills.

Organisations need to start planning now for the resources they will need in future. As McKinsey highlights, organisations will need to be resourceful in both developing homegrown skills and also in acquiring talent (even making the best use of outsourced services) [1].

An engaged workforce is a productive workforce and the evidence suggests that organisations that ‘get it’ put in place the required digital leadership, embed their staff  within appropriate organisational structures and fully enable their workforce with the latest social tools and technologies [4].

While there is a very wide range of digital skills required, a key role needs to be played by Digital Business Leaders. A Digital Business Leader is someone that has hibrid skills; he/she understands the business (and business strategy) and has a good handle on the key digital issues (big data and analytics, cloud computing, mobile first, social organisation, and so on).

There is a question about where we will find our next Digital Business Leaders; how many of our business schools are thinking about this particular skills gap?

There is also a mismatch between the business skills available amongst our graduates and the digital skills needed by our organisations. While students are questioning the value of their expensive education is there a way to augment business acumen with practical digital skills and experiences? We think so.

Finally, there is an international context to all of this. Our competitors in the Asia-Pacific region have already been pondering this problem for some time.

As always your views and comments are greatly appreciated

Alan, Jim and Vincent
P.S. we will be exploring these issues at the ‘Digital Skills Summit: Glasgow’ on the 18th of March.

Sources

[1] Minding your Digital Business (article from McKinsey Global Survey Report 2012)

[2] The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies

[3] Microsoft Survey, 2005 accessed within Key Organization

[4] Global Workforce Survey (Towers Watson)

[5] Global Talent 2021 (Oxford Economics)

[6] A presentation by Gartner Senior Vice President Peter Sondergaard

[7] Europes new plan to close digital jobs gap

[8] Technology students question whether university is good value for money

[9] Young Europeans lack basic IT skills, says European Commission

The post Fast running out of Digital Skills appeared first on Energise 2-0.

• Learning how Social Business can bring silo-busting improvements internally and mesh solutions with customer issues
• Keeping up-to-date with the latest market trends, developments & best practices in Social Business
• Connecting with international practitioners, globally recognized thought-leaders and implementation experts

According to the Summit Organisers*:

‘The Social Economy, representing a world where consumers are interconnected and business strategies are based on innovation and collaboration, promises to transform business-as-usual as dramatically as the Internet did. Forward-looking businesses are looking at how to best leverage this disruption through Social Business, which removes barriers to internal efficiency and external effectiveness with enterprise software and new approaches to management and decision-making.

Going far beyond “corporate Facebook,” Social Business leverages social tools and social connections to build organizations that are customer-centric, collaborative and transparent. Social Business not only improves marketing and branding but also transforms HR, strategic planning, customer service, sales and R&D. Employees get information in context from the right people at the right time, employers get streamlined processes and faster decision-making and customers get engaged organizations committed to delivering value’.

It is interesting to note that the Summit is dedicated to promoting Social Business in Asia.

Given that the next generation of your business is going to be Social Business, any takers for helping to organise a similar event in the UK/Europe?

*The Social Business Summit is being organised by the Initiative for Social Business Innovation (ISBI), a leading Social Business research, networking and information resource; Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), an innovation-led and graduate-focused Research University; and FusionBrand, Asia’s leading digital-centric brand consultancy.

Further details can be found here.

We will keep you posted re the Agenda and report back after the event.

Take care and as usual all feedback and comment are very welcome.

Jim H

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We have captured our thoughts on this issue in the detailed presentation embedded below ‘From Social Media to Social Business‘. The presentation includes a number of very interesting videos worth viewing.

As always, feedback and comment are very welcome. Is your organisation ready for Social Business?

To download and save the presentation click on the ‘View on Slideshare’ tab and you can download from there.

Take care.

Jim, Alan and Vincent

The post From Social Media to Social Business (Slides) appeared first on Energise 2-0.