Dion Hinchcliffe certainly thinks so:
[I]t’s not lost on practitioners these days that many of the largest and most committed efforts with social business are now in Europe. The approach to IT in general in the region is certainly more pragmatic, yet it’s also clear that the evolution of the future of work and the new digital workplace is one the minds of just about everyone around the world right now.
So, is social business the leading model for operating our organizations yet? Perhaps not quite, but it is certainly gaining ground and these are some of the leading examples in top organizations today.
In this excellent piece for ZDNet, Dion lists seven major European organisations that are demonstrating leadership in this space:
- Bosch (IBM Connections)
- BNP Paribas Cardif (Not Revealed) ((I believe this is also IBM Connections))
- Michelin Group (BlueKiwi)
- SIKA (IBM Connections)
- Bayer Material Sciences (IBM Connections)
- Continental AG (IBM Connections)
- Firmenich (Jive)
I tend to agree, the best case studies I’ve seen in the past 2 years have been European in origin. Not exclusively of course, but there certainly seems to be a theme.
Is this due to the cultural makeup of European businesses, or just coincidence? Can you suggest some US-based organisations undertaking similarly-sized social business projects that would fit into this group? I’d love to hear from you…