Using Social Media to Co‐Create New Business Strategies at Environmental Resources Management

Abstract

AbstractCompanies are increasingly integrating social media tools such as Twitter, blogs, Wiki pages, forums, and virtual communities into their intranet. The process of implementing such Enterprise 2.0 tools and encouraging employees to contribute to them is challenging. Environmental Resources Management (ERM) used an award‐winning social media tool, Minerva, to enable knowledge sharing and collaboration among its global employees. A report on three implementation stages over six months illustrates the activities that were undertaken to encourage a high level of employee participation, which enabled them to better serve their clients' needs in the post‐recession era. ERM's experiences show that the implementation of Enterprise 2.0 tools requires the support of top management in the creation of a “knowledging” and communicating process aimed at generating ideas and information from employees throughout the organization, regardless of their location. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.