Gartner: Social business efforts largely unsuccessful so far

IDG News Service - Many large companies are embracing internal social networks, but for the most part, they're not getting much from them, according to analyst firm Gartner.

By 2016, some 50% of enterprises "will have internal Facebook-like social networks," and 30% of these will be considered to be as crucial as email and telephones, a Gartner study announced on Tuesday states.

However, through 2015, 80% "of social business efforts will not achieve the intended benefits due to inadequate leadership and an overemphasis on technology," according to the report.

That's because social software doesn't work like an ERP (enterprise resource planning) application, which uses a "push" mentality, wherein workers "were trained on an app and then were expected to use it," Gartner said.

Social software involves a "'pull' approach, one that engages workers and offers them a significantly better way to work," the report adds. "In most cases, they can't be forced to use social apps -- they must opt-in."

A series of conditions must be present for social software to be successful, including a "meaningful and specific purpose," "a critical mass of colleagues actively using it," and integration with other applications workers are using, Gartner said.

The report comes after the enterprise social software market has already undergone some significant changes. Many independent providers have been snapped up by larger players, while other big vendors such as Oracle have developed social networking software of their own.

CRM (customer relationship management) vendor Salesforce.com has gone even further, reorienting its general strategy around the theme of social business.

While most companies' social software projects lack maturity, "lessons are already being learned and better practices are emerging," Gartner said.

Still, customers just starting out with social software should be careful when they choose their first pilot, "since it will set the tone for subsequent initiatives," the report adds.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris' email address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com