Should Senior Management have a Twitter Account?

Controlling the corporate message is becoming a distant and fond memory for most managers. The “Twitter Age” has given people, corporate or individual, the ability to blast 140-character messages to the planet in real time.

Unfortunately, like the classic parlour game where one person whispers a brief statement or story to another, who then passes it along to other party goers, with the last person restating the message -always far from the words or context of the original statement - Twitter performs on a much larger stage.

Instant Communication and Management Trust
Controlling internal and external corporate communications is a long-standing tradition that is severely challenged in the Twitter era. Image and branding efforts, heavily dependent on the communications control factor, face issues senior management in the 20th century never had to address.

While professional athletes and entertainment celebrities receive most press coverage, senior management of businesses, large and small, face similar challenges. An instant message posted by even a lower-level employee can reach the laptops and smartphones of numerous people. Should the message be discordant, as it often is, the corporate image could be hurt, without verification or veracity of the message.

It is impossible to accurately measure the damage that may be endowed on an organisation’s image and credibility. However, it’s being proven daily that the damage and cost of repairs can be significant.

The question becomes a practical, not an esoteric one: Is it appropriate for management, particularly C-level executives, to have and use a Twitter account? If the answer is yes, then how should the manager use it properly? This decision creates a conundrum.

Management can choose to tweet to proffer the corporate message. Conversely, managers could use their Twitter account to counteract incorrect information or rumours posted by others. Finally, they could decide to use Twitter as a tool to do both. The stakes can be very high.

The potential ramifications of damaging information in cyberspace can affect corporate stability, revenues, and brand confidence. Consumers lacking basic confidence in commerce and its leaders could undermine the health of any organisation, however strong.

Overcome the Negatives of Instant Communication 
In theory, open and honest communications is a wonderful concept. Compared to structured “propaganda,” open communications is a hallowed, treasured idea. However, when open and honest communication morphs into “loose cannon” comments, without substantiation, company integrity can be questioned.

All managers, particularly senior management, must understand that they can seldom influence public behaviour at the workplace. Yet, management must counteract the negative challenges posed by the Twitter age.

The most effective action plan: Respond to negatives and challenges fast. OK, it’s not exactly a “silver bullet,” but it is the most effective counter attack yet devised. The Twitter era is a fertile breeding ground for releasing confidential information and unfounded rumours. In either case, management should respond quickly.

Trust Factor 
One of the most disturbing results of the recent recession is the loss of trust suffered by management, particularly C-level executives. While top management trust levels gain most of the publicity, every manager faces this challenge on a daily basis.

While middle level managers may not face the “weapons of mass destruction” aimed at CEOs, they directly must dodge the “bullets” from staff and customers in real time. They don’t have an entourage of speech writers, gatekeepers, or advisers to deflect and correct information or rumour leaks. Managers must develop their own personal strategies to keep both employees and customers happy.

The business community must take all measures, including using the most influential technology, to help re-establish trust in management. When trust is missing, the potential results are disastrous. Twitter and instant messaging have raised the danger level to life-threatening status in some situations. Simple messages can go “viral” almost instantly.

With corporate trust levels near all time lows, managers at all levels must construct strategies to minimise damage, make corrections, and re-establish trust. However strongly management may want to “stuff the genie back into the bottle,” the Twitter era is here. If it is to go away, the time has not yet come for it to do so.

Consumers and stockholders must have confidence and trust in corporate management. Like many sports teams and government agencies, management can publish social media restrictions that employees must follow. However, they should also adopt a strategy that activates when inappropriate messages enter the public domain.

Understanding that once the “genie is out, he’s out,” forms the basis for corrective activities. Management must consider using the same vehicle that started the fire to extinguish the maelstrom. Social networks and instant messaging are here to stay. Managers should use their power to enhance the positives and minimise the negative consequences of its power.


Source: maxizip.com/2011/05/is-it-suitable-for-senior-manager-to-open-twitter-account/