Social Network Evolution And The Death Of Tool-Specific Manuals

Last week, I was one of the first on board to try out a new social network called Google Plus (or Google+ or G+). To me, it is the most interesting thing that has come out since Twitter as far as broad social networks are concerned. I don’t want to get too into that though. The micro-analysis of Google Plus and comparisons to Twitter, Facebook and sliced bread has been overwhelming.

What’s really interesting to me is how the way social networks are changing impacts us and the workplace.

That may seem silly to you. Broadly speaking, businesses haven’t integrated with social networks. How could they possibly be impacted by them this early in the game?

For one, look at how Google Plus has been adopted. I was invited by a friend and he was my first contact with just a couple of other posts. I was able to find about a dozen or so contacts who also made it on in the ensuing days. And while I’m sure that some tried the demo out to learn how to use it, most people just started doing things with it.

At another glance, look at all of the social networking tool based books and strategies and how obsolete they’ll be if Google Plus takes off. If you buy a book written in early 2011, it will be out of date by the time it comes to press. I remember my parents bought a book for Windows 95 and they were able to reference that book for 4 years.

Lastly, Software as a Service is changing enterprise software. Faster iterations and releases, seamless upgrades and a focus on user interface that doesn’t require 1-4 binders worth of information. My first interaction with an AS/400 consisted of black and green screened terminal and a two binder instruction manual that was produced in 1992 (more than a decade earlier). You could have learned everything about that system when it was rolled out and not worry about it. And you kept your references handy too.

This isn’t a post about the good old days or about how the new is far superior to the old. It’s about how we’re changing. And whether that be in reaction to quicker iterative changes in computing or whether those faster changes are closer to realizing our potential of dealing with change and advancement, there seems to be no question that there is no going back.

For those of us who work with employees and are interested in the bigger, longer term picture, you can see the writing on the wall. We don’t need people who understand Facebook or know how to get to the top of Google’s search rankings. We need people who can adapt, change and be naturally curious. If a SaaS ATS rolls out a new feature into your system every six months (or three months, or one month), you’ll have to attract employees who can deal with that change. And if a new social network comes along and you’re dependent on it for part of your business, you better find people who can figure things out quickly.

Not that I’ll miss those giant tool-specific manuals either but they did bring a bit of security. Anyone with decent reading comprehension, patience and time could figure out anything. That was pretty easy to screen for and train towards in the employment relationship. Now? We’ll be looking for people who can be more agile and depend less on the manuals that we’ve built up for the last few decades.

It will be fascinating to watch how people and businesses alike respond.