Ownership is a funny thing. It can give you a sense of entitlement and make others turn a blind eye.
If you think about it, that general concept is tragic when you are dealing with a line of communications such as social media.
Unfortunately, that’s what happens in many instances when social media falls under the marketing or public relations department.
It’s likely not intentional, but integration (in some instances) is lost and organizations lose out on huge opportunities.
Pointing out a problem is pretty easy to do, but let’s take a moment and think about why integration, or collaboration for that matter, suffers.
In the grand scheme of things there are a massive number of people that still don’t “get” social media, much less have a firm enough understanding to develop strategies.
That being said, it’s as if when one department gains ownership the other wipes its forehead and says, “thank goodness we don’t have to worry about that – much less learn how to use it.” When that happens the organization loses out in a big way… especially if integration isn’t a focus.
Housing something such as social media in a specific department is something that has to be done in many instances, but it’s very important that cross collaboration be a heavy emphasis, if not a requirement.
