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Social Media Importance and Priority – Executive (mis) Alignment

We recently commented on the frequently negative impact of corporate culture on the use of Social Media in business.  Recent research reveals another dysfunctional aspect of corporate activity: mis-alignment between business executives’ understanding of the importance of Social Media and the priority Social Media is being given within their organizations.

As reported in eMarketer, a recent study from Jive Software and Penn, Schoen & Berland found that  36% of executives believe that Social Media is very important to the future success of their businesses.

However, only 27% felt that Social Media is a strategic priority.

Interestingly, when looked at by size of organization, the medium sized group seemed to have the best alignment, with 51% of executives seeing the issue as very important and 49% giving it strategic priority.

It is hard to picture how this type of mis-alignment would serve any corporate goals.