Book Recommendation for HR Managers: “The Executive’s Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy”

I don’t watch TV, so when I’m not producing corporate team building events in New York City and beyond I usually spend my spare time reading. This past fall in particular, my readings have included a steady diet of contemporary books focused on the intersection between business development and the social Web – which, as every HR manager, corporate executive or business owner can attest, is an extremely hot topic in the workplace.

Let’s face a fact: we all know that today, on the eve of 2012, employees are using social media at work. Instead of worrying about lost productivity or the release of company secrets, the real question for HR managers should be, “how can we harness this phenomenon to improve our business?” One book in particular I would like to single out is The Executive’s Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy: How Social Networks Are Radically Transforming Your Business by David B. Thomas and Mike Barlow. More so than other similar works which have come out this year, this book is geared specifically towards executive-level decision makers, providing a strategic blueprint for how firms can implement effective social media strategies which not only yield results, but actually encourage employee buy-in and participation at all levels.

Reading this book, I found myself again and again saying, “wow- every HR director should read this.” In a very simple and approachable voice, the authors clearly and articulately describe the usual human resources & management concerns as related to social media such as metrics, ROI, staffing and corporate reputation, yet all through a high-angle lens which emphasizes strategic goal and objective setting (it doesn’t hurt that bestselling author and social media thought leader Chris Brogan provides a glowing forward).

Featuring plenty of case studies and interviews with high-level executives from a variety of backgrounds, I liked that any senior manager will instantly feel he/she is being provided with a comprehensive social media tutorial, appropriately directed at their level. The book concludes with a nice list of resources and recommended reading specifically with the executive level decision maker in mind.

If you are interested in rolling out or improving your firm’s social media strategy in a way that embraces and engages your employees, look no further for a great book designed just for that.