Almost half of European executives fear that they will miss out on technology; they are uncertain whether they will be able to keep pace with developments in their sector. The changes in the information and media sector are also unsettling them: Although 70% of top managers use social media themselves, its impact on their business is still largely unclear to them.
More and more European managers are struggling to follow technological developments in their sector. 45 percent of 650 top managers surveyed said this in a new Study by business information service CNBC. 61 percent of all business leaders surveyed believe that social media will change the way business is done in the future.
In addition to technological expertise in their respective industry, top managers were also surveyed primarily about their media usage behavior and personal use of social networks. 70 percent of the executives surveyed are active on social networks, 77 percent of them use Facebook. 56 percent use LinkedIn, followed by Twitter with 38 percent.
Although a great many managers are now also using social networks in company management, the uncertainty about technology topics is also continuing in the area of social media. However, the exact effects of social networks on consumer behavior and thus on the business of one's own company still seem unclear.
Just last July had a Study by management consultancy Capgemini showed that although 57 percent of top managers believe that social media will play a major role in maintaining customer relationships in the future, three quarters of them did not even know how many of their own employees were using social media.
“middle-aged” managers particularly challenged.
Even in Switzerland, many managers say behind the scenes that they do not feel safe using social media: In one fell swoop, they are required to communicate simultaneously via a variety of completely different channels. In addition, the new communication is also interactive. What used to be disseminated with press releases often triggers a conversation with consumers today.
The same applies to managers: The generation of baby boomers and the decade after that did not yet grow up with electronics. Although they made the step into the PC age and the Internet, when the information offered was still quite unidirectional until recently. With the advent of Web 2.0 and social media, the communication requirements of companies and their managers have now grown exponentially.
Managers from all levels and industries sometimes feel that they are no longer competent in dealing with the new media. The seminar series “New media literacy in leadership” gives managers an overview of today's media world and the effects of the media revolution. Solidly structured in theory, but always close to practice, the day seminar shows opportunities to use social media commercially, but also the “dos” and “don'ts” in communication with today's media users.
links
Europe's Mobile Elite 2011
CNBC study, press release in English
The Rising Importance of Social Media to Customer Care
businesswire.com
New media literacy in leadership
Information about the seminar
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Editorial on the seminar “New media literacy in leadership”