What managers need to know about social tools: avoid the common pitfalls so that your organization can collaborate, learn, and innovate

Internal social tools have been found to improve decision making, innovation, collaboration, and employee engagement. Four traps, however, can hinder these results: flawed assumptions regarding Millennials, repression of informal communication, failure to identify learning, and concentrating on the wrong data. To optimize social tools, firms should expressly define why the tools are being adopted. Informal communication should be fostered to generate knowledge sharing, but rules of conduct should be delineated. Leaders are also encouraged to exhibit the attitudes and behaviors they wish to see in their employees.