Social Networks Develop Talent

I’m a convert to social networking. If we think of learner also as teacher, then in sharing knowledge with others, these two roles become blurred- and that’s a good thing. There are many ways to examine making social networks work… does the culture encourage it? What’s the value? What are the specific tools? How do organizations create both opportunities and online environments that support the meeting of people for new knowledge creation?  A new research report, Social Networking in Government (see the executive summary and Part 1 Social Networking in Government Opportunities and Challenges, Part 2 Diverging Patterns of Use Among Government Agencies, and Part 3 Closing the Satisfaction Gap in Using SN Tools in Training and Development), from The Human Capital Institute (HCI) in partnership with Saba, discusses what SN tools are being used in government today, the effectiveness of SN for doing government work, future expectations and barriers for its use, and how agency type affects the use and opinions of SN.
While the public sector has enjoyed talent longevity and tenure, they are on the precipice of an enormous brain drain from a retiring boomer workforce. Social network tools boost intra and inter-agency knowledge sharing where the work is getting done. While the HCI-Saba research found that 66 percent of government workplaces use some type of SN tool, and 65% are using more than one tool (threaded discussions, instant messaging, blogs and wiki’s) for collaboration, knowledge sharing, training and attracting talent, the public sector lags behind the private sector.  
I think the public sector has an opportunity advantage- if the public sector reflects the voice of the people, then embracing a cultural paradigm shift to facilitate talent as teachers in the organization, while individuals simultaneously drive their own informal learning through social networking, is an area of huge opportunity.
Organizational culture affects use of tools and behavioral change. Collaborative and bureaucratic cultures don’t mix well. Steve Dale writes about how in collaborative organizations, talent finds more value from communities they choose for themselves in contrast to those they are compelled to join. That suggests that organizations make SN tools available and facilitate their use to see where their talent leads them- this can be a paradigm shift- to place bets on talent to deliver value to the organization using the tools that will help them.
For those who are still asking, “What’s the value?” Jason Falls discusses how to get the value out of interactive conversations. Nancy Marmolejo  suggests you can put a dollar value on a conversation when you examine the results of that conversation and related applied insights. 
There is likely a good case that can be made for the value of SN and talent engagement; for example Zach Thomas at Forrester Research says that new workers will expect social technologies to build relationships, and given Gallup's research that a top engagement factor is “friends” at work, I would venture this includes virtual friends who discourse on common work interests. 
An acid test to see if SN is becoming part of your organizational DNA, suggested by Stephen Collins' is look for examples of conversations, collaboration and community in your organization.  Conversations in the hallway and around the water cooler, otherwise lost, are being replaced by productive chats on line.
For leaders who look for ROI of SN, there is a lot to say; to bring the traditionalists along, Lee Mangold’s blog points out to not underestimate the value of cost avoidance.
If you’d like to get started by checking out a related HCI webcast see It's Who You Know that Counts! Social Networking Accelerates the Speed of Knowledge. 
I look forward to your comments about how are you incorporating SN's into your Talent Development efforts, both personally and/or for your organization (public sector or private sector).