Enablement can refer to any approach which provides means or opportunity. Means refers to unique methods that empower people and businesses to pursue and capture unique opportunities.

Unique methods are new processes that differ from traditional methods. In fact unique methods may be the total opposite of traditional methods and there lies the power of enablement.

When people use the word enablement it typically implies a new approach to accomplishing something or solving an existing problem. People and businesses are enabled by technology to create new methods or processes aimed at solving old problems or creating brand new value opportunities.

Today people are just beginning to learn the power of the social web and how to use it to solve problems or create new value. It is the learning process that enables people and businesses to see things anew and subsequently enable them with means and opportunity.

For businesses the social web provides a whole new paradigm of enablement. Customers, suppliers and employees as well as entire markets are enabled to speak without barriers and share without constraints. Enabled by the power of open and honest conversations people are learning to create a voice which is just beginning to get the markets attention. People are beginning to recognize the opportunities to participate in making existing markets better or the creation of brand new markets when old markets do not respond.

What Is The Approach That Enables?

People enabled to accomplish more and pursue creative opportunities gain significant satisfaction from their efforts. In business Internal and external interactions between people set the tone for outcomes. Whether it is marketing, sales, customer support, production or recruitment without the people the processes simply won’t work. Enablement comes at the intersection of technology and human behavior. The intersection itself re-engineers everything but to comprehend the outcomes one must first re-engineer their thinking.

If you want employee, customers and suppliers satisfied more than ever before, enable them. You ask how? Enablement is not technology by itself rather it is allowing people to think what can be done with technology. When you combined human behavior with social technology you expand the creative forces of human desire for opportunity and you enable people with the means to capture said opportunities.

Technology in and of itself is no longer a proprietary competitive advantage. What you do with it creates the advantages. The mindset of business leaders must change in order for enablement to work. Letting go of the control and command paradigm and embracing open and honest conversations is the first and hardest step.

This is a major paradigm shift for traditional thinking and a significant power shift. Not enabling people to solve problems or create new opportunities is detrimental to business growth and satisfied people. Businesses can’t effectively grow with unsatisfied employees, customers and suppliers. It is that simple yet so very complex.

Do you really want enablement to work for you? Socialution changes will be required from the top first. The bottom is already prepared and able to change. After all, people (suppliers,employees,customers and entire markets) like to be provided the means for opportunity.

What says you?