Can the risk of implementing Enterprise 2.0 be mitigated?

Enterprise 2.0 represents the use of emergent social software platforms within businesses, organisations and their clients. 

Social platforms can gather thoughts, opinions and other information internally within the organisation; and allow businesses to react simultaneously. It is believed that Enterprise 2.0 can help businesses to produce better goods and services, solve problems, and exploit opportunities.

And then it leaves us one question to consider:

There might be enormous amount of benefit for businesses to implement Enterprise 2.0; but can its risks be mitigated?

Today I will discuss one of the most looked-upon risks, the legal risk for utilising social media tools by a government department - Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA)

About DOHA

DOHA is a dynamic Australian Government Department that seeks to promote, develop, and fund health and aged care services for the Australian public. It leads the development of Australia’s health and aged care system by providing expert policy advice, analysis, program advice and other services to our Ministers, federal and state government agencies, and external stakeholder and clients. 

To achieve the aim of providing easy and high quality services to the public; DOHA has developed its commitments with input from customers, business partners, community representatives and departmental staff.  It has also been constantly reviewing and improving its services based on the feedback and comments from communities (including online) and other government agencies.

Possible Legal Issues For Implementing Enterprise 2.0

Discrimination Concern within the Hiring Process

There were plenty of stories on the news about recruiters rejecting applicants based on the the information they have found on job seekers' social media profiles. As a government department providing trusting health services, it certainly wouldn't want to have anything to do with discrimination.  Hence it has to be extra careful to not discriminate employees or violate any anti-discrimination laws by evaluating employees' social media content.

Loss and Disclosure of Confidential Information

DOHA employees have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information of its clients.  Because the fact that social media is a channel not protected by typical information security safeguards, it would be easy for employees to "overshare" information without the presence of strict regulations and rules. Leaking sensitive information not only could cause harm for clients; but also can constitute a breach of confidential information.

Intellectual Property and Media Risks

Obviously what employees of DOHA posted on social media platforms could be seen as a statement made by DOHA officially.  Hence it is essential for employees to understand the right way to deal with others' intellectual property.  The infringement or violation of intellectual property rights could occur when employees post other's work online without permission. 

Solution

For a government department such as DOHA; it is definitely necessary to perform tasks to eliminate the risk of utilising social media.  

Identify and Quantify the risks

First, DOHA should conduct risk assessment to establish how it will use and be affected by social media.

Write policy and regulations to encompass social media and implement safeguards

Based on the risk assessment result, it should then create policy to control the use of social media to avoid risks. Basically policy should be written to ensure its employees know when, what, where and how to post appropriate information on social network platforms.

References:

http://www.acegroup.com/us-en/assets/ace-progress-report-social-media.pdf

http://www.bits.org/publications/security/BITSSocialMediaJun2011.pdf

http://www.crowehorwath.com/folio-pdf/TR11908_SocialMediaWhitePaper.pdf