<p>This is the third article in my mini-series exploring the social business phenomenon. I began by claiming that there is a problem with "social," because despite all the hype, there's confusion over the meaning of the term "social business" and its many synonyms, no one can clearly explain how or why it works, and there's little reliable evidence that it delivers any business value at all.</p><p>In the second article I argued for a redefinition of "social business." I claimed that a social business is an organization that explicitly and systematically harmonizes management approaches to people, knowledge, strategy and technology with the aim of delivering benefits associated with knowledge worker productivity and innovation. Editor's Note: Symon will be presenting a free session at this year's SharePoint Saturday UK based on this series.</p><p>Since my last article, MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte have published the findings from their 2013 Social Business and Global Executive Study and Research Project. This is one of the few credible pieces of market research regarding social. The study finds that although increasing numbers of executives are recognizing the importance of social, the majority of companies are stuck in first gear and making little progress in becoming social businesses. Respondents to the survey cite three barriers holding companies back with regard to social; a lack of strategy, a lack of proven business case or strong value proposition, and too many competing priorities.</p><p>One of the key themes of my consulting work around SharePoint has been the principle that technology has no value without purpose and although I define social business as being wider than just technology, the adage still applies. Social business has no value without purpose. If you know what you are trying to do (strategy) then that will give you the means to measure success (business case or value proposition), and that in turn will help you assess investments in social against other priorities. The starting point is strategy and that's the focus of this article.</p><p><a href="http://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/knowledge-is-power-whats-your-strategy-for-social-business-022739.php">Keep reading...</a></p>