The reactionary antics concerning new enterprise methods, such as social media, prediction markets and enterprise mashups, are entertaining and achingly typical.

First, the pontifications and prognostications on enterprise adoption most often originates from people with little/no real enterprise deployment or diffusion experience. It is indicated by the short-term view and identifying the simple-obvious barriers. It is typical of enterprise reactionaries.

Enterprise innovation always meets with robust reactionism. It is the role and purpose of the enterprise – to lower risk and reduce transaction costs. As Drucker said and has been proven over and over – all innovation originates outside the organization.

Want to know some stunning social innovations and technologies that were flatly and vigorously derided and rejected by the enterprise for years and years?

Try:

• Minicomputers – “Useless, the mainframe will always rule.”

• Personal Computers – “Toys and games are not useful to the enterprise.”

• Spreadsheets – “No thanks, we already have bookkeeping and accounting.”

• Word processing – “Our Selectrics are fine, thank you very much.”

• Internet – “Who in the world would want to connect hundreds of millions of computers?”

• WWW – “Employees will view sports and porn all day. No use to the enterprise whatsoever.”

This list is just a sample of radical enterprise methods and technologies that fundamentally reshaped the enterprise landscape and business forever. Yet, as with today’s social innovations, all met with puerile, sideshow commentary, reactionary articles in pop journals and faulty, semi-literate opinions. The list goes on and on.

Again, this is not an indictment of the enterprise, since their fundamental purpose is not innovation. Rather, it is about those folks that made these ridiculous remarks over the years w/little or no context or comprehension of the diffusion of innovations or enterprise pull-through. They are making almost identically ridiculous claims today about social media, prediction markets and enterprise mashups. It is very reassuring!

These are all substantial revolutions, major disruptions to the enterprise. If you were there, or worked on these efforts, you have a lot of arrows in your back. Above are actual quotation from conversations.

Meanwhile, after decades of enterprise deployments, it is relatively easy to see the technology horizon with confidence and what will cause fundamental transformations. That’s why it is so amusing to hear the enterprise dilatants repeat the same mistakes and commentary as their forbearers.

Of course, thankfully, the enterprise DID successfully reject quite a few dopey methods and useless technologies. They include things like employee portals, push technologies and the paperless office. Good riddance. (There are other past biggies that went down in flames, and some out there right now, but they are beyond the scope of this screed.)

Recall, the traditional mission of the enterprise is to increase efficiencies (transaction cost economics) and lower operational risk. Adoption of new methods and technology is always initially dismissed by hierarchy since it is not consistent with these objectives. Often, it threatens empire and is summarily dismissed.

Look, this is how bureaucracies function. It is routine; the standard operating procedures for the enterprise and institutions. It is not bad; it is essential. Organizations are set-up and operated for continuity; they are not organized for mutation, evolution or change. There are good reasons for these configurations. Innovation is NOT one of them.

There is no expectation that social media, prediction markets and enterprise mashups will be any different. Social tools and network methods will dominate the enterprise of the future event more than they do today. BTW, do you know the Number One mission critical application for enterprise today? Email.

Social media, markets and mashups cohabitate with the enterprise backbone, hierarchy and bureaucracy. The plurality of complex flow ecologies with transaction/process execution carries the day and leads deliberately to enterprise prosperity.

Finally, the underlining principles and properties of all these social media innovations are greater democratization and marketplace centricity of the modern enterprise. As in the past, for social innovations, it is do-or-die. Social media, prediction markets and enterprise mashups vis-à-vis enterprise deployments capture and fundamentally advance these principles thus assuring deep and widespread enterprise productivity, performance and well-being.

Trust me – been there, done that.