For a lot of companies, creating and integrating a socially focused team is a huge transition. Sometimes this change happens slowly and organically, while other times it is planned and implemented strategically. Many companies don’t have the luxury of planning, but even for those that do, it can be challenging to decide what organizational structure to use. Jeremiah Owyang of the Altimeter Group is recognized as an authority on this subject. In one of his blog posts, he breaks down social organizations into five types, and explains the benefits and tradeoffs of each. To simplify this even further, his five models can be grouped into two different categories: dedicated and integrated.

At the center of the team is a manager, and as the size of the company increases, the model naturally becomes more like a dandelion due to the sub-division of departments.  The key difference between Centralized and Coordinated models is whether the flow of information is from the top-down only (Centralized), or whether it goes back and forth between team members (Coordinated).

Pros – Consistency and quality of content and experience, as well as the control of the organization from key decision makers.

Cons – Costly, resource intensive, and challenging to coordinate.

In the Organic model, a number of people are loosely responsible for completing social tasks, and their combined efforts accumulate to meet goals.  In the Honeycomb structure, specific tasks are divided up to individual team members, making it possible to develop specialization over time and to orchestrate the team in a deliberate way.

Pros – Flexibility of team, diversity of content.

Cons – Inconsistent voice and customer experience. Executives lose ability to control and coordinate.

These models are similar to the existing corporate structures of entire companies. Choosing the right model is often about finding one that meshes well with the existing corporate culture. Ask yourself and your team the following: What model most closely resembles the company’s existing corporate structure? Which model would best serve the company’s goals?

Looking specifically at the airline industry, an infographic was made that compares various airlines based on whether a dedicated or integrated model was used. With the eight airlines shown, the ones with integrated models had a much higher number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers, on average.

One explanation is that a high volume of lower quality content is usually more effective in attracting new fans than a low volume of higher quality content. A dispersed group with more people can make a larger amount of posts with a more diverse range of content. Even if there is less continuity, the efforts can reach a wider audience solely because of post frequency. (source)