If Your Customers Are Poised For Revolt, It's Time For Extreme Trust

Two thousand years before smartphones, Plato suggested that excessive democracy would lead directly to tyranny, because sooner or later the majority will choose to trample the rights of the minority. 

One indication of the wisdom of Plato’s teachings is that all Western “democratic” governments, including America’s, are structured not as pure democracies at all, but as representative ones, or republics. This is not just because it would be impractical to allow every citizen to vote on every legal and regulatory issue, but also because elected representatives can be firmly bound by a constitution that restricts their ability to tyrannize those who didn’t vote for them.

Today, however, largely because of rapidly proliferating e-social technologies, in every facet of organized life we are witnessing an increasing amount of direct democratic influence. The Arab Spring may be the most notable case. As social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Skype have given increasing weight to the voice of the people, Arab dictators are being overturned, from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya, Yemen and (soon) Syria.

But in the U.S. we also see the increasing influence of the voice of the people: Witness the public outcry over the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's attempt to stop supporting Planned Parenthood or, on the other side of the political spectrum, the Obama Administration’s dictate to Catholic institutions that their health care plans must provide contraceptives to employees.

For businesses, as well, the voice of the people is carrying an ever greater influence. Just ask Netflix how it fared with its recent attempt to raise prices. Or ask Bank of America whether imposing a $5 monthly fee for the use of ATM cards was a good idea, in retrospect.

But fasten your seatbelts folks, because this is just the beginning. The proliferation of e-social platforms and tools is (1) generating an unprecedented level of transparency throughout society, and (2) enabling large groups of enthusiasti...

[Source: Fast Company]