How many times have you asked this, or heard it asked?

Yes, but who OWNS social media? Is it marketing? PR? Customer service?

My answer? Yes.

You see, we’ve gotten so very matrixed and hierarchical in our approach to accountability and leadership (in everything, not just social media). We’ve told ourselves that something can’t possibly function unless we have one tie to tug, one person or role to point a finger at, one department with which to leave all the heavy lifting or all the glory (while giving ourselves the excuse that, well, that’s in their department).

Tomorrow’s successful and groundbreaking social businesses simply won’t see things that way.

The answers to how social applies inside our companies should never be one dimensional. Because social media isn’t vertical. It isn’t horizontal. It’s a business model that – if deployed well – permeates the very structure and practice of a business. It doesn’t just trickle down a spreadsheet into someone’s budget or list of accomplishments. It’s not a checklist.

But when it comes to management, hierarchies are clea