Bait And Switch: Corporate America Is Not Ready For Blogging

Just finished Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, "Bait and Switch: the (futile) pursuit of the American Dream," in which Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the role of an unemployed white collar working seeking work as a public relations professional. Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the New York Times bestseller Nickel and Dimed, a book about Barbara Ehrenreich attempts to earn a living as a blue-collar worker. One quote that interested me within the context of corporate culture was this:

"A rational enterprise should encourage creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. But over and over, white-collar people have told me that these are exactly the capabilities that can sink a career. As one guest at my web site put it:

Though most of us were taught the smarts, independent thinking, creativity, and loyalty were valued in corporate America, we know now it's all a lie.

If you think out of the box, you're out in the cold.
If you tell a truth the company doesn't want to hear, you have a negative attitude.
If you miss the boss's super bowl party for any reason at all, you're on the corporate fecal roster.
If you work less than 50-60 hours a week, you're not committed to your job.
The real mantra of surviving in the workplace is "go along to get along"

Corporate culture is one of the most important factors in using social media successfully. Being open, and transparent and willing to let your employees write openly about their opinions has for a number of companies proven to be a successful strategy for good customer relations. Robert Scoble at Microsoft being the best-known example. Yet to read Barbara Ehrenreich's Afterward and book conclusions you'd think the majority of corporate America is heading in the other direction. Is it true what Barbara Ehrenreich's reader stated on her website? And if so would that explain why so few companies have started using blogs and other social media?