Change communication and the use of anonymous social media at work

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heewon Kim ◽  
Craig Scott

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how employees use anonymous social media to cope with organizational change, which may affect various engagement outcomes. Specifically, this study focuses on change communication from management (i.e. top–down communication) and workplace freedom of speech (i.e. bottom–up communication) as potential antecedents of anonymous communication. In turn, commitment, turnover intention and job satisfaction are examined as engagement outcomes. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted at Microsoft through Blind, a mobile platform for anonymous communication at work. A series of regression models were used to test hypotheses. Findings Results demonstrate that: the quality of change communication was related to anonymous social media use for information and support seeking; workplace freedom of speech was related to anonymous social media use for expressing ideas; perceived usefulness and trustworthiness of anonymous social media positively affected the usage of them; and the quality of change communication and workplace freedom of speech were linked to affective commitment and job satisfaction. Originality/value Despite the growing popularity of anonymous social media at work, their use and influences have received scarce empirical attention. This study advances the authors’ knowledge of the antecedents, characteristics and outcomes of anonymous social media use in a work environment characterized by frequent organizational changes. The findings also highlight the significance of communication qualities and freedom of speech at work.

Subject Control of social media in Turkey. Significance Average daily use of social media among users in Turkey is relatively high at 152 minutes. More than half the population (42 million) are active users. Of these, 32% prefer Facebook, 24% Whatsapp, 20% Facebook Messenger, 17% Twitter, 16% Instagram and 15% Google Plus. Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been censoring the internet vigorously since 2008. Impacts The new censorship institution replacing TIB is likely to be even more of a government instrument. Advocating civil liberties and freedom of speech will fall to Turks in exile in Europe or the United States. They will use similar methods to dissident movements in other repressive polities such as Iran, Russia, Egypt or China.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma Liang ◽  
Zhang Xin ◽  
Ding Xiao Yan ◽  
Fei Jianxiang

PurposeWhile prior research provides interesting insights into the effect of social media use in enterprises, there is limited research on how use of different social media platforms affects employee job satisfaction and work efficiency. This study developed a research model to investigate how public and private social media platforms used for different motivations affect employee job satisfaction and work efficiency.Design/methodology/approachOnline surveys were conducted in China, generating 453 valid responses for analysis. Structural equation modeling is performed to test the research model and hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that (1) public social media used for both work- and social-related motivations positively affects employee job satisfaction, while private social media only used for social-related motivations can contribute to employee job satisfaction. (2) Public and private social media used for work-related motivations can contribute to employee work efficiency, while social-related motivations for use of public and private social media and employee work efficiency are not significant. (3) In the process of social media usage influencing employee job satisfaction and work efficiency, employees of different genders show significant differences.Originality/valueFirst, this paper contributes to information systems social media research by examining the joint effects of different motivations for public and private social media usage on employee job satisfaction and work efficiency in organizations. Second, it contributes to uses and gratification theory by clarifying the relationship between different motivations for enterprise social media use and its needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-343
Author(s):  
Aurora Garrido-Moreno ◽  
Víctor García-Morales ◽  
Stephen King ◽  
Nigel Lockett

PurposeAlthough Social Media use has become all-pervasive, previous research has failed to explain how to use Social Media tools strategically to create business value in today's increasingly digital landscapes. Adopting a dynamic capabilities perspective, this paper empirically examines the specific process through which Social Media use translates into better performance and the capabilities involved in this process.Design/methodology/approachA research model is proposed that includes both antecedents and consequences of Social Media use. Existing research was examined to derive the research hypotheses, which were tested using SEM methodology on a sample of 212 hotels.FindingsThe results show that Social Media use does not exert significant direct impact on organizational performance. Rather, the findings confirm the mediating role played by Social CRM and Customer Engagement capabilities in the value creation process.Practical implicationsThe results demonstrate how Social Media tools should be implemented and managed to generate business value in hotels. Implications yield interesting insights for hotel managersOriginality/valueThis study is a first attempt to analyze empirically the real impact of digital media technologies, particularly Social Media use, drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective and focusing on service firms (hotels). Including the variable “Organizational Readiness” as a basic prerequisite to benefit from Social Media use enhances the study's novelty and contribution.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly W. O'Connor ◽  
Kimberly S. McDonald ◽  
Brandon T. McDaniel ◽  
Gordon B. Schmidt

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine individual perceptions about the impact that social media use has on career satisfaction and perceived career benefits. We examined whether informal online learning through “typical” types of social media behaviors (e.g. liking a post or messaging another user) and “networking” types of social media behaviors (e.g. endorsing another user, writing recommendations, going “live,” or looking for a job) impacted career-related perceptions. Design/methodology/approach In this study, we analyzed Amazon Mechanical Turk survey data gathered from adult participants (n = 475). We focused our inquiry specifically on two social media sites, Facebook and LinkedIn. We asked participants about their social media use and behaviors, as well as their perceptions of career satisfaction and career benefits related to social media. Findings We found that both typical and networking types of social media behaviors positively predicted the “knowing whom” career competency (defined as career relevant networks and contacts that individuals use to develop their careers) and career satisfaction. Only networking behaviors were positively associated with perceived career benefits of social media use. We further found that LinkedIn users’ career satisfaction was lower compared to non-LinkedIn users. Originality/value This study adds to the small, but growing body of career research focusing on social capital and social media. Our results suggest that informal online learning via social media may have a positive impact on employees’ career-related perceptions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mousa Albashrawi ◽  
Yousef Asiri ◽  
Muhammad Binsawad ◽  
Latifah Alqahtani

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media use on both empathy and well-being through using a five-factor model (FFM) of personality in the context of Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the 13 regions in Saudi Arabia. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to measure the reliability and validity of the study’s constructs and a structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the study hypotheses. Findings With a sample of 450 users, the regression results indicate a less significant relationship between personality and social media use, as well as between personality and affective empathy, while a more significant relationship between personality and cognitive empathy. Also, individuals’ well-being are influenced directly by the heavy use of social media. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design used in this research may not be able to provide the true essence of the hypothesized relationships compared to the cause-effect design. This study furthers the understanding of the role of personality on empathy and well-being in social media among Saudis from one side and provides insights to professionals for better improvement of social media and so better individuals’ well-being from the other side. Originality/value This paper fills an untapped gap in a developing country context by exploring the relationship between the usage of social media and the two dimensions of empathy, which, in turn, influence well-being under the theoretical lens of an FFM personality.


Author(s):  
Faradita Mahdani Ibrahim ◽  

This study aims to determine how the influence of the use of social media (Work-related social media use) and social media (Social-related social media use) on job satisfaction. In addition, to find out how the role of work engagement and organizational engagement, as a mediating variable in the relationship.The research was conducted in Indonesia with the analysis unit of the State Civil Servant (SCS) domiciled in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. A sample of 212 respondents obtained by using a questionnaire distribution technique using google form, data analysis using SEM-AMOS.The results of the analysis show that the use of social media (Work-related social media use) has no effect on job satisfaction, but the use of social media (Social-related social media use) is found to increase the job satisfaction of SCS.The results of the analysis also show that the use of social media (Work-related social media use) can increase work engagement, but has no effect on increasing organizational engagement. The use of social media (Social-related social media use) contributes to an increase in work engagement and organizational engagement. Furthermore, it was found that there was a significant effect of work engagement and organizational engagement on SCS job satisfaction. Work engagement and organizational engagement play a role as a mediating variable (partially) in the relationship between social media use (Social-related social media use) and job satisfaction. But there is no role as a mediating variable in the relationship between (Work-related social media use) and job satisfaction.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros Koulouris ◽  
Eftichia Vraimaki ◽  
Maria Koloniari

Purpose The study aims to explore Greek libraries’ social media presence and library operation and social media use during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected via an online questionnaire that was distributed to the Greek libraries. The final sample comprised 189 libraries of all types with the exception of school libraries. Findings Results indicated that Facebook is the most widely used platform, while social media are mainly used for sharing announcements about library operations and for the promotion of events. During the COVID-19 lockdown, libraries responded quickly to the new circumstances by taking many of their services online. However, they did not fully use social media for service provision but rather used social media as a static communication channel. Only a few of the libraries grasped the opportunity to highlight their role in the promotion of public health by providing timely and reliable information. Practical implications Library leaders who are looking to harness the power of social media for service promotion and outreach should build a strategy that takes platform popularity, current social media trends, patron preferences and the specific promotional objectives of their library into consideration. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current research is the first which attempts to explore the social media presence of Greek libraries of all types and changes made to library operations and social media use in response to the COVID-19 lockdown.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riyad Eid ◽  
Ziad Abdelmoety ◽  
Gomaa Agag

Purpose The social media have enabled companies to reach out to global markets and provided them with the opportunity to customize their strategies and offerings in an unprecedented way. Given the scant empirical evaluation of social media use in the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) business-to-business (B-to-B) context, this paper aims to offer a comprehensive description of the antecedents and consequences of social media use in international B-to-B SMEs and the way in which this use affects their export performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sample of 277 British B-to-B SMEs and uses positivist research with a quantitative approach, adopting a survey strategy through questionnaires and structural equation modeling. Findings The results reveal that the use of social media influences export performance through the quality of international business contacts – understanding customers’ views and preferences, brand awareness and knowledge of the competition in various international markets. This study contributes to the emerging literature on B-to-B SMEs digital marketing by determining the mechanism through which B-to-B SMEs may benefit from using the social media in their efforts to export. Originality/value Despite the promising potential of the social media, especially for export-oriented companies, very limited attention has hitherto been paid to the relationship between the use of social media and export performance. This study attempts to fill the gap by investigating the extent to which actual use of social media impacts on the performance of exporting firms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 677-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Ho ◽  
May O. Lwin ◽  
Liang Chen ◽  
Minyi Chen

Purpose Social media use carries both opportunities and risks for children and adolescents. In order to reduce the negative impacts of social media on youth, the authors focus our efforts on parental mediation of social media. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to enhance the conceptualization and operationalization of parental mediation of social media. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors conducted focus groups with both children and parents in Singapore to categorize parental mediation strategies for social media and develop an initial scale of these strategies. Then, a survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,424 child participants and 1,206 parent participants in Singapore to develop and test the scale. Findings The focus group results identified four conceptually distinct parental mediation strategies for social media, labeled as active mediation, restrictive mediation, authoritarian surveillance, and non-intrusive inspection, and were used to develop an initial scale of these strategies. Based on the data from survey questionnaires, the authors investigated both inter-item and item-total correlations and performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which developed and validated the scale of parental mediation of social media. Originality/value First, this research explained what parents do to manage children’s social media use and identified four conceptually distinct parental mediation strategies of social media, making a significant contribution to the parental mediation theory. Additionally, the research developed the first theory-derived, successively validated and reliable scale in parental mediation of social media.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolis Tijunaitis ◽  
Debora Jeske ◽  
Kenneth S. Shultz

Purpose Technology and globalization of services have facilitated the digitalization of many processes at work. However, their impact on social capital is unknown. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between virtuality in the workplace and social capital. Design/methodology/approach Using an online survey, the authors recruited 152 female student workers using an opportunity sampling approach. Findings Participants who used social media at work (n=112) reported higher social capital overall than participants who did not use any social media to communicate with colleagues at work (n=40). This difference also presented itself in terms of the social capital subscales (network ties, shared vision and trust). Mediation analysis conducted with users of social media at work revealed that social media use was a significant mediator in the relationship between virtuality at work and social capital overall (partial mediation). Subsequent analyses with the subscales for virtuality and social capital suggested full mediation of the relationship in most instances (with the exception of work practices). Originality/value This is the first study to examine the relationship between virtuality, social media and social capital at work. The result of this study suggests that social media use at work between colleagues can play a significant role in promoting social capital in workplaces that are heavily reliant on technological application to support interactions at work and feature geographical and temporal dispersion.


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