Enterprise social media at work: web-based solutions for employee engagement

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 16-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshu Sharma ◽  
Jyotsna Bhatnagar

Purpose The paper aims to highlight the role of enterprise social media as an internal workplace tool for employee engagement purposes. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides a viewpoint on how social media can be used internally by organizations after considering both academic and practitioner literature in the respective field. Findings The paper posits that organizations should move beyond using social networking tools for recruitment and branding purposes and take a step further to use social media tools internally for employee engagement initiatives. It provides practical implications for managers to embrace social media as an engagement tool and to increase employees’ participation on such media. Research limitations/implications The paper provides implications for both researchers and practitioners for using social media as a strategic employee engagement initiative and devising appropriate social media and human resource strategies to do so. Originality/value The paper offers insights into how enterprise social media can be used as an internal communication tool for engaging employees in this technologically connected era.

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 1797-1812
Author(s):  
Keng Hong Ng ◽  
Rachel W.Y. Yee

PurposeThis paper aims to build on affordance theory from a discovery perspective, to illustrate how motivations and goals behind enterprise social media adoption by companies in the fashion and apparel industries are discovered and realized in performance. Enterprise social media and its exogenous technological affordances are introduced as action opportunities in an organization during implementation, to be discovered and acted upon by users to effect various performance outcomes.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was adopted. Data was collected on five fashion companies that have implemented enterprise social media for their internal communication.FindingsThe findings show that fashion companies adopt enterprise social media offered by external vendors to actively seek more effective internal communication and collaboration among their employees. However, fashion companies embark on different pathways of discovering and actualizing the affordances from the newly implemented enterprise social media. As a result, these firms achieved various kinds of performance benefits, which range from improved customer loyalty to enhanced innovation performance.Originality/valueThis study is the first to introduce a discovery perspective to affordance theory and systematically document the success of enterprise social media appropriation by companies in the fashion and apparel industries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1167-1202
Author(s):  
Nivedhitha KS ◽  
Sheik Manzoor AK

PurposeWhile the sizable body of research focusses on various psychological effects of enterprise social media (ESM), research connecting the link between ESM and cyberslacking is still very sparse. Drawing inspiration from the social bonding theory, the authors have proposed a moderated mediation model to explain how ESM affordances reduce cyberslacking, mediated significantly by workplace social bonding when the perceived co-worker involvement is high.Design/methodology/approachUtilising a sample of 384 respondents, the study tested the model fit and hypothesised relationships with AMOS and PROCESS MACRO.FindingsThe findings show that workplace social bonding mediates the relationship between ESM affordances and cyberslacking. The results are also consistent with the moderated mediation model as the mediation is significant when the perceived co-worker involvement is high, and the mediation is insignificant when the moderator is low/moderate.Research limitations/implicationsConsidering the potential behavioural dynamics of ESM artefacts, the authors have introduced self-expression (via microblogging), recognition (from paralinguistic digital affordances) and network externality as ESM affordances. Alongside the existing measures to reduce employee deviance, the proposed model with the above-mentioned affordances can be investigated in detail by the future research community.Practical implicationsIn light of the findings, the study demonstrates that ESM can be treated as a mechanism to keep cyberslacking at bay. The results offer significant implications for managers, who lookout for innovative and soft strategies to reduce cyberslacking in the workplace.Originality/valueInstead of implementing strict policies to kerb cyberslacking, this study proposes an alternative and an interesting model by introducing ESM as a strategic tool in reducing cyberslacking. The paper argues that ESM, being a potential tool for employee engagement and bonding, may offset the employees' tendency to involve in cyberslacking.


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):  
Liang Ma ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Gaoshan Wang ◽  
Ge Zhang

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to build a research model to study how the use of different enterprise social media platforms affects employees' relationship capital, and the moderating role of innovation culture is also examined.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was performed to test the research model and hypotheses. Surveys were conducted in an electronic commerce company in China that uses different social media platforms, generating 301 valid responses for analysis.FindingsFirst, private social media used for work-related purposes can contribute to employees' relationship capital, and public social media QQ used for work-related purposes can contribute to employees' communication quality. WeChat used for social-related purposes has a positive effect on employees' information exchange. Second, innovation culture acts as a positive moderator between work-related media use and employees' information exchange, while innovation culture acts as a negative moderator between social-related WeChat use and employees' information exchange. Third, innovation culture acts as a positive moderator between work-related QQ use and employees' trust, while innovation culture acts as a negative moderator between social-related QQ use and employees' trust.Originality/valueFirst, this paper contributes to the information system (IS) social media literature by studying the effect of the use of different enterprise social media platforms used for different purposes on employees' relationship capital. Second, the authors contribute to relationship capital theory by clarifying that use of public and private social media platforms for social- and work-related purposes is an important driver of the formation of employees' relational capital. Third, the present study also contributes to enterprise social media literature by confirming that innovation culture acts as a different moderator between use of different enterprise social media platforms and employees' relationship capital.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 2675-2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceridwyn King ◽  
Hyemi Lee

Purpose Adopting a social capital theoretical (SCT) lens, this study aims to propose a conceptual framework of effective internal communication (IC) for the hospitality industry. The study explores how to enhance current practices and the suitability of social media as an augmentation to traditional IC channels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research methodology, consisting of 20 semi-structured interviews with hospitality employees, was adopted. Following a “reduction” and “interpretation” process, 16 themes related to effective IC were identified which informed a conceptual framework. Findings Characteristics of effective IC were identified in addition to IC benefits at both employee and organizational levels. Considering the limitations of current practices, the applicability of social media was explored. Requirements of effective IC suggest that new channels (e.g. social media) should be adopted to build social capital. Research limitations/implications The study informs SCT from a meso-level (process) perspective. The articulation of an IC framework informs how social capital can be built through effective IC, providing a foundation for further empirical examination as to the impact of various channels on the IC process. Adoption of a case study design suggests that results and implications can only be generalized to similar environments. Practical implications The study details the characteristics of effective IC and its subsequent benefits, highlighting how social media can augment current IC practices in a hospitality organization. Originality/value Being a 24/7 labor-intensive operation makes employee communication to ensure service excellence challenging in the hospitality industry. Through the application of SCT and the exploration of social media in a workplace setting to enhance IC, significant theoretical and practical insights are realized.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1213-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Frances Bright ◽  
Kelty Logan

Purpose Social media usage has become ubiquitous in our society – consumers are spending upwards of 20 percent of their media time on social sites interacting with friends, family and brands (Adler, 2016) and all of this usage is driving fatigue. The purpose of this paper is to examine how advertising factors such as attitude and intrusiveness impact social media fatigue as well as two consumer behavior factors, fear of missing out (FOMO) and privacy. Design/methodology/approach A 190-item questionnaire was developed and administered to an opt-in subject pool recruited for web-based research (i.e. online panel). A representative sample of 750 US social media users was recruited for the survey of which 518 respondents were valid and usable. Findings Results indicate that FOMO has the greatest impact on social media fatigue, not advertising factors as predicted. In addition, privacy concerns continue to plague consumers and should be monitored by advertisers. Research limitations/implications With regard to limitation, the survey contained a variety of self-reported measures that can tend to be under-reported, especially when it comes to social media usage as evidenced in a recent study (Adler, 2016). Originality/value This research undertook an investigation of consumer perceptions of social media advertising and how those relate to social media fatigue and psychological factors such as privacy and FOMO. In looking at these constructs, a clearer picture of how consumer perceptions of advertising impact levels of social media fatigue has emerged. In addition, the results provide a better understanding of FOMO, a psychological factor that significantly contributes to social media fatigue.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyi Zhu ◽  
Yuan Sun ◽  
Anand Jeyaraj ◽  
Jie Hao

PurposeThis study aims to explore whether and how task characteristics affect employee agility in the context of enterprise social media (ESM).Design/methodology/approachAdopting the social network ties perspective, this study examines how task characteristics (i.e. task complexity, task interdependence and task non-routineness) affect employee agility by promoting their social network ties (i.e. instrumental ties and expressive ties) and how ESM visibility moderates their relationships. Data gathered from 341 ESM users in workplaces were analyzed using Smart-PLS 3.2.FindingsFirst, task complexity, task interdependence and task non-routineness have positive effects on instrumental and expressive ties, which in turn influences agility; Second, instrumental ties have a stronger effect on employee agility relative to expressive ties; Finally, ESM visibility positively moderates the effects of task complexity and task non-routineness on social network ties.Practical implicationsThe findings provide guidance for organizational managers on how to use task characteristics and ESM to improve employee agility, as well as insights for social media designers to optimize ESM functions to improve agility.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical evidence to explain the roles of task characteristics and social network ties in influencing employee agility, thus clarifying the inconsistent findings in extant research. The moderating effects of ESM visibility on the relationships between task characteristics and social network ties are also examined, thus providing further insights on the positive role of ESM in organizations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeongmin Kim ◽  
Chang Huh ◽  
Chanho Song ◽  
Myong Jae Lee

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among the experiential value of hotel apps, the cognitive and affective evaluation of hotel apps users, hotel apps users’ satisfaction and their endorsement for the hotel apps. Specifically, this study examined the relationships that enhance hotel guests’ experiences through hotel apps. Design/methodology/approach The measurement items were developed through extensive literature review. This study used a web-based survey to test an integrated model of the experiential value. With a total of 320 usable samples, partial least squares structural equation modeling was carried out to identify key “driver” constructs and validate the proposed model. Findings A significant relationship was found in the playfulness of hotel apps and hotel guests’ cognitive and affective evaluations of the hotel apps, which positively influence hotel guests’ satisfaction and their endorsement for the hotel apps. Hotel apps should create fun and entertainment features in the hotel apps so that the users of hotel apps can be enjoyable during their usage. In addition, providing hotel apps users with time saving and easy use of the hotel apps can affect their satisfaction and endorsement for the hotel apps. Originality/value This study confirmed the positive links among hotel apps users’ experiential value, their cognitive and affective evaluation of the hotel apps, their satisfaction of using the hotel apps and their endorsement for the hotel apps. This study also revealed that hotel apps can be hotels’ effective communication tool that enhances existing and potential customers’ overall experiences.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyu Wang ◽  
Tianyu Yuan ◽  
Jiaojiao Feng

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to answer whether and how supervisor–subordinate instrumental or expressive ties based on enterprise social media (ESM) might enhance employee performance.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on social exchange theory, this study developed a theoretical model to explore the influencing mechanism of different supervisor–subordinate ties based on ESM on employee job performance. The model was empirically tested through 219 ESM users.FindingsThe results revealed that supervisor–subordinate instrumental ties based on ESM play a positive role in employee job performance, while supervisor–subordinate expressive ties based on ESM are not significantly related to employee job performance. Supervisor–subordinate instrumental ties and expressive ties based on ESM can positively influence employee job performance through the mediating effect of organizational trust. Besides, perceived performance climate can weaken the relation of organizational trust to job performance, and then weaken the indirect relations via the mediating of organizational trust.Originality/valueOur findings advance the understanding of ESM use through various underlying mechanisms and have the potential of guiding organizations to fine-tune their social media usage strategies.


Author(s):  
Karen Mishra ◽  
Khaner Walker ◽  
Aneil Mishra

This chapter examines the internal communication practices of Lenovo, a $34 billion Fortune Global 500 technology company, and the world's second-largest PC vendor. In particular, this study examines how this company uses social media as a method of internal communications in fostering employee engagement. Internal communications is generally led by marketing or PR professionals with expertise in human resources, public relations, marketing, social media, and/or employee engagement. One new way that companies are extending internal communication is by developing the use of their company intranets. Intranets can support an organization by sharing accurate company information on a timely basis. This chapter describes how Lenovo has developed and uses its Lenovo Central intranet to engage employees in its mission and vision.


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