The impact of social media on large companies Essay Sample

The impact of social media on large companies
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Abstract
This study aimed to highlight the impacts of social media on the employee’s productivity in the business organization that employs social media. Additionally, it established the challenges of adopting social media strategy in the business organization. The study also found the process for moderating the potential risks that are likely to occur when using social media in the workplace. This study employed a descriptive research design. The participants for the study were selected at random in different departments that employed the use of social media. Only the employees who were on duty were chosen for the study leaving the employees on leave. The study aimed to analyze the importance and necessity of social media in the workplace from three perspectives the use of social media, the importance of its existence, and the advantages and disadvantage of contemporary social media. The research questions were: where is the application of social media in work? What the benefits and the penalties of using social in the workplace? And Should social media be banned in the workplace?
Consequently, the paper will analyze the paper will first analyze how important is social media in business organizations. The application of social media and different technologies have enhanced productivity and performance for these businesses. Since organizations have the devices used for social media purposes, most of the employees have used these devices to achieve some scale-scale gain at the organization's expense, which is done during working hours. Consequently, the chapter will address the risks that could be realized due to adopting social media in a business organization. As the paper proceeds, there will be an –depth analysis of the appropriate measures that can be taken to control the threats and of social media in a business organization.
Table of Contents
TOC \o "1-4" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc71297805 \h 2
1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc71297806 \h 5
1.1 Background to the Problem PAGEREF _Toc71297807 \h 5
1.2 Statement of the Problem PAGEREF _Toc71297808 \h 8
1.3 Overall Aim of the Study PAGEREF _Toc71297809 \h 9
1.4Research Questions PAGEREF _Toc71297810 \h 9
1.5 Justification PAGEREF _Toc71297811 \h 9
1.5.1 Organizations with Integrated Social Media Use in their Operations. PAGEREF _Toc71297812 \h 9
1.5.2 Other Researchers and Policymakers were interested in the Impacts and the Actual Social Media use in the workplace. PAGEREF _Toc71297813 \h 10
1.5.3 Management of the Different work Organizations PAGEREF _Toc71297814 \h 10
1.6 Scope of the Study PAGEREF _Toc71297815 \h 10
1.7 Definition of the Terms Used in this Chapter PAGEREF _Toc71297816 \h 11
1.7.1 Social Media PAGEREF _Toc71297817 \h 11
1.7.2 Productivity PAGEREF _Toc71297818 \h 11
1.7.3 Communication PAGEREF _Toc71297819 \h 11
1.8 Chapters Summary PAGEREF _Toc71297820 \h 11
2.0 Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc71297821 \h 12
2.1 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc71297822 \h 12
2.2 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Productivity PAGEREF _Toc71297823 \h 12
2.2.1 Effects of Social Media on Innovative Employee Behavior PAGEREF _Toc71297824 \h 13
2.2.2 Effects of Social Media on Organizational Commitments PAGEREF _Toc71297825 \h 13
2.2.3 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Job Satisfaction PAGEREF _Toc71297826 \h 15
2.2.4 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Job Performance PAGEREF _Toc71297827 \h 16
2.3 Challenges of Adopting Social media Strategy PAGEREF _Toc71297828 \h 17
2.3.1 Security Concern PAGEREF _Toc71297829 \h 17
2.3.2 Risk of Loss of Intellectual Property PAGEREF _Toc71297830 \h 18
2.3.3 Limited Infrastructure Capacity PAGEREF _Toc71297831 \h 19
2.3.4 Inhibitory Organization Culture PAGEREF _Toc71297832 \h 19
2.4 Mitigating Strategies for Social Media Networking PAGEREF _Toc71297833 \h 20
2.4.1 Phased Introduction of Social Media PAGEREF _Toc71297834 \h 20
2.4.2 Government Policy PAGEREF _Toc71297835 \h 20
2.4.3 Staff Training and Access Control PAGEREF _Toc71297836 \h 21
2.5 Chapter Summary PAGEREF _Toc71297837 \h 21
3.0 Research Methodology PAGEREF _Toc71297838 \h 22
3.1 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc71297839 \h 22
3.2 Research Design PAGEREF _Toc71297840 \h 22
3.3 Population and Sampling Design PAGEREF _Toc71297841 \h 22
3.3.1 Population PAGEREF _Toc71297842 \h 22
3.3.2 Sampling Design PAGEREF _Toc71297843 \h 23
3.3.2.1 Sampling Frame PAGEREF _Toc71297844 \h 23
3.3.2.2 Sampling Technique PAGEREF _Toc71297845 \h 23
3.3.2.3 Sample Size PAGEREF _Toc71297846 \h 23
3.4 Data Collection Methods PAGEREF _Toc71297847 \h 24
3.5 Research Procedures PAGEREF _Toc71297848 \h 24
3.6 Data Analysis Method PAGEREF _Toc71297849 \h 25
3.7 Chapter Summary PAGEREF _Toc71297850 \h 25
4.0 Data Presentation Analysis and Discussion PAGEREF _Toc71297851 \h 26
4.1 Impact of Social Media on Employee Productivity PAGEREF _Toc71297852 \h 30
4.2 Challenges Associated with Social Media Implementation PAGEREF _Toc71297853 \h 34
4.3 Policies for Modifying Risks Associated With Social Media PAGEREF _Toc71297854 \h 35
4.4 Discussions PAGEREF _Toc71297855 \h 36
References PAGEREF _Toc71297856 \h 43
Appendix PAGEREF _Toc71297857 \h 45
Questionnaire PAGEREF _Toc71297858 \h 45
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background to the Problem
In today's corporates work and different organizations, work has become complex for other people such that employees have to work together to achieve their tasks. In the third sense, for people to work together to accomplish a specific task, they must travel to the specific organization's physical location. It is difficult to dispute that mobility complexities sometimes make it difficult for employees to deliver services to their customers as they may not be in the exact physical location (Mohamed et al., 2019). In this light, social media adaptation is in the center stage in creating flexibilities in business operation. Even with the same bare fact of flexibility, social media has had many impacts that have shaped the workplaces and organizational operations.
The advancement of new technology has seen different social media and technology giant companies develop different features in their different social media platforms. Businesses and organizations have since adopted and embraced social media primarily because social media is the primary form of communication in contemporary society (Awolusi, 2012). Additionally, organizations are all after making profits by reaching their maximum potential and current clients. There has to be flexibility and integration of social media and new technology in the business operational structure to achieve maximum profits (Khan et al., 2014). Has social media existence in the workplace and organizational structure created any visible impact in new working places? One fact is quite sure that there are many controversies based on the legal framework, and these controversies stem from applying the different legal framework.
In this sense, it is essential to note that theoretically, the rapid incorporation of social media and other social networking strategies in different organizations have contributed significantly to the knowledge capital. In this regard, social media forms bring to light the knowledge that resides in individuals. Therefore, organizations can depend on the ability found in print media and electronic media forms (Mohamed et al., 2019). Theoretically, and to some extent in practice, applying different forms of social media creates negative and positive impacts depending on the particular forms of social media. In the sense of knowledge capital, the social media application by different people across the work has had psychological effects. In the sense that people are not afraid to share their ideas and information such as reviews online, and this has been significant in adjustments of different organizational operations and subsequent upgrades on the products and services that the organizations are selling to the clients(Mohamed et al., 2019). Therefore, it is enough to posit that social media in workplaces has played a significant role in helping organizations to build an online community that shares interests and activities.
The scope of the organization from which social media is applied is broad. For this reason, organizations have employed social media in different departments, for example, in the marketing sector and human resource management (Cross, 2013). The factors on which social media form to use in any given department depend solely on the organizations' policies and initiatives. For example, for a long time, most organizations have embraced email as their official communication method over the years. Still, very few organizations have embraced other forms of technologies, such as social enterprise networks and social media. Some organizations are still reluctant to embrace these new forms of technologies citing corporate inertia fully; for example, insurance companies have diverse ways to see a long-term implication (Awolusi, 2012). It is a common phenomenon as corporate lawyers, labor experts, and corporate managers are reluctant to discuss and offer their views from a contemporary perspective. What is the implication of social media in organizations that have already embraced social media use in their different departments?
The rising social media use must then be analyzed while utilizing both the negative and the opposing perspectives. Social media in workplaces creates a dual in the workplace. For example, social media use in workplaces may contribute to productive behavior because it promotes task orientation and relationship building, just as it causes unproductive behaviors and deviance (He, 2012). Available kinds of literature on social media use in workplaces suggest that expectation discomfort theory and the channel expansion theory are the drivers to the implications realized from the social media use. For example, how adverse an employee uses a given channel or particular communication medium, it directly affects the ability of an individual to use social media for different purpose good or bad.
Pew Research Centre (2016) posits that the staff used different forms of social media for different reasons that collectively result in observable changes. For example, some employees use different forms of social media at the workplace for mental health issues like taking a mental break from work. Some use social media in workplaces to develop professional networks, talk to their friends and families, and subsequently help solve work problems. For example, suppose the social media use in the business organization is primarily to socialize. In that case, the social media use in such a setup will not contribute to employees' productivity. Therefore, in the case that social media is used in an organization for socializing should be regulated. In maintaining productivity, social media use should have a comprehensive outline of how the employees should use social media.
Additionally, Pew Research (2016) adds that employees who work in organizations with integrated social media use in workplaces are less likely to use social media in the wrong way (Awolusi, 2012). For example, these employees are not likely to use social media for personal reasons when they are at work. A more significant percentage of employees who use different forms of social media while at work will likely use social media to help them solve work issues and subsequently boost productivity.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
In the 21st century, social media has been one of the most significant developments in the business world. A larger percentage of the worlds' Population are holders of mobile devices, and most of the places around the world are connected to the internet. In this sense, social media is the primary form of communication that humanity uses to communicate. Since social media is the primary form of communication, organizations have embraced the use and integration of different forms of technology in their operations (Awolusi, 2012). For example, business organizations have adopted social media in different sectors and departments like in marketing, employees' participation, connecting with other organizations, and subsequent consumer outreach. Business organizations are increasingly adopting the use of social networking and social media to increase production and output.
Increased production and output are realized as organizations increase their sales through effective marketing via social media (Khan et al.,2014). Subsequently, social media has been used by companies as a primary medium for promoting entrepreneurial growth. Social media as a source of promoting entrepreneurial growth stems from social media used as a knowledge capital.
1.3 Overall Aim of the Study
This study analyses the importance and necessity of social media in the workplace from three perspectives: the social media use, the volume of its existence, and the advantages and disadvantages of contemporary social media.
1 Research Questions
1 What are the impacts of using social media on workers’ productivity?
2 What are the drawbacks of incorporating social media strategy in a business organization?
3 What are some of the strategies that can be used to mitigate potential risks that are associated with using social media in business organizations?
1.5 Justification
Since very little research has been done on the impacts and the social media use in the workplace, this research will be necessary to the following stakeholders:
1.5.1 Organizations with Integrated Social Media Use in their Operations.
Just as the aim of the study suggests, the study will be of great importance to the organizations that have adopted social media use in their different organizational structures. Additionally, the organizations that have adopted social media in their workplace will find this research vital because it will shed light on the best practice and subsequently maximize the potential presented by social media use (He, 2012). The research will also benefit organizations that have adopted social media because it will also present some drawbacks to social media use. These organizations can borrow the key concepts covered in this research to implement them in their respective organizations.
1.5.2 Other Researchers and Policymakers were interested in the Impacts and the Actual Social Media use in the workplace.
Since the study may present some gaps from the results obtained during the research, this research will be necessary to other researchers and intellectuals who would love to fill the gaps that are left from the research. Additionally, policymakers in different organizations can use the findings from this research to guide them in coming up with appropriate policies that are viable and result-oriented depending on the organization.
1.5.3 Management of the Different work Organizations
The findings that will be found from this research will be used in the management of different organizations from a global perspective. Through this research, different organizations will evaluate how viable it will be, allowing the organization to introduce social media sites. Additionally, the gaps presented during this research will be significant to different organizations in the society as they will be able to formulate measures that will be used to fill these existing gaps.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study focuses on the staff of large companies that have embraced and or uses social media in their organizational structures. The study will be conducted by collecting data from different organizations that could easily be accessed. The respondents to the study will be drawn from the staff members of these companies who have access to social media sites during regular working hours. Additionally, the findings of this study will be biased considering the respondents' scope, ethics, and proficiency.
1.7 Definition of the Terms Used in this Chapter
1.7.1 Social Media
Social media is a means of interaction where people share, create, and exchange information, ideas, and memory in virtual networks and communities. Some of the standard social media which the office of communication and marketing manages are Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, and Twitter accounts.
1.7.2 Productivity
Productivity is the physical relationship between the quantity that an organization produces, otherwise called the output, and the number of resources utilized in the course of production. In other words, productivity can be termed as the ratio of output and the input of resources that have been consumed in the production process.
1.7.3 Communication
The message is the act of conveying information from one place, person, or group to another. The communication process involves the sender: message, and recipient.
1.8 Chapters Summary
This chapter covered the background information on the impact and social media use in workplaces. Additionally, the paper in chapter one has given some of the theoretical arguments using available literature on the impacts of social media and its use in workplaces. The paper has also highlighted some of the superficial benefits and drawbacks of using social media in a business organization. The paper has also highlighted, using relevant literature, the need for further research into the effects and the social media use in working environments and organizational settings. Chapter two of this paper will dive into the in-depth analysis of the literature review in the workplace.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
In this chapter, there will be a review of literature on the perspective of social media in the workplace. In this sense, the chapter will look into the employees' productivity. The basis of productivity will be based on the impacts of social media on employees' productivity. This sense will come into the earlier parts of the literature review analysis (Hanna et al., 2017). As the analysis of the relevant literature proceeds, the paper will have an in-depth analysis of the challenges that are likely to be realized due to adopting social media in different organizations.
2.2 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Productivity
In this sense, the study looks into different employees' productivities that revolve around innovative behaviors and job performance while using social media and following organizational commitments.
On the other hand, social media has also contributed to employees' productivity. For example, in some instances, employees may want to get some update from their colleagues and use social media to get the updates. Consequently, social media can also be used to increase employees' productivity through business organizations increasing and adopting social networking and social media to increase production and output. Increased production and output are realized as organizations increase their sales through effective marketing via social media (He, 2012). Subsequently, social media has been used by companies as a primary medium for promoting entrepreneurial growth. Social media as a source of promoting entrepreneurial growth stems from social media's use as a knowledge capital. Additionally, the human resource interaction and relationship building through online interactions and increase productivity in an organization.
2.2.1 Effects of Social Media on Innovative Employee Behavior
Kleysen and Streets (2001 pg. 285) shed some light on what constitutes innovative behaviors. In their definition, they posit that creative behaviors include all the actions directed at the introduction generation and subsequent application of the benefits of this originality at any business organization (Ferreira et al., 2009). Beneficial novelty, as such, may include some of the developments that lead to the production of new products, technologies, and ideas (Khan et al., 2014). Additionally, the beneficial novelty may also include the executive and the entire administrative procedures to improve the relationships at the workplace. How then can social media impact the employees' innovation behaviors?
Moqbel (2020) argues that social media allows employees and individuals to interact, adapt, and subsequently explore new ideas. In this sense, it is essential to note that social media use in business organizations can lead to innovative behaviors through the same application. For example, existing literature shows that social media is one of the breakthroughs in filling the gap of knowledge capital. In its sense, social media is a rich source of knowledge that can improve innovative employee behavior (Aguenza et al., 2012). The social media application by different people across the work has had psychological effects.
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2.2.2 Effects of Social Media on Organizational Commitments
According to Olalekan et al. (2013), relationships between employees play a significant part in employees' commitments. Additionally, this relationship is rigid because the only players are the employees and the organization. Therefore, employees will be able to sacrifice and give something to the business organization to help it succeed (Aguenza et al., 2012). The desire to help the organization succeed also comes as employees identify themselves with the organization, making them want to maintain their membership with the business organization. Identification in the workplace stems from various perspectives; for example, a willingness by the employees to exert more efforts in whatever they are doing in the organization set up, and they are subsequent desire to remain in the same organization.
Additionally, organizational commitment also stems from employees doing their work continuously without interruption. Going by the distraction theory, employees are likely to get distracted by their colleagues' activities. In light of the distraction theory, the environment from which employees work is like to increase their chances of distraction or reduce their chances of distraction (Jett & George, 2003). there is an unclear distinction created between work and leisure in the organizations that employees use social media. The complexities presented by this uncertainty make it difficult to formulate and implement appropriate legislation and responses to social media use in workplaces, which is sometimes a leading cause of distraction.
Therefore, it is essential to note that the domain from which employees work consists of many things, including social media interactions and use during working hours. Jett and George (2003) argue that as organizations integrate social media in their organizational operations, the distinction between leisure and work becomes blurry. In this sense, there is an unclear distinction created between work and leisure in the organizations that employees use social media. The complexities presented by this uncertainty make it difficult to formulate and implement appropriate legislation and responses to social media use in workplaces. In a nutshell, these complexities make it challenging to distinguish between work and leisure.
Consequently, it has been argued that organizations and their employees sometimes find it hard to do their work effectively without distraction from the social media forms that they use while at work. Although some of these distractions that employees face are deduced from every time they visit their private social media handles, most employees do not realize that social media sometimes destructs them in their subconscious state.
Organizational commitment is solely dependent on how the employees use social media (Aguenza et al., 2012). For example, suppose the social media use in the business organization is primarily to socialize. In that case, the social media use in such a setup will not contribute to employees' productivity. Therefore, in the case that social media is used in an organization for socializing should be regulated. In maintaining productivity, social media use should have a comprehensive outline of how the employees should use social media. There will be a clear organizational commitment stepping from effective and perfect social media use in this manner.
2.2.3 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Job Satisfaction
Azeem (2010) posits that employees' job satisfaction is the pleasant attitude and subsequent emotions that result from the appraisal ones of employees' job experience. Job satisfaction results from how well an employee believes that their job provides those who are more critical to the organization. Social media can assist in job satisfaction, and on the other hand, it can also reduce the expectations of job satisfaction (Cross, 2013). For example, different social media use in the work environment leads to the various aspects that come during work, for example, the elements of reward in the business organization. As a result, a magnificent job is done. As a result, social media use in the employees' service delivery.
Additionally, employees' job satisfaction improves productivity such that when their job is satisfactory, the output in productivity is high. When their job productivity is low, the production in productivity is also standard. In this light, social media is directly proportional to how an employee will use social media in a given organization (Cross, 2013). Social media in workplaces creates a dual in the workplace.
For example, social media use in workplaces may contribute to productive behavior because it promotes task orientation and relationship building, just as it causes unproductive behaviors and deviances (Aguenza et al., 2012). Available kinds of literature on social media use in workplaces suggest that expectation discomfort theory and the channel expansion theory are the drivers to the implications realized from the social media use. For example, how adverse an employee uses a given channel, or particular communication medium, directly affects an individual's ability to use social media for different purposes, good or bad (Aguenza et al., 2012). Therefore, the action created in the social media use may lead to employee job satisfaction. Subsequently, the social structure built in the work environment results from job satisfaction aided by social media use.
2.2.4 Effects of Social Media on Employees' Job Performance
Job performance in the organization refers to how well an employee has worked on their assigned roles. Social media has a lot of effects on how employees perform their job in an organization. Job performance in a business organization takes on different approaches; for example, there are adaptive performances in the business organizations. These types of performance dictate the employee's versatility (Moqbel et al., 2013). The agility of job performance also stems from the ability of an employee to adapt to changes that the business organization sets up swiftly. In this sense, for an employee to effectively perform at their optimum levels in the organization, the employees must be flexible and open to the new changes that the executives and policymakers can make in the business organization. How does social media use affect the employees' job performance in a business organization? In this light, social media can impact the employees' job performance both negatively and positively depending on the nature they use these technologies in workplaces.
To avoid the deviation to the positive sides, in terms of job social media impacts on job performance, social media in workplaces should include examining whether social media websites enhance higher levels of job satisfaction following corporate commitments (Khan et al., 2014). How do social media use in workplaces affects turnover intentions, innovation, absenteeism, and subsequent and job performances? Moqbel (2013) argues that these examinations are the basis for successfully integrating social media use in workplaces. In this light, the negative implications realized in employees' job performance because so...