Attracting and Retaining Workforce
January 20, 2019Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Social Media In Business
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Introduction
Social media has evolved to become a global phenomenon. It has changed the way people, workforce and businesses interact all through the world. Social networking is influencing the lives of an individual in both personal and professional settings. Thereby, affecting employee productivity and profitability of modern businesses (Shen and Benson, 2016). It is essential to understand the impact of social networking on employee behaviour which can affect productivity as an organisation maintains its corporate reputation in social networking to stay competitive. An employee plays a major role in maintaining their business reputation. It can also harm the business image online through uncontrolled behaviour. This, in turn, can influence the different shareholder’s outlook on its products and services offerings (Panahi et al., 2012). This research thus investigates social networking in the context of employee’s behavior and related impact in Australian organization.
Research Aim & Objectives
The primary aim of this study is to critically analyze the impact of social networking on employee behaviour within an Australian organisation.
The objectives of the study are to:
- Examine the concept of social networking from an employee behavioral perspective
- Determine how social networking is impacting at employee behaviour in Australian employees
- Build a conceptual framework for social networking and its implications for employee behaviour
- Understand the relationship between social networking and employee behaviour
- Determine the challenges and opportunities from the influence of social networking in the management of employee behaviour in Australia
Research scope
With the growth of the internet, the use of social sites has increased tremendously in past few years. The use of web-based technologies has found its place in business activities. In Australia, social networking is penetrating as a communications platform to create a central place in its interactive way of life. With the availability of more interactive sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter the interactivity has increased along with social media dialogue (Scott, 2011). However, the implications for employee behaviour are still not known with the growing use of social networking. Thus, it is important to investigate the impact of social networking on employee behaviour.
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Review of Literature
The organizations in Australia are offering flexibility to the workforce through its bringing your own device (BYOD) concept. This has changed the way employees are making use of the internet in the workplace. As a result, the employees are actively using social networking site within the organisation to connect with others employees, to reach target customers, suppliers, etc to share business-related information to increase productivity, a training tool to increase employee capabilities at work and for knowledge sharing purposes (Panahi et al., 2012). However, the use of employee own devices is not restricted to official use but the employees connect with other people, friends, etc and to share the latest information and updates about events, news, etc.
According to Aguenza et al. (2012), the use of social networking by society as an effective means of communication is dynamic with different motives and for the release of human emotions. Correspondingly, organizations make use of social networking as a communication platform to achieve the motive of professional benefits such as to enhance the work productivity, attract mass markets, relationship marketing, develop customer relations, etc. Thom-Santelli, et.al., (2011), found in their study that the productivity of an organization is based on employee engagement and performance. Boulianne, (2015), in the study of social networking, found that information from social networks relates to employee performance in an organization. Thus, it can be noted that employees in the organizations are connecting to the social networks to sort out work performance.
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However, Panahi, et. al., (2012), also argue that workforce strong association with social networks is affecting the employee productivity and profit base of MNCs. In support of this argument, Edosomwan, et. al., (2011), viewed that social networks can become employee weaknesses and limiting factors by increasing the dependence on social networking information thereby, setting negative impacts on employee performance and business productivity. This demands the organisation to plan workforce use of social networking according to the business demands and competitive environment. Molok, et al. (2011) further elaborates the different sides of social network creating business opportunities, risk, and threats for modern day organizations.
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The study found that social networks pose a risk due to its nature of real-time communication channel as businesses require sharing of specific information relevant to the target group. Another risk identified in the study is the use of shared information or marketing schemes by the competitors. It can be added that the bad behaviour of an employee in social interactions negatively affects the customers, employee work behaviour and image of the organisation in the social sites.
In the opinion of Molok, et al. (2011), employee are potential threats to the image of the organisation through their negative behaviors and misbehavior of employees can be linked to the organisation characteristics among the social media users. It can be pointed out that employee behaviour can damage the social media strategy of the business and its reputation in the online market. This reflects that behaviour of employees in social networking has a direct impact on the evaluation of the business by different stakeholders. This highlights a lack of understanding of employee behaviour and its link to social networking in the literature of social networking.
The social networks as an opportunity are highlighted in the study of Scott, (2011), which states that social networks can enhance the strength of a business if it is effectively utilized for building customer relationship by employees. Similarly, Pan and Crotts, (2012), point that organizations can effectively use the social network to enhance internal communication to develop a closer relationship with its workforce. The study also reflects that organizations use social network tool to gather information about the behaviour of employees in the workplace to identify training needs.
The study by Aguenza and Som, (2012), on social networking and relates the impact on the productivity of employees. This particular study explores the relevance of socially interactive technologies in the workplace, positive and negative factors related to different social sites and the relationship between employee productivity and social interactions. The author found that social networking sites can be useful in maximizing productive related behavior.
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Accordingly, it can be understood that social networking act as an encouraging factor for knowledge sharing and team efforts which can lead to behavior that can lessen or enhance employee productivity. Therefore, the author suggests close supervision on the use of socially interactive technologies by an employee in the workplace. In a similar study on the consequence of online social networking in relation to employee productivity, Bulgurcu, et.al., (2010), recognize that social networking inspires work collaboration and sharing of unbiased information among the co-workers within an organization. Thus, an organization can exploit the knowledge sharing through setting up of the area of similar interests or practice to induce positive behavior. Hence, the author also suggests the need that organization is required to properly direct these online activities to ensure maximum benefit on employee behavior and productivity, which can otherwise impact the employee behavior in a negative way in terms of productivity and time.
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Several kinds of literature reviewed in perspective of human minds relate creativity and innovation with aspects of human behaviour and social networking. According to De Spiegelaere, (2014), the impact of the social network on human mind can lead to innovative behaviour. The author views the nature of social sites that gives power to people to explore things, develop a relationship, information sharing which can trigger positive human reactions such as creative thinking, new ideas generation and other constructive activities.
Halder, (2014), also believes that creativity and innovative behaviour are derivatives of human minds. In the study of De Spiegelaere, (2014), suggests that workplace behaviour can be transformed into innovative behaviour through the use of social networking. Likewise, Zhao and Zhu, (2014), suggests the use of crowdsourcing strategies to enhance employee behaviour in the workplace. These strategies encourage a collaborative dialogue between employee and customers that can empower the employee to adopt new ideas, improve creative thinking and related behaviour in a professional environment. On the other hand, Halder, (2014), argues that use of technological strategies such as crowdsourcing strategy is a potential threat to research and development unit in an organisation which impacts the overall innovation progression.
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It can be said that social interactive sites have a positive impact on innovative behaviour in employee behaviour. This positive impact on employee behaviour is encouraged through social support systems gained from work resources. In support of this view, Shen, and Benson, (2016), found that the social support to the employee is received from family, friends, colleagues, managers and work team are responsible to enhance the creativity of an individual in both personal and professional setting. Thus, the views of different authors support the use of social networking sites as a means to enhance innovation and modify employee behaviour. Furthermore, Cilliers, (2013), studied social networking sites in relation to social sites information in a multi-national firm in Australia. The author points out that social sites in multinational firms have improved course of innovation as the firm permit its employee to access social information in an efficient way to develop inventive ideas assessing the current market trends. It can be noted that social networks have an influence on the employees in Australian organisation as the use of interactive technologies have become a part of people’s lives.
The Australian organizations are exploiting the social networks to influence the behaviour of employees along with its creative skills, knowledge and enhancing work productivity. Thus, it can be viewed that social networking is in some way impacting the employee performance through behaviour modification. According to Bird et. al., (2012), the activities within an organization are affected by the use of social networks. Scott, (2011), elaborates the impact of the social network on human resource policies suggesting changing the policies as per the changing social standards. The author also emphasizes the increasing use of Smartphone in Australian organizations has made a social policy of human resources less effective in dealing with the ban of social sites in the workplace in crisis situations like floods. As a result, the author suggests a change in human resource policies in Australian organization to develop a better guideline on proper and restrained use of social sites at the workplace.
From the different views, social media usage and social networks are taking part in business activities like brand awareness and opening new opportunities for both business and employees. In the view of Treem and Leonardi, (2013), the major challenge faced by the organizations in the use of social networking by employees is the reliability of social channels in communication. Cilliers, (2013), points towards the reliability factor of social networks, which needs to be transparent, provide timely communication and should motivate employees. Also, social networks should also not be associated with a negative effect on productive time, inducing negative behaviour and lowering the employee yield in the workplace.
It can be observed that some of the studies in social networking highlighting the relevance of use in the organisation but do not shed much light on behaviors development of employees and its related effect on different stakeholder in social networks. Hence, Qualman, (2010), emphasizes the research of social networking with a focus on employee online behavioral aspects as professional life is merging with social life through the use of social networks.
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Gap Analysis and Conclusion
This review of literature implies that there is little evidence provided on determining the impact of increased use of social networking on the workforce behavioral aspects. Since the behaviour is one of the important determinants of employee productivity in the workplace; determined efforts are required by the organisation to determine social networking implications in Australia. The literature does not emphasize the characteristic of employee behaviour in social networking. The given literature reflects that social networking is seen as an opportunity to promote innovative behaviour in organizations but did not address how social networking is influencing the behaviour management in organizations in Australia. There is not much research on social networking is playing a positive or negative role in shaping employee behaviour, Therefore, these gaps are identified and explored in the current research study.
References
Aguenza, B. B., & Som, A. P. M. (2012). A Conceptual Analysis of Social Networking and its Impact on Employee Productivity. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 1(2), 48-52.
Aguenza, B. B., Al-Kassem, A. H., & Som, A. M. (2012). Social media and productivity in the workplace: Challenges and constraints. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business, 2(2), 22-26.
Bird, D., Ling, M., & Haynes, K. (2012). Flooding Facebook-the use of social media during the Queensland and Victorian floods. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, The, 27(1), 27.
Boulianne, S. (2015). Social media use and participation: A meta-analysis of current research. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), 524-538.
Bulgurcu, B., Cavusoglu, H., & Benbasat, I. (2010). Effect of online social networking on employee productivity. MIS Quarterly, 34(3), 523-548.
Cilliers, F. Q. (2013). The role and effect of social media in the workplace. N. Ky. L. Rev., 40, 567.
De Spiegelaere, S., Van Gyes, G., De Witte, H., Niesen, W., & Van Hootegem, G. (2014). On the relation of job insecurity, job autonomy, innovative work behaviour and the mediating effect of work engagement. Creativity and Innovation Management, 23(3), 318-330.
Edosomwan, S., Prakasan, S. K., Kouame, D., Watson, J., & Seymour, T. (2011). The history of social media and its impact on business. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 16(3), 79.
Halder, B. (2014). Evolution of crowdsourcing: potential data protection, privacy and security concerns under the new media age. Revista Democracia Digital e Governo Eletrônico, 1(10), 377-393.
Molok, N. N. A., Ahmad, A., & Chang, S. (2011). Information leakage through online social networking: Opening the doorway for advanced persistence threats. Journal of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers, 19(2), 38.
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Panahi, S., Watson, J., & Partridge, H. (2012). Social media and tacit knowledge sharing: developing a conceptual model. World Academy of science, engineering and technology, (64), 1095-1102.
Qualman, E. (2010). Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. United States: John Wiley & Sons.
Scott, J. (2011). Social network analysis: developments, advances, and prospects. Social network analysis and mining, 1(1), 21-26.
Shen, J., & Benson, J. (2016). When CSR is a social norm: How socially responsible human resource management affects employee work behavior. Journal of Management, 42(6), 1723-1746.
Thom-Santelli, J., Millen, D. R., & Gergle, D. (2011, March). Organizational acculturation and social networking. In Proceedings of the ACM 2011 conference on Computer supported cooperative work (pp. 313-316). ACM
Treem, J. W., & Leonardi, P. M. (2013). Social media use in organizations: Exploring the affordances of visibility, editability, persistence, and association. Annals of the International Communication Association, 36(1), 143-189.
Zhao, Y., & Zhu, Q. (2014). Evaluation of crowdsourcing research: Current status and future direction. Information Systems Frontiers, 16(3), 417-434.
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