The Impact of Social Media Technology on Organizational Management

The Impact of Social Media on Organizational Management

The widespread use of social media has had a great impact on organizations, especially at the management level. Social media technology has changed the manner in which management of both work and employees is carried out. The technology has affected the manner in which organizational management handles communication as well as disasters and risks at the workplace. Also, the incorporation of social media in management has affected the establishment of organizational culture and coordination of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Organizations have resulted in the use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and other social messaging services to facilitate the realization of organizational goals. The organizational management uses the social media platforms to reach out to employees, stakeholders, and the general public for purposes of information updates and alignment of strategies.

Effect on Organizational Culture

The continued use of social media affects the organizational culture. Use of the social media technology affects the way in which an organization conducts the recruitment process. According to research, approximately 70 percent of Human Resource (HR) managers use social media in the recruitment of candidates. The commonly used social media platforms include LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. The HR managers obtain information from the reliable social media sites and use it to evaluate the candidates for recruitment in the organization. The management of organizations uses social media to train and develop talents (Bharati, Zhang, and Chaudhury 2015, p.456). The HR managers create collaborative environments where the recruited employees are instructed on how to undertake certain processes and develop their talents.

Response to Disasters and Catastrophes

Social Media has affected the manner in which organizational management respond to both disasters and catastrophes. Giving updates on a disastrous occurrence involves providing updates through the conventional means of communication such as television, radios, mobile phone calls and text messages. Stakeholders, employees, and other involved parties require a reliable update from the organizational management hence they frequently check the social media for information. The management takes control of the situation by giving updates in the official accounts of the organization on social media platforms. Besides, the organization gives directions on social media so that the affected victims may participate in the rescue operations as they wait for rescue teams to arrive. Also, the management can direct employees not to move towards the certain direction of the organizational premises to avoid being affected by a certain disastrous event. Also, the general public keeps on following the unfolding of events of the disaster and may participate in providing the tools and equipment necessary for rescue operations. Correspondingly, people who get the updates of a disaster that has affected a certain organization may offer financial and material support to the victims. Further, the organizational management may utilize social media platforms to call for assistance to contain a certain disastrous event (Simon, Goldberg, and Adini 2015, p.610). The management may also use social media platforms to issue alerts about the possibility of occurrence of a disastrous or catastrophic event to avoid injuries and casualties. Therefore, social media assists organizational management in preventing or containing disasters that may affect employees, stakeholders, or the general public.

Management of Employees and Communication

Management of employees, communication of information, and design strategies used in the realization of organizational goals are affected by the use of social media platforms. The code of ethics governs how employees should conduct themselves inside or outside the organization. Despite the availability of manuscripts on the code of ethics, the digital form of the information can be provided to the employees and stakeholders through social media platforms. The ability to form autonomous groups in social media platforms enables the management to establish groups comprising of the relevant members of the organization. Through the social media groups, the communicated information only reaches the members who are stakeholders and employees of the organization. The management communicates ideas, strategic plans, and initiatives geared towards realizing the goals of the organization through the social media groups. Any change of a section or sections of the code of ethics is communicated through social media besides being conveyed through conventional means such as memos and notices (Hollenbeck and Jamieson 2015, p. 372). Any change of policy is immediately communicated by the management through social media to instantly reach the employees. Further, changes in the organization of work are communicated through social media and the information reaches the employee on time. Therefore, the use of social media affects the mode of communication within the organization and helps in the management of employees.

Customer Interaction and Relationship Management

The use of social media affects the way in which organizations retain customers, expand the customer base, and establish a good relationship with clients and stakeholders. Through real-time communication channels such as chats and messaging on social media platforms, the management is able to reach out to customers. The social media technology helps organizational management respond to requests from customers and their complaints too. Besides, the management may use social media technology to provide customers with information regarding company brands and products. Also, the management may use social media to understand the best way of handling loyal customers by engaging them in conversations. Through aggressive marketing strategies on social media, the management may assist in finding new customers for their products (Aral, Dellarocas, and Godes 2013, p. 8). Attracting new clients helps in widening the customer base which is an advantage to the organization as it increases the volume of sales. For instance, the posting of messages and ads on Twitter and Facebook may prompt many people to try out the products being advertised out of which some people become loyal customers hence expanding the customer base. The higher the sales, the higher the profits realized by the organization.

Social Networking in the Workplace

Social networking is the certain websites including mobile- and web-based applications to interact with colleagues. The positive effects of social networking include sharing of information and resources. Through social networking, important updates and work information is quickly shared amongst the employees hence prompting quick response towards changes in the organization. Through sharing of information, employees are able to understand more about their clients as well as the organizational culture (Charoensukmongkol 2014, p.341). The employees may assist the organization in promoting its services without the company incurring any advertisement costs.

Disadvantages of Social Networking

The disadvantages of social networking include the risk of propagating malware in the network, reduce employee relations, affect employee productivity, and pose the risk of breaching the organization’s confidentiality. Sharing of information and data through social networking may facilitate the spread of harmful software that can destroy company’s data. Besides, discussions on the social media platforms are vulnerable to cyber-attacks where confidential information on the company can be exposed (Brooks 2015, p.28). Employees may discuss particular information meant for the employees only but a cyber-attack on the social media website may expose the details to the public. The employees may result in exposing personal information of their colleagues hence affecting the good relations among themselves.

References

Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue—social media and business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.3-13.

Bharati, P., Zhang, W. and Chaudhury, A., 2015. Better knowledge with social media? Exploring the roles of social capital and organizational knowledge management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3), pp.456-475.

Brooks, S., 2015. Does personal social media usage affect efficiency and well-being? Computers in Human Behavior, 46, pp.26-37.

Charoensukmongkol, P., 2014. Effects of support and job demands on social media use and work outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, pp.340-349.

Hollenbeck, J.R. and Jamieson, B.B., 2015. Human capital, social capital, and social network analysis: Implications for strategic human resource management. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(3), pp.370-385.

Simon, T., Goldberg, A. and Adini, B., 2015. Socializing in emergencies—A review of the use of social media in emergency situations. International Journal of Information Management, 35(5), pp.609-619.