Enhancing Organizational Communication and Collaboration Using Social Media

Learning Objectives

• 5.1 Explain organizations’ needs for communication and collaboration

• 5.2 Explain social media and evolving web capabilities

• 5.3 Describe various social media applications, and explain their role in enhancing communication, collaboration, cooperation, and connection

• 5.4 Describe how companies can manage enterprise-oriented social media applications and deal with potential pitfalls associated with social media

5.1 Organizations’ Needs for Communication and Collaboration

• Communication and Collaboration Needs

  • Essential for managing virtual organizations.

  • Involves software and platforms that facilitate collaboration.

• Types of Collaboration

  • Synchronous: Real-time communication (e.g., video conferencing).

  • Asynchronous: Communication not happening at the same time (e.g., emails).

• Types of Collaboration Software

  • Electronic Communication Tools: Email, blogs, wikis, etc.

  • Electronic Conferencing Tools: Instant messaging, video calls (e.g., Zoom, Skype).

  • Collaboration Management Tools: Tools for scheduling and managing group activities like Google Docs and project management software.

Collaboration Tools Categories

• Electronic Communication Tools:

  • Description: For conveying verbal/written information.

  • Examples: Email, blogs, wikis.

• Electronic Conferencing Tools:

  • Description: Facilitates information sharing/interaction.

  • Examples: Zoom, Google Hangouts.

• Collaboration Management Tools:

  • Description: Facilitate meetings, manage group activities.

  • Examples: MS SharePoint, Google Docs.

5.2 Social Media and Evolving Web Capabilities

• Evolving Web Capabilities

  • Shift from passive content consumer to active creator (Web 2.0).

  • Mashup: Combining data from multiple sources to create new applications.

• Evolving Social Interaction

  • Social media changes the way individuals interact and share information.

  • Increased sharing of personal information has implications for privacy.

• Changing Perspective from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0:

  • Web 1.0: Users consume content.

  • Web 2.0: Users create and share content, connect ideas, and each other.

5.3 Role of Social Media Applications

• Enhancing Communication

  • Blogs: Online diaries for chronological entries; can serve customer interests.

  • Microblogging: Short updates (e.g., Twitter).

  • Instant Messaging: Enables group conversations (e.g., WhatsApp).

• Enhancing Cooperation

  • Media Sharing: Platforms like Instagram, YouTube enable sharing multimedia.

  • Tagging: Helps in content identification and organization.

  • Social Bookmarking/Social Cataloging: Enables users to save and categorize web resources.

• Enhancing Collaboration

  • Cloud-Based Collaboration Tools: Tools like Google Drive enhance team efforts.

  • Collective Intelligence and Crowdsourcing: Combining efforts from various individuals.

• Enhancing Connection

  • Social Networking: Example platforms like Facebook offer networking capabilities.

  • Viral Marketing: Create compelling content that spreads easily and rapidly.

5.4 Managing Social Media in the Enterprise

• Organizational Issues:

  • Understand various factors affecting the implementation of social media.

• Risks of Social Media:

  • Potential downsides include negative reviews and the spread of misinformation.

  • Effective crisis management strategies like identifying crisis teams and monitoring social media environments are essential.

• Lessons Learned:

  • Rapid response is crucial during crises, especially within the first 24 hours.

Organizations need effective communication and collaboration tools for managing virtual teams. Types of collaboration include synchronous (real-time, e.g., video conferencing) and asynchronous (e.g., emails). Collaboration software includes electronic communication tools (email, blogs), electronic conferencing tools (Zoom, Skype), and collaboration management tools (Google Docs).

Social media has evolved from Web 1.0, where users consumed content, to Web 2.0, where users create and share content. This evolution changes social interactions and raises privacy concerns.

Social media applications enhance communication through blogs and instant messaging, cooperation through media sharing and social bookmarking, collaboration through cloud tools like Google Drive, and connection through social networking sites like Facebook.

Organizations must manage social media by understanding implementation factors and addressing risks such as negative reviews. Rapid response and effective crisis management strategies are critical in a social media environment.