BBA Essay - Social media PDF

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In a digital age, proliferation of social media has had a dramatic impact on organisations. To date, much of the research efforts focused on the ways social networking affects organisations’ marketing and branding processes. However, more investigation is required into the positive and negative effe...

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In a digital age, proliferation of social media has had a dramatic impact on organisations. To date, much of the research efforts focused on the ways social networking affects organisations’ marketing and branding processes. However, more investigation is required into the positive and negative effects of social networking on the processes and practices of management of organisations. In your Essay, identify the aspects of management mostly influenced by social media and discuss the positive and negative effects of social networking on management. 1110 words The rapid increase of social media, has had a substantial impact on organisations in this digital age. This has transformed the four basic aspects of managing; organising, controlling, leading and planning which has caused management to shift from the intelligible, traditional context into being more complex and ‘virtual-boundary-less’ (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005, p. 58). According to Mujtaba and McFarlane (2005) all four aspects have shifted managerial approaches to being mainly virtual and superficial in interaction. According to Mintzberg (2009), the proliferation of social media has enabled a new source of communication that has drastically increased the volume and speed at which information can be transferred. Social networking has become the heart of a manager’s function (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005), resulting in the transformation of the managerial role to be more technological and global in nature (Bassellier, et al, 2001). This has had various positive and negative effects on management, requiring managers to quickly adapt and recognise social networking as a powerful and professional tool (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). Through the managerial aspect of organising, social media has provided managers with platforms facilitating an easily accessible method of communication. This has enabled them to allocate resources and activities to reach organizational goals (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). For example, in HR management, social media is recognised as a vital tool for recruitment, with 57% of organisations using LinkedIn (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). According to Mujtaba and McFarlane (2005), various media platforms like instant messengers and videoconferencing allow virtual instruction to be given with great accuracy; managers being able to organise tasks and teams easily, for example regarding resource inquisition and employee training. This allows time to be used more resourcefully, resulting in less occasions Taneesha Mohammed

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for face to face interaction. However, this can be seen as problematic, as contemporary managerial organisation can be summarised as ‘a matter of pushing the right buttons and inputting the correct data’ (Mujtaba and McFarlane 2005, p.60). Though social media programs are easily accessible, organisational duties and responsibilities have become more complex for managers, due to the increased opportunities and nature (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). According to Mintzberg (2009) communication through media, takes away the spoken nature of organising in management, and reduces human interaction. This can result in an increased work pace and put pressure on managers. Mintzberg (2009) suggests that many managers fail to cope with this faster moving and more technological environment. Therefore, this supports the view that the rapid development of social media in this digital age, has impacted organisations through the aspect of organising. The rapid increase of social media has had a withstanding influence on the fundamental aspect of controlling, involving monitoring and evaluating an organisations resources (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). With the aid of social media, managers can predict future issues and troubleshoot them before they arise (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). Furthermore, according to Mujtaba and McFarlane (2005), direct supervision of employees is no longer vital in managerial controlling. Computerised control systems have made monitoring performance more efficient and less time-consuming (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). For instance, employee monitoring carried out by managers, has become essential in business networks. However, ethical concerns have been raised due to the extent of technology use in the workplace, regarding issues of privacy (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). Concerns can also arise regarding employee misconduct and network security (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). In the Delphi survey conducted with a panel of Canadian human resource managers, network security and misconduct were a prevalent issue regarding the adoption of social media platforms (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). Also, Mintzberg (2009) proposes this recent increase of social media has prolonged a major management problem; it has created an illusion of control, alluding to the superficiality of managers having control over their work. Therefore, it can clearly be recognised that the managerial aspect of controlling has been largely influenced by the propogation of social media.

The managerial role of planning has advanced, yet become more complex requiring managers to conform to the rapid changes due to the expansion of social media. Information technology systems allow managers to plan with more ease than former generations (Mujtaba and Taneesha Mohammed

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McFarlane, 2005). Basselier et al. (2001) states that managers, as a result on the increase of media and information technology, require a particular set of IT skills and knowledge which allows them to display tactful IT leadership. Issues can arise if managers are not technologically competent. One major challenge identified on the Delphi survey associated with the adoption of social media platforms, was the lack of understanding of social media and how it affects managers in human resource management (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). A manager’s ability to plan organisational objectives using media platforms can be hindered by their understanding and perception of such, which shapes the organisations productivity (Poba-Nzaou et al. 2016). Furthermore, this supports that the proliferation of social media has had a dramatic effect on organisations, specifically through managerial planning. The managerial aspect of leading has been heavily saturated by the proliferation of social media; leaders being crucial to the survival and competitive advantage of the organisation (Mujtaba and McFarlane, 2005). Social media allows fast –paced communication of information from managers, allowing them to be in constant contact with internal and external personnel (Mintzberg, 2009). According to Kossek (2016), a key factor contributing to the issue of blended work-life boundaries, stems from the influence of social media. Kossek (2016, p.265) used a ‘Technological Dependence’ scale to test the degree to which people were connected to their mobile device, and found that those who mixed personal and professional roles more, portrayed an increased connection to media platforms. The more connected to media, the more the person was likely to face lower wellbeing and less time for self (Kossek, 2016). Also, according to Poba-Nzaou et.al (2016), although not on the current Delphi survey, the blending of personal and professional roles was ranked as an issue regarding the adoption of social media platforms. The use of social media by managers can create constant distractions and interruptions due to the access of a ‘global village’ (Mintzberg 2009, p.36). Furthermore, it can be accredited that leading as an aspect of management, has been transformed by the expansion of social media.

Overall, it can be clearly indicated that the four main aspects of management; organising, controlling, planning and leading, are significantly influenced by the increased spread of social media in this digital age. The platform has in turn contributed greatly to the expansion of a manager’s duties and responsibilities, and changed the nature of management to being technological and complex. To conclude, social networking has become central to

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contemporary organisations’ function, portraying various positive and negative effects on management. Reference List:

Bassellier, G., Reich, B., & Benbasat, I. (2001). Information Technology Competence of Business Managers: A Definition and Research Model. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 17 (4), 159-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2001.11045660 Kossek, E. (2016). Managing work-life boundaries in the digital age. Organisational Dynamics, 45, 258-270. http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2016.07.010

Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing (pp. 34-40). San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers.

Mujtaba, B., & McFarlane, D. (2005). Traditional And Virtual Performance Management Functions In The Age Of Information Technology. Review Of Business Information Systems (RBIS), 9 (3), 53-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/rbis.v9i3.4454 Poba-Nzaou, P., Lemieux, N., Beaupré, D., & Uwizeyemungu, S. (2016). Critical challenges associated with the adoption of social media: A Delphi of a panel of Canadian human resources managers. Journal Of Business Research, 69 (10), 4011-4019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.06.006

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