Percepcion de la utilidad del uso de las redes sociales en el lugar de trabajo.
| Autor | Rodriguez-Aceves, Lucia |
| Cargo | Research article |
Perceptions about the usefulness of online social networks in the workplace
Percepcao da utilidade do uso de redes sociais no ambiente de trabalho
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Introduction
In the XXI century, some trends are radically changing the way we organize and understand workplaces. The incremental use of information technologies, the globalization of multiple industries, the introduction of flexible arrangements and the occupational demand for greater collaborative efforts are forces that are transforming the nature of work in modern organizations (Dunn, 2017; Nydegger & Enides, 2017; Kissel & Buttgen, 2015; Hernaus, 2011; Bennett, Owers, Pitt, & Tucker, 2010).
In the new economy, constant changes make organizations regularly innovate, using new technologies and developing skills that enable them to face the pressure of improving their performance. Nowadays, we live in a knowledge-based society, where information and knowledge management determine our ability to access prosperity (Drucker, 1998). Hence, the importance of efficiently managing human capital is essential, as it is well known that the success of enterprises largely relies on the performance of their workers (Palacios-Marques, Popa, & Pilar, 2016; Dimitriades, 2005).
Job performance is an issue of great interest in the organizational environment because it has a direct effect on business productivity. Historically, factors such as job satisfaction, motivation, and perceived organizational support, have been positively associated with job performance (Melian-Gonzalez, Bulchand-Gidumal, & Gonzalez, 2015; Darolia, Kumari, & Darolia 2010; Dowson & McInerney, 2001; Ferrari, 1992; Settoon, Bennett, & Liden, 1996).
On the other hand, the use of social networks has grown exponentially. In many contexts of life, tools like Whatsapp, Facebook and other social tools are common and constantly used. Many people believe that the impact of these networks in the workplace can be negative, particularly impacting workers' performance (Rios & Alvarez, 2015; Zhang & Venkatesh, 2013; Moqbel, Nevo, & Kock, 2013; Lonergan & Maher, 2000) and turnover (Lo, 2015). However, some authors believe that using them can have positive effects. For instance, Igarza (2009), Young, Kwon, & Kim (2013), Lu, Guo, Luo, & Chen (2015) argue that social networks have a positive effect on work because when using them, employees can achieve a balance between their personal and working life.
From this perspective, there is a possibility that employees perceive the freedom of using online social networks at the workplace as a way of organizational support since such freedom allows them to stay close to their relatives and loved ones; on the contrary, their banning may be perceived as a lack of support from the organization. Some studies have demonstrated that online social networks can be very useful for improving communication and sharing knowledge within organizations (Hu, Kettinger, & Poston, 2015; Igarza, 2009). Nevertheless, the way in which these tools are used will depend mainly on the employees' perception regarding such tools.
Based on the previous thoughts, two research questions were formulated: a) is there any relationship between the perceived usefulness of online social networks in the workplace, perceived organizational support and work satisfaction and motivation? b) Is the intense use of online social networks a factor regulating the relationship among the variables in the previous research question?
This text aims to identify possible associations between job satisfaction and motivation, perceived organizational support, and the perception of employees regarding the use of social networks in the labor sphere. It focuses on analyzing the moderating effect of intense use on such relationships. For such a purpose, an empirical research design based on quantitative data was implemented. More specifically, an instrument to measure the variables of interest was adapted and used to collect data via a paper-based survey. The unit of analysis was employees working for manufacturing companies. An analysis of the relationships between such concepts using structural equation modelling was performed. Finally, two groups of subjects were compared: the heavy users of social networks (more than two hours a day), contrasting with the light users (less than two hours a day), testing the intense use of social networks implementing the theoretical model.
The research paper will introduce a theoretical framework, where the basis of the concepts are revised; followed by the methodology, where the nature of the research, study subjects, collection instruments and the type of analysis performed are described. Next to this, the results from the application of the data collection tools is presented in order to discuss and compare with similar studies. Finally, the conclusions will be presented, including a final reflection.
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Theoretical framework
There are different factors influencing job performance, including job satisfaction, motivation, and perceived organizational support. With the introduction of online social networks, their use can be seen as a way to be unproductive or avoid work since people may consider them a distraction; however, they can also be seen as a way to keep a balance between professional and personal dimensions, thus benefiting employee's motivation (Gibson, Hardy, & Buckley, 2014).
Social psychology is defined as "the study of the manner in which the personality, attitudes, motivations, and behavior of the individual influence and are influenced by social groups" (American Psychological Association--APA, 2014). Therefore, in social psychology, one can study why individuals help each other and under which circumstances. In this vein, reciprocity refers to "a shared understanding on continuing relationships of exchange and it involves mutual expectations that a benefit granted now will be repaid in the future." (Chen & Sharma, 2013, p. 271).
The social exchange theory goes back to the 60's as an approach relating economic principles to social relations (Levine & White, 1961; Emerson, 1962). The theory assumes that individuals regularly do calculations in their balance sheets before deciding which social ties comply with their specific needs (Miller 2013). For instance, based on an economic and utilitarian perspective, there are some authors like Cook (1977), Lawler and Thye (1999), Cropanzano and Mitchell (2005), who strongly argued about the importance of emotions in the giving and receiving context.
The sociologist Alvin Gouldner claimed that a universal moral code is the reciprocity norm: to those who helped us, we should reward and not damage (Myers, 2005). Such an argument can become a social norm, but it is also used as a commercial one.
Reciprocity has different manifestations differing with culture; however, anthropologically, it is defined as feeding a tendency to leveling, equalization and equality within societies (Reygadas, 2008). According to Darolia et al. (2010, p. 69) "... employees form a general belief concerning the extent to which the organization thinks highly of their contributions and promotes their welfare. Such perceived organizational support may be encouraged by the employees' tendency to ascribe human like characteristics to their organizations. On the basis of perceived organizational support, employees infer the organization's commitment to them and readiness to reward greater effort."
When the employees perceive high levels of organizational support, they feel they must respond to the organization by committing themselves to supporting the organization's vision (Ariffin & Amini, 2010; Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, & Sowa, 1986; Cook & Wall, 1980). According to Ariffin and Amini (2010), many studies have shown that perceived organizational support is positively associated with job satisfaction levels.
Job stress has a significant, direct, and positive effect on work avoidance, while having support from co-workers and supervisors means a significant, direct, and negative effect on job stress and work avoidance. Such findings suggest that work avoidance is reduced by increased respect and concern for employee stress in the workplace (Ghafar & Mohamed, 2016). Employees' stress can be reduced by a sufficient "support at work from colleagues and employers, and by the presence of comfortable interpersonal relationships among colleagues, and between employers and employees" (Yang et al., 2016, p.11).
Individual differences, such as self-esteem and cognitive ability are usually factors barely related to motivation and employee satisfaction. If an employee does not show interest, it is mainly due to the nature of the work. The demands of the job itself are the reasons causing desire to work avoidance (Johnson, Chang, Meyer, Lanaj, & Way, 2012). Therefore, it...
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