Collaborative Thinking

Mock Thesis Proposal: Personal Support Networks During Periods Of Employee Transition, Part 1

Abstract

Social Network Sites (SNS) create multiple affordances employees leverage during their employment lifecycle. In this Masters Thesis, I examine how a SNS helps employees during transitional periods such as: joining the company, moving into a new position, and navigating through organizational disruption. Personal support networks are one type of SNS affordance employees can exploit when seeking information, mentoring, advice, problem-solving help, or opinions on the “folklore” of another group or business area. Output from this work will identify employee personal support practices, the influence media, management, and culture have on such practices, and benefits that accrue to employees and employers.

Proposal and Rationale

Description

In this work, I propose to examine how employees can leverage the affordances enabled through an internal SNS for personal support reasons during professional life transitions such as: joining the company, moving into a new position, and adapting to new professional situations as a result of organizational disruption (e.g., a reduction in force, a re-organization, or combining groups of people together from different companies as part of a merger or acquisition). My belief is that personal support networks provide a direct benefit to employees and an indirect benefit to the organization and management.  

Literature Review: Improving Work Practices in Times of Change

Below is the literature review submitted today for my Understanding Media Studies course. The goal is not so much to deliver a thorough synthesis of the field since this is the first course in the first semester of the Masters program. The idea is to become comfortable with the purpose of a Review and leverage prior work done on the annotated bibliography completed earlier. Hopefully, the Review is somewhat related to an eventual Thesis so I've tried to pull together some thoughts on how to improve work practices in times of change (explained below). Some of the thoughts below were contained with the presentation delivered at E2.0 Santa Clara on Architecting the Building Blocks of Enterprise Social Networking. Next up: a mock thesis due early December. 

Introduction

Organizations today are faced with an extreme period of uncertainty due to economic, geo-political, societal, environmental, and technological shifts that have occurred over the past few years and continue today, with no foreseeable return of “normalcy” in sight. Management is often unable to communicate to its workforce the firm’s long-term business direction, or the type of transformation necessary to navigate through this period of uncertainty. Improving the way people can better share information, coordinate activities and collaborate during periods of change is a topic I’ve studied from a technology perspective many years. This Literature Review presents an opportunity to “connect the dots” in a new way, identify gaps, and outline areas where future research is needed. By doing so, the Review also helps define a course for my own contributions to the field in the future.

Improving Work Practices in Times of Change

Several resources used for this project were articles referenced when I was an Industry Analyst at a variety of firms (e.g., Gartner, Burton Group) researching topics related to collaboration, social networking, and “Enterprise 2.0”. Other sources are ones I have found and reviewed as part of this course.  The Literature Review presents a synthesis of selected academic and non-academic works that provides a rational for subsequent research that will examine how organizations can leverage media and communication practices in ways that help employees adapt work practices in times of change (e.g., firm reorganization, job transition, merger and acquisition, reduction in force, or an unanticipated crisis).

The Review looks across three research domains (refer to Topic Map in Figure 1).  A scan of reference sources (e.g., Google Scholar, JSTOR) located a significant body of work in each of the three areas:

• Publics, Media & Participatory Culture
• Social Network Sites
• Organizational Identity

Figure 1: Topic Map

Where two circles overlap with each other (e.g., Organizational Identity and Social Network Sites), a much lesser amount of focused research was found. In the area where all three domains intersect, no research to-date has yet been identified.

A brief summary of each domain is provided as context to the Review:

• Publics, Media & Participatory Culture: This research area looks at the rise of public opinion as a unique part of social life and how communications media has helped facilitate new forms of participation and collective sharing at a mass scale.
• Social Network Sites (SNS): This research area examines how people leverage a SNS for publically interacting with friends, cohorts, and site members to which a person has no association. How the concept of an SNS is being applied within the organization (i.e., “Enterprise 2.0”) is also examined.  
• Organizational Identity (OI): This research area looks at how workers deal with issues of identifying with the organization, the influence of managerial relationships and peer networks, and how OI affects workers and the firm. 

E2.0 Santa Clara: Architecting the Building Blocks of Enterprise Social Networking

The main focus on the presentation is to examine some of the possible design considerations we need to think about as we deploy tools and platforms that help mediate social networks. My emphasis is on how social structures form, how employees cultivate social resources, and what tactics they might employ to mobilize their networks. We can then (hopefully) better design "social infrastructure" (e.g., Social Network Sites) with technology affordances that support those norms and behaviors. Given the amount of time for the session, the deck focuses on profile, social graph, activity streams, and social objects. The discussion is not technical. A set of references is included at the end. My viewpoints are influenced by previous scholarly work (boyd, Ellison, Jenkins, Pearson, etc) that has focused mostly on the consumer space. I've tried to apply those perspectives and findings to the enterprise space. 

If you are at the Santa Clara event, hope to see you there.

Note: Slideshare did not handle the builds and colors correctly but you should be able to decipher most of how the presentation flows. 

Architecting the Building Blocks of Enterprise Social Networking

Tuesday, November 15 8:45 AM–9:45 AM - (Location: Room H)

What are the architectural building blocks that enable social networking? What cultural dynamics should be considered when implementing “social infrastructure”? What research methods aid design efforts? This session will help architects and practitioners understand connections between profiles and identity, social objects and participation, activity streams/micro-blogging and formation of social networks.

View more presentations from Mike Gotta

 

Enterprise 2.0 Workshop: Organization Next (Screencast Overview)

The Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston next week will include a workshop on Monday afternoon titled "Organization Next". In this screencast (see link below), I provide some background context to the workshop and outline some of the issues we'll be tackling. I also highlight the agenda, introduce our thourght leaders who will facilitate the session, and highlight the practitioners joining us to share their stories and learnings from the day.

Enterprise 2.0 Workshop: Organization Next (Screencast Overview)

 

 

Enterprise 2.0 Five Years Later: From Tools To Platforms To Ecosystems

In 2006, Andrew McAfee’s article on Enterprise 2.0, along with subsequent works, helped organizations think about how people use social software to more effectively share information and connect with one another. With an initial focus on tools (e.g., blogs, wikis), organizations undertaking “E2.0” initiatives began a long journey to improve the way employees build communities and collaborate on business activities. In parallel, early success stories highlighted the need for organizations to address cultural dynamics that often hinder these transformative efforts. While business objectives driving E2.0 projects were often “soft” (lacking measurable ROI), the intent generally could be aligned to overall needs to improve productivity, growth, and innovation. Today, the challenges of culture and metrics remain persistent issues for the industry, but there have also been two significant technology-oriented transitions that are worth noting as we look ahead to the upcoming Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston this June:

• A shift from tools to platforms
• An expansion from platforms to ecosystems

To read the full post, click here (to the Cisco Collaboration blog)...

 

Driving Organizational Change with Social & Collaborative Technologies

Delivered at Interop, May 2011, Las Vegas

Driving Organizational Change With Social & Collaborative Technologies

View more presentations from Mike Gotta

 

 

 

Leveraging Use Case Scenarios To Illustrate Social Media & Social Networking Risks

Delivered at AiiM info 360 March 2011, Washington DC

Social Media & Social Networking: A Cautionary Tale

View more presentations from Mike Gotta

 

The Human Network: Adding Social Context To Enterprise Architecture

Delivered September 2010 as the IASA conference in NYC:

The Human Network: Adding Social Context To Enterprise Architecture

View more presentations from Mike Gotta

 

Adding Social Context To Enterprise Architecture

Note: Fixed broken link 4/6/2011

Social networking is redefining the workforce and creating a new frontier for enterprise architects. Increased mobility, generational shifts, new tools, and the changing digital lifestyle of workers bring an opportunity to embrace borderless relationships and foster collaboration in an open environment.

I recently recorded a three-part video series that summarizes some of my thinking in this area. To view the series, visit Social Networking in the Enterprise. 

Design for a New Social Dynamic

In Part 1 of this three-part series, get an overview of how "social" will expand your role and value over the next few years. (Video - 13.28 min)

Focus on People

Learn some core principles of an "architecture of participation" that represents a people-centric approach to enterprise architecture. (Video - 17:23 min)

Promote Participation

Get ideas about where to start and how Cisco began to develop an integrated workforce experience. (Video - 9:48 min)

 

 

 

Participation Models: Observations On The Future Of Civic Engagement

Interesting study worth reading. Long-range "food for thought" as generational shifts change the nature of participation in the workplace as well. What engagement models transfer, etc.

Does the Internet make for more engaged citizens? For many youth, the answer is yes, according to a new study by civic learning scholars.

Posted February 23, 2011

IRVINE, Calif. –Youth who pursue their interests on the Internet are more likely to be engaged in civic and political issues, according to a new study of student Internet usage by a group of civic learning scholars. Youth who use the Internet are also more likely to be exposed to diverse political viewpoints, the study shows.

The study’s findings run counter to two commonly held assumptions: first, that the Internet makes exposure to divergent political viewpoints unlikely, the so-called “echo chamber” effect; and second, that the Internet promotes shallow activism among youth, so-called “slacktivism.”

The first-of-its-kind longitudinal study by civic learning scholars of high school students’ Internet use and civic engagement found that:

• For many youth, their interest in the Internet translates into engagement with civic and political issues.
• Contrary to popular belief, it is rare for individuals on the Internet to only be exposed to political perspectives with which they agree, but many youth are not exposed to political perspectives at all.
• Teaching new media literacies such as credibility assessment is essential for 21st century citizenship.

For More Details About the Study Findings and YPP Research Network:

“The Civic and Political Significance of Online Participatory Cultures and Youth Transitioning to Adulthood” (Working Paper)

“Youth Online Activity and Exposure to Diverse Perspectives” (Working Paper)

“Digital Media Literacy Education and Online Civic and Political Participation” (Working Paper)

Video of Professor Joseph Kahne discussing digital media, youth, and participatory politics

Youth and Participatory Politics website - www.ypp.dmlcentral.net