Social networking tools for internal communication in large organizations: benefits and barriers

This article examines the prospect of implementing Social Networking technology and practices within large organizations, for internal communication among staff. A review of the literature revealed a very high rate of adoption among recreational users of tools such as Facebook, in comparison to the corresponding rate in businesses. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the benefits and barriers of Social Networking tools in organizations. The analysis indicated that many respondents did foresee possible benefits, with some envisaging a longer term opportunity for these tools to engender a business climate of trust and enhance collaboration among business functions. However, most respondents also anticipated substantial barriers and risks, arising primarily from the existing internal communication policies within the organization studied. This research aims to extend understanding of some of the non-trivial social and organizational factors potentially involved in the interaction among people within a firm through a Social Networking application.