The use of social media, e-mail and instant messaging as the predictors of an employee’s work performance / Ainaa Idayu Iskandar, Ahmad Fadhly Arham and Najiah Shohaime

Computer mediated communication tools such as e-mail, instant messaging and social media has become common tools used to deliver messages to get prompt responses. It is an opportunity for organizations to use and fully utilise the functions of e-mail, instant messaging and social network to improve work performance. This study was conducted at one of the public service departments in Malaysia with 132 number of questionnaires distributed. The data was analysed using multiple regression. Findings showed that there is significant relationship between the use of instant messaging and social network with performance, whereas the results for the use of e-mail showed otherwise. This paper provides a better knowledge and information on how to increase the work performance of employees through the use of instant messaging and social network. The findings may also contribute to the existing literature

E-mail usage practices in an organizational context: a study with Portuguese workers

Nowadays, e-mail is one of the most used information and communication technologies by organizations; it can streamline processes and transactions, facilitate information exchange, increase the quality, speed and productivity of the employees and strengthen relationships with stakeholders. This paper empirically examines the use of e-mail in an organizational context, using a sample of the Portuguese population with an active e-mail account assigned by the employer. The results show that most users have what is considered appropriate behavior; however, some situations that may indicate problems for organizations were also identified

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Unanticipated Directions in Social Network Site Development

Abstract: Social network technologies, as we know them today have become a popular feature of everyday life for many people. As their name suggests, their underlying premise is to enable people to connect with each other for a variety of purposes. These purposes however, are generally thought of in a positive fashion. Based on a multi-method study of two online environments, Habbo Hotel and Second Life, which incorporate social networking functionality, we she light on forms of what can be conceptualized as antisocial behaviours and the rationales for these. Such behaviours included: scamming, racist/homophobic attacks, sim attacks, avatar attacks, non-conformance to contextual norms, counterfeiting and unneighbourly behaviour. The rationales for sub behaviours included: profit, fun, status building, network disruption, accidental acts and prejudice. Through our analysis we are able to comment upon the difficulties of defining antisocial behaviour in such environments, particularly when such environments are subject to interpretation vis their use and expected norms. We also point to the problems we face in conducting our public and private lives given the role ICTs are playing in the convergence of these two spaces and also the convergence of ICTs themselves

Checking Email in the Bathroom: Monitoring Email Responsiveness Behavior in the Workplace

The proliferation of email as a standard method of business communication necessitates research to understand effects on managers and their employees. This research investigates the phenomena of “email responsiveness,” defined as the extent to which individuals in the workplace perceive that they must prioritize how quickly they act in response to receiving an email, and “importance of connectedness,” defined as the priority individuals place on being connected to the organization. We present testable propositions that the social exchange mechanisms of leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organizational support (POS) are moderated by connectedness and thereby influence job attitudinal outcomes

Language use as an institutional practice: An investigation into the genre of workplace emails in an educational institution

Past studies that examined the genre of email regarded genre as a model by focusing on the content and form alone. However, this study examined the genre as a resource by analyzing the knowledge producing and knowledge disseminating that makes the genre possible in its socio-rhetorical context. The study, in line with critical genre analysis, examined the text-internal and the influences of the text-external elements on language use in email communication at a private higher educational institution in Kuala Lumpur. Using 378 emails, participant observation and interviews, this study analyzed the genre from the ethnographic, textual, socio-cognitive and socio-critical perspectives. To conduct the analysis, a novel integrative methodology that included approaches to text, context and genre analysis was applied. The study revealed that the emails could be categorized into four types of genres that varied in their communicative purposes, intentions, goals of communication, register and generic structures. The discussion email genre, which was used to negotiate issues, mainly included involved production and overt expression of argumentation. Enquiry email genre, which was used as a request-respond strategy, included narrative and nonnarrative discourse while the delivery email genre, which was used to provide files, mainly included informational production and non-narrative discourse. Informing email genre, which was used to notify the recipients about general interest issues, mainly included abstract style and informational production. This study also revealed that the institutional practices and disciplinary conventions of the discourse community influenced language use in the emails. This was reflected in the strategies, mechanisms and linguistic choices made in the four types of genres. The study contributed to the socio-rhetoric perspective and critical genre analysis based on conventionalized practices and procedures in the community of practice in academic management. The integrative approach is also highlighted as an analytical method to examine language use in email communication

BEYOND MODES: A NEW TYPOLOGY OF ISD CONTROL

This study focuses on the role of information systems development (ISD) control as a means to better understand the underlying elements of ISD methodologies. Based on Ackoff’s general systems theory, we propose a new typology of ISD control that moves beyond the de facto standard in ISD research: control modes. Through twenty-six interviews at four organizations, we find that our typology aids in distinguishing between control dimensions within structured and flexible development to a greater extent than control modes would allow. Our paper also discusses possible reasons why the benefits of agile development may become diluted in organizations where both flexible and structured methods are employed. This work contributes to the advancement of ISD control theory and provides useful insights for practitioners responsible for the governance of ISD projects

An enquiry into the temporal coordination of Groupware Calendar Systems (GCS): Conceptualizing the private and public perspectives

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Groupware Calendar Systems (GCS), asynchronous on-line meeting schedulers are designed to fulfil the increased need for coordination of work, by supporting time management of temporally and geographically dispersed individuals and groups. From a study of the literature on GCS adoption, a premise was constructed that temporal coordination of GCS requires a marriage of conflicting private and public perspectives. This is based on the fact that firstly, the system has to support both individual and group work, and secondly, generally considered `private' information has to be publicized by individuals. However, there is a lack of understanding of the dynamism of these perspectives especially in relation to the process of temporal coordination in GCS. The aim of this thesis is to understand and conceptualize temporal coordination of GCS. The research strategy of this thesis adopts a `grounded approach' together with a `progressive research approach' to investigate the GCS phenomenon. The actions and processes of GCS-in-use are examined using the case study method. The research design progressively refines and reflects upon the findings in two stages: stage-one, two pilot studies and stage-two, two case studies. A selection of data collection techniques were used in order to obtain a rich data set via semi-structured in-depth interviews, observations, questionnaires, documentation and photographs. The analysis employed a pattern-matching technique and the `SCOT' framework, modified to examine the process of temporal coordination and the dynamic relationships produced in GCS which led to the construction of a new conceptual model. This model of 'reflective temporal equilibrium' presents the state of temporal coordination, formed by the phenomenon of continuous conflict between the private and public perspectives. The outcomes of this thesis provide a clearer theoretical picture of GCS, consequently leading to implications for its future design and adoption for better coordination and collaboration of work