1. Method for Assessing Organisational Readiness for Internal
Use of Social Media in Information Intensive Organisations
Aimee Jacobs
Supervisors: Dr. Keiichi Nakata & Prof. Kecheng Liu
Saturday, 11 August 2012 www.henley.reading.ac.uk

2. Presentation Overview
• Background Overview
– Social Media
– Organisational Readiness
– Organisational Semiotics Techniques
• Analysis & Findings
• Putting it together…the bigger picture.

3. Overview of Social Media
“a group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and
that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated
Content” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010 pg. 61).

4. Social Media use in Organisations
• Organisations use social media tools for marketing and
customer relations
• Social media (SM) tools offer organisations an alternative
way to communicate, connect, cooperate and collaborate
through rich user experience.

5. SM Tools and Possible Uses
SM Tool Potential Uses
Forums Internal discussions; practical and process questions, and general staff issues
(Cook 2008)
Blogs General information tool (Tredinnick 2006)
Knowledge management, business intelligence, project management (Cook
2008)
SNS Connectivity, knowledge sharing, strengthen relationships (Cook
2008)
Wikis Commercial content management systems (Tredinnick 2006)
Knowledge management and information sharing (Jansen 2009)
Social bookmarking Classification of knowledge and information (Tredinnick 2006)
Virtual worlds Meetings, training, and socializing with colleagues (Cook 2008)
Podcasts Briefings and recordings of conference calls (Davidson 2006)
Provide information and presentations and sharing of information
(Zhang 2009)
Media Sharing Informal virtual learning or training (Cook 2008)

6. Social Media Challenges
Slow rate of adoption
– policies and procedures that inhibit change
– privacy and security issues
– organisational culture being directly opposed to the open source
and collaborative methods
– lack an understanding of how to use the different tools
– fail to realise their benefits (Newman, A. and J. Thomas 2009)
– measure the effectiveness (HBR 2010)

7. Need for Organisational Readiness
• OR reduces the risks of failure in adoption (Snyder-Halpern 2001)
• Level of preparedness and identify gaps (Armenakis et al. 1993)
• Precursor of resistance and adoption behaviours and is vital
before attempting to implement and manage any kind of change
(Armenakis et al. 1993) (Kotter, 1996).
• Strongest predictor of employee commitment and more likely to
commit (Ingersoll, et al., 2000).
• Higher levels of readiness lead to lower innovation risks and more
successful innovation outcome (Snyder-Halpern 2001).

8. Research Aim and Objectives
Aim of research
To develop a method to aid in assessing organisational readiness
prior to using social media tools for internal business activities
Objective
Identify factors of readiness for technology through systematic
method using Organisational Semiotics techniques
– Containment Analysis
– Organisational Morphology
– Collateral Analysis

9. Organisational Semiotics
• Applies semiotic concepts by focusing on signs and sign
systems which are created in business operations
• Views an organisation as an IS comprised of social norms
Applied
• Used to investigate the relationships of the human,
technical and business aspects
• Used to help identify essential patterns of activities needed
for social media use within an organisation
• Used to help provide a systematic approach to
organisational readiness

10. Containment Analysis
Informal
• ‘Organisational onion’
Meanings, intentions and beliefs
• Way to capture the
Formal informal, formal and
Form and rules
technical social norms
that form the system
Technical
Automation

11. Organisational Morphology
• OM is a way to analyse an organisation through
(behaviour)-level (Liu 2000).
• Morphology of the tasks and functions through
identification of three types of norms:
- Substantive (SA)
- Communication (C)
- Control (CA)
• Healthy organisation =
Substantive Activities > Communication + Control Activities

12. Collateral Analysis
• Co-design method bridging the gap between an operational IT
system and current business requirements (Simoni 2004)
• Used to analyse the relationship between system units of a complex
system (Liu 2000)
• Helps identify the sub-unit systems by taking apart the larger
complex system around the focal system (Liu 2000)
Focal system would be the proposed system- social media in use

13. Collateral Analysis
Environment
Operating Cycle
Four Cycles Description
• Constructing Input Output
• Launching Predecessor Focal System Successor
• Operating
Backup Cycle
• Backup Recovery Fallback
Backup
Launching Terminating
Launching Cycle
Available
Constructing Dismantling
Constructing Cycle
Resources
Collateral Analysis (Liu 2000))

14. Analysis of scoping study using
“organisational onion”
Purpose:
Informal To understand how knowledge-
Improved Innovation Increased intensive firms are currently
Communication Productivity
communicating with external and
Knowledge internal clients with a particular
Team-building Transfer
Formal focus on the use of SM
Communication Procedure
Accountability
Control
SM Usage
Policies
Method:
• A small survey was distributed
to obtain general information
Technical about the current situation of
Internet Access
Mobile Technology
SM implementation in business
•8 Respondents-
Security/Privacy
Technical Architecture, Solutions
Architecture, Service development
lead, Senior Executive (VP), Innovation
Portfolio & Strategy manager and
Respondents’ concerns related to SM usage
Enterprise Architect

15. Analysis - Organisational Morphology
Communication
Focal System Substantive Activities Control Activities
Activities
Social Media Information sharing
in Use Blogging and micro- SM usage policies and
Knowledge management- blogging, communication
transfer/sharing/creation bookmarking, tagging, procedures,
networking, co- accountability,
authoring, virtual organisational culture,
meetings and peer - monitoring
briefings, media
Team-building
sharing
Innovation
Morphological View of Organisational Activities using Social Media

16. Collateral Analysis for Social Media Introduction (adapted from (Liu 2000))

17. Findings
Organisational Readiness Factors
• Resources (human, financial, technical)
• Organisational climate (awareness)
• Processes
• Motivational readiness (discrepancy)
• Benefit
• Organisational control factor
- security/privacy
- policies
- communication procedures
- accountability
- fallback

18. Identified in Literature Identified through OS analysis
Technology
OS Method Internal Use of Social
Readiness Sub-factor Sources
Applied Media Readiness Factors
Factors
(Klein et al., Technical and SM experts,
Human resources 2001; Lehman OO, CA
training
et al., 2002;
Financial resources Molla et al., CA Financial
Resources
2005b; Salasin
Physical/Technology et al., 1977; Internet access, pcs, mobile
OO, CA
resources Snyder-Halpern technology
2002).
Awareness/knowledge
of change (Klein et al. Awareness
2001; Molla et
al. 2005b;
Staff cohesion Salasin et al.
Org climate /openness to change 1977; Snyder-
CA
Halpern 2002;
Resistance to change Wanberg et al.,
2000)
Mission and Goals
(Snyder-
Processes Halpern 2002)
OM New processes
(Salasin et al.
Values 1977; Snyder- VF Values
Halpern 2002)
Discrepancy (need for ( Holt et al., Discrepancy
change) 2007; Lehman
2002; Molla et
Motivational Pressure to change CA
al. 2005b;
readiness Salasin et al.
Personal attributes 1977; Wanberg
et al. 2000)
Legend: CA= Collateral Analysis, OO= Organisational Onion , OM= Organisational Morphology, VF, Valuation Framing

19. Identified through OS analysis
Identified in Literature
Technology
OS Method Internal Use of Social Media
Readiness Sub-factor Sources
Applied Readiness Factors
Factors
(Holt et al. 2007; Klein
et al. 2001; Molla et al.
Benefit OO Benefit
2005b; Salasin et al.
1977)
Management (Holt et al. 2007; Klein
support et al. 2001)
Participation in
(Molla et al. 2005b;
the change
Wanberg et al. 2000)
process
Security/privacy
OO, OM
concerns
OO, OM Policies
Organisational
Communication
OO, OM Controls
procedures
OO, OM Accountability
CA Fallback
Legend: CA= Collateral Analysis, OO= Organisational Onion , OM= Organisational Morphology, VF, Valuation Framing

20. Summary
• Organisations may want to use social media tools but face
some challenges, therefore may not be ready for use
• Organisational readiness assessment can help identify level of
preparedness and identify gaps
• Change management techniques can be used to raise level of
preparedness
• The factors identified so far include:
resources, organisational climate, processes, motivational readiness, benefit,
values and organisational control factors (security/privacy, policies,
communication procedures, accountability and fallback)

21. Questions?