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2019 Use of Social Media to Enhance Nonprofit Organizational Decision-Making Lindsey Lowe Pena Walden University
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Walden University
College of Management and Technology
This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by
Lindsey Lowe Peña
has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.
Review Committee Dr. Robert Levasseur, Committee Chairperson, Management Faculty Dr. David Gould, Committee Member, Management Faculty Dr. Kathleen Barclay, University Reviewer, Management Faculty
Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D.
Walden University 2019
Abstract
Use of Social Media to Enhance Nonprofit Organizational Decision-Making
by
Lindsey Lowe Peña
MBA, Western Governors University, 2014
BA, University of Puget Sound, 2002
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Management
Walden University
May 2019
Abstract
As a tool for rapid communication, social media (SM) have the potential to revolutionize the way in which nonprofit organizations and stakeholders communicate. Most nonprofit organizations in the United States use some form of SM to engage with stakeholders, however, there is an underutilization of SM used for board decision-making purposes.
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine SM and its potential use for board decision-making in nonprofit organizations. The conceptual framework incorporated stakeholder theory, organizational ambidexterity, and an organizational media-user typology. The research question related to the experience of nonprofit board member use of SM for organizational decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
Vagle’s postintentional phenomenological research approach guided the study. Data collection involved interviewing a purposeful sample of 25 board members and leaders from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Texas. Data analysis included combining coded data into categories and themes to determine underlying commonalities related to SM use and organizational decision-making. The primary finding was that nonprofit boards rarely use data generated from SM for decision-making purposes. Other findings from the study may improve board decision-making theory and practice and reveal how nonprofit organizations may leverage unfiltered, real-time SM feedback to benefit strategic organizational decision-making. The potential contribution to social change is to deepen the understanding of the effects of SM on nonprofit board decision-making so that boards may be more responsive to a broader range of stakeholder social interests.
Use of Social Media to Enhance Nonprofit Organizational Decision-Making
by
Lindsey Lowe Peña
MBA, Western Governors University, 2014
BA, University of Puget Sound, 2002
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Management
Walden University
May 2019 <