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Social Networking for Employee Engagement in the Hospitality Industry

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Social Networking for Employee Engagement in the Hospitality Industry Social Networking for Employee Engagement in the Hospitality Industry A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty Of Drexel University by Jane F. Bokunewicz In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2013 ii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................................. v ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................... 5 1.4 Purpose (Research Objectives and Research Questions) ............................... 10 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................... 13 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Community of Practice .................................................................................. 13 2.3 Social Capital ................................................................................................. 20 2.4 Job Satisfaction .............................................................................................. 29 2.5 Commitment .................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODS .............................................................. 33 3.1 Approach ........................................................................................................ 33 3.2 Design ............................................................................................................ 34 3.3 Participants ..................................................................................................... 35 3.4 Data Collection .............................................................................................. 36 3.5 Instruments and Measures .............................................................................. 39 3.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 44 iii 3.7 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 4 Analysis of Data ............................................................................ 50 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 50 4.2 Quantitative Data Analysis ............................................................................ 50 4.3 Post Participation Qualitative Interviews ....................................................... 66 4.4 Social Network Analysis ................................................................................ 74 4.5 Review of Page Views and Site Visits ........................................................... 88 4.6 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 90 CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .... 91 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 91 5.2 Summary of the Study ................................................................................... 92 5.3 Summary of the Findings ............................................................................... 94 5.4 Theoretical Implications of the Findings ....................................................... 96 5.5 Substantive Implications .............................................................................. 102 5.6 Weaknesses of the Study ............................................................................. 103 5.7 Conclusions .................................................................................................. 105 REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 106 Appendices ......................................................................................................... 111 Vita ..................................................................................................................... 126 iv List of Tables 1.1 Subcategory Questions ................................................................................... 47 4.1 Survey Distribution and Response Summary ................................................ 52 4.2 Population Descriptive Statistics ................................................................... 57 4.3 Difference in Mean Satisfaction/Communication Scores by Group .............. 61 4.4 Difference in Mean Satisfaction/Communication Scores by Gender ............ 61 4.5 Difference in Mean Satisfaction/Communication Scores by Level ............... 62 4.6 Difference in Mean Satisfaction/Communication Scores by Age Range ...... 62 4.7 New Friends met On-Line ............................................................................. 64 4.8 New Friends met Face to Face ....................................................................... 64 4.9 Strength of Ties with New Friends ................................................................ 65 4.10 Visits Per Week ............................................................................................ 65 4.11 Posts Per Week ............................................................................................ 65 4.12 Viewing Activity of Others .......................................................................... 65 4.13 Number of Participants in Each Department ............................................... 76 4.14 Centrality Ranking ....................................................................................... 79 4.15 Actors in Cliques .......................................................................................... 84 4.16 Actors in Core .............................................................................................. 86 v List of Figures 4.1 Sociogram of Network Structure ................................................................... 74 4.2 Number of Visitors by Month ........................................................................ 89 4.3 Page Views by Month .................................................................................... 89 vi Abstract Social Networking for Employee Engagement in the Hospitality Industry Jane F. Bokunewicz This study explored the efficacy of using a company focused on-line social networking site to improve communication in an organization by facilitating the development of a community of practice and improving mentoring opportunities. It used a quasi-experimental approach to evaluate whether or not a relationship existed between participation in the on-line social networking site and employee job satisfaction, commitment to the company, and social capital. The experiment employed a mixed method research approach, analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data. The experiment was performed as a field experiment in an existing casino hotel with management approval and cooperation. No significant relationship was found between participation in the on-line social networking site and employee commitment to the organization. A negative relationship was found between participation in the on-line social networking site and the satisfaction subcategory of communication. The greatest decrease in satisfaction post implementation was among salaried employees for overall satisfaction and for the subcategories of communication and rewards. Employees who participated in the on-line social networking site experienced an increase in social capital as indicated by the number of participants who reported new friendships, the strength of the friendship ties, and subsequent face-to-face meetings. Activity levels on the social networking site were relatively low. vii The qualitative analysis revealed that employees in the organization viewed communication with senior management and mentoring as very important. Many employees believed that an online social networking site could be an effective tool in enhancing employee communication with management, and finding appropriate mentors: as long as senior management engaged actively on the site and employees had access to the site. Employees felt that it may not be as effective in strengthening the mentor/protégée relationship however because face-to-face communication and the ability to confide confidential information to ones mentor are important aspects of building a strong relationship. Two barriers that prevented management from actively engaging on the site were lack of time and a reluctance to reveal personal information about oneself on the site. The reluctance of several of the management employees interviewed rose to the level of fear of participation leading to negative outcomes. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction This study seeks to explore the efficacy of using on-line social networking in an organization as a tool to improve commitment to the
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