The Use of Social Network Sites in the Workplace: a Case Study in Brazilian Companies

This paper analyzes how Brazilian companies are using Social Network Sites (SNS) to achieve their corporate strategic objectives. It proposes a framework that classified the companies into three groups according to their position about SNS use in the workplace. The benefits and risks of SNS utilization are also highlighted.

v.11, n.2
Vitória-ES, Mar.-Apr. 2014
p. 87 - 114 ISSN 1808-2386 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2014.11.2.4
The Use of Social Network Sites in the Workplace: a Case Study in Brazilian
Companies
Marcos Hideyuki Yokoyama†
Osaka University
Tomoki SekiguchiΩ
Osaka University
ABSTRACT
People are increasingly using Social Network Sites (SNS) through corporate platforms or
open websites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. As a recent phenomenon, the
potential benefits and risks of such tools are still not properly addressed in organizations. The
purpose of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian companies are using this tool to achieve
their corporate strategic objectives. We conducted a qualitative case study and proposed a
framework that classified the companies into three groups according to their position about
SNS use in the workplace. The knowledge creation group benefits the social and intellectual
capital generated by online discussion, while the corporate branding group seeks to strengthen
the corporate image with customers. The administrative control group is more concerned
about productivity, procrastination and data confidentiality. We also highlight the reasons for
employees to use SNS during working time, the benefits and risks caused by formation of
social capital and concerns about privacy.
Keywords: Social network site. Workplace. Social capital. Privacy.
Received on June 13, 2012; reviewed on September 5, 2012 ; accepted on May 10, 2013; disclosed on May 7, 2014.
*Author for correspondence:
†. Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Economics
of Osaka University
Address: 1-7 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka
Japan
E-mail: [e-mail]
 Ph.D. from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of
Washington
Institution: Professor at Osaka University
Address: 1-7 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka Japan
E-mail: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]
Note from the Editor: This article was accepted by Emerson Mainardes.
This article has a Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Not Adapted.
87

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1 INTRODUCTION
ocial Network Sites (SNS) are web-based services that allow users to construct
an individual profile to interact with contacts and also to enable visualization of
friends’ network within the system. These sites allow users to learn detailed
information about contacts, share it with specific or unspecific people and build
online human-relationships (BOYD; ELLISON, 2008; KWON; WEN, 2010;
VALENZUELA et al., 2009).
The use of SNS has been widely studied in the university population, especially
because Facebook was primarily developed to serve this community. However, ordinary
people are increasingly accessing SNS through open websites such as Twitter, LinkedIn,
MySpace and Facebook. Regarding the use of SNS, the Brazilian population is recognized for
its active participation on these websites. Orkut had been the market leader in Brazil for seven
years, reaching 29 million unique users, or 64% of Brazilian Internet users. In September
2011, Facebook surpassed Orkut and became the widest used SNS, with 30.9 million unique
users, or 68.2% of Internet users (GEROMEL, 2011). Additionally, Brazilian users present
the highest rates of sociability on SNS, as they usually achieve up to 360 friends, while users
around the world have 195 friends on average (ALE, 2010).
Much of the existing academic research on SNS has focused on the reason for using it,
creation of social capital, privacy and disclosure and personal factors affecting its use. There
is a lack of studies in the organizational context. Dimicco et al. (2008) and Steinfield et al.
(2009) presented the benefits generated by a SNS that was designed exclusively for IBM
employees, with no possibility to interact with consumers, customers, suppliers or personal
friends, for example. In the same way, Costa et al. (2008) and Costa et al. (2009) presented
results from the development of an internal SNS to support knowledge management in a
Brazilian company. Skeels and Grudin (2009) discussed the use of open SNS by Microsoft
employees, examining the influence on productivity, its utilities and issues. We also found
studies in Brazil about SNS use for business communication and marketing campaigns
(SOUSA; AZEVEDO, 2010; BARCELOS, 2011).
In Brazil, 98% of the companies with more than 10 employees have Internet access.
Among these companies, 36% have a policy of restriction to personal e-mails, 39% do not
allow access to websites of news, sports or entertainment and 56% restrict the access to SNS
(CETIC, 2012). According to Li (2010), it is crucial that companies decide whether to use
SNS following their overall corporate strategic goals. More than that, companies should use a
S

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common process whereby clear decisions about SNS use may be made. With this background,
we set out to address the following question: “How do Brazilian companies use SNS to
achieve their corporate strategic objectives?” The overarching purpose of this study is to
classify Brazilian companies according to their position about SNS use in the workplace to
achieve their corporate strategic objectives. Also, we intend to analyze how Brazilians who
participate in SNS use this tool within the workplace and what the benefits and risks from its
utilization are.
2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Most Social Network Sites (SNS) are structured around a profile and a display of
connections, but they may vary to the extent that they support additional services such as
blogging (LiveJournal), audio-visual content sharing (Flicker, Last.FM, Youtube) or status
updates and mobile connectivity (Twitter). Also, they can be directed to a specific audience,
such as work-related connections (LinkedIn), exclusive membership (ASmallWorld),
romantic relationship initiation (the original goal of Friendster.com) or ethnic, religious,
sexual orientation or particular content genres (ELLISON et al., 2007; PAPACHARISSI;
MENDELSON, 2011).
The current popularity of Facebook can be noticed by the constant announcements
about the increase in the number of users and time spent on the website all over the world. It
was originally created as a site for college students in 2004 and an official university email
address was needed to ensure that all users were members of the campus community. In 2006
it was opened to everyone with a valid email address (MAYER; PULLER, 2008; TONG et
al., 2008).
Facebook provides both the technical and the social infrastructure for social interaction.
For example, the tool provides technical support for communication through applications
(wall posts, messages, comments) and information about users' contacts. The identity
information serves as a social lubricant, providing clues about the profile owner’s social
status, physical attractiveness, credibility, cultural tastes and political affiliation, besides other
personal aspects (STEINFIELD et al., 2008; TONG et al., 2008; ELLISON et al., 2011). The
size of one’s apparent friends’ network on a SNS can easily become much larger than
traditional offline networks, because friendship is in some cases superficial, technology
facilitates greater connection, and social norms inhibit refusals to friend requests (TONG et
al., 2008).

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SNS complement the network of relationships present in the offline world by providing
a platform that permits active communication between friends and also engages in a form of
passive observation of social news. This observation allows users to track the activities of a
wide set of possible connections and might lower the barriers to initiating communication,
both because potential commonalities are revealed and because crucial information about
others is provided (STEINFIELD et al., 2008, BURKE et al., 2010, VITAK et al., 2011).
The literature addressing SNS presents different theoretical backgrounds. In order to
structure the description of case studies, we introduce the main studies according to four
topics: organizational context, reasons for using it, social capital increase and privacy and
disclosure.
2.1 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The existing studies about SNS present many advantages of its utilization, but many
companies prohibit its use during working time by blocking employees’ access to websites
(BOYD; ELLISON, 2008). On this matter, Garrett and Danziger (2008) concluded that
employees are surfing the web or sending personal e-mails during working time because these
activities are considered to be similar to other everyday activities in the workplace, such as
calling home or chatting with a coworker about any subject.
Skeels and Grudin (2009) showed that the use of LinkedIn and Facebook is widely
accepted at Microsoft and is seen as providing benefits, such as creation and strengthening of
ties. At the same time, it has caused some tensions from mixing personal and professional
connections, from spanning organizational levels and also over disclosing confidential
information. Besides this, some employees reported that it is a waste of productive time.
DiMicco et al. (2008) performed a study involving a SNS especially designed for IBM’s
employees and found that they were using it to reach out across team and division boundaries
to connect with people with similar interests. Likewise, Steinfield et al. (2009) showed that
when employees use SNS for keeping up with known colleagues, they report having closer
ties with their immediate network.
In Brazil, Costa et al. (2008) and Costa et al. (2009) reported the implementation of an
internal SNS in a private innovation institute, with the objective of supporting employees for
creation, management and sharing of knowledge. The implementation of such tool resulted in
a better relationship among coworkers through mutual cooperation, better communication and
exchange of knowledge from any location.

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Internal SNS can also provide a good source of information for human resources
departments through profiles with up-to-date, relevant and dynamic data. The associated
information relating to the connections, interests and activities of employees are instantly
available and storable by the company, providing new information sources and new
possibilities for understanding the workforce (DIMICCO et al., 2008).
Barcellos (2010) and Souza & Azevedo (2010) present the challenges that Brazilian
companies are facing to communicate with consumers through SNS. They discuss the new
methods to measure communication efficiency and how to structure actions to manage brand
image, reputation and credibility in these dynamic environments.
Still about the organizational context, Li (2010) affirms that companies can use SNS to
achieve the following four goals: learn, dialog, support and innovate. The first goal is about
using SNS to know more about employees, customers and partners. The second goal is to
dialog and transform a relationship from that of shouting out one-way messages to
communication between equals. Support is about helping people from inside and outside the
organization at different times and innovate is about fostering creativity. Companies should
define their goals according to the corporate strategic objectives and, based on that, make
decisions about implementation of internal SNS, access to external SNS and development of a
specific policy for its use.
2.2 REASONS FOR USING SNS
About the reasons to use SNS, Subrahmanyam et al. (2008) performed a survey with
college students and concluded they were primarily using SNS for social motives that
involved people from their offline lives rather than looking for new friends, new music, or
finding groups to talk about specific issues. Thus, students do not use SNS to meet and form
connections with strangers and prefer to strengthen existing offline connections.
The reasons to use SNS vary according to demographical characteristics. Sheldon
(2009) used gender differences and concluded that females were using SNS to maintain
existing relationships, while males tended to use it as a dating tool and to establish
relationships in general. Pfeil et al. (2009), on the other hand, explored differences between
older people (over 60 years of age) and teenagers. They found that teens have larger networks
of friends, tend to make more use of different media and use more self-references and
negative emotions when describing themselves on profiles when compared to older people.

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Lin and Lu (2011) used previous studies that relate motivation theory and information
technology acceptance to propose two factors affecting individuals’ motivation for SNS use:
extrinsic benefits (usefulness) and intrinsic benefits (enjoyment). In the organizational
context, people benefit from the use of SNS by the creation and strengthening of ties
(SKEELS; GRUDIN, 2009). Employees use SNS to connect with coworkers on a personal
level, apart from enhancing their careers through self-promotion and strategic connections.
They also report SNS use as a means to move forward with their ideas, that is, to gather
support for their plans and drive traffic to their project webpages (DIMICCO et al., 2008).
Lin and Lu (2011) found in their study in Taiwan that enjoyment was the most
important factor affecting Facebook users’ behavior. Thus, activities on Facebook such as
posting photos and films, sharing links and applications and playing games appear to be a
source of pleasurable experience. Also, the number of connections and perceived
complementarity reinforce the usefulness and enjoyment of SNS, suggesting that with
increased peer connections and complementary tools, SNS interaction becomes more
interesting.
2.3 SOCIAL CAPITAL
The term social capital has been adopted by sociologists and economists to designate
the benefits created by the relationship among individuals. Coleman (1988) affirms that social
capital consists of a variety of entities that form a social structure and facilitates actions by
actors within this structure. Like other forms of capital, it is productive and makes it possible
for the achievement of certain ends that in its absence would not be possible. From a business
strategy perspective, Burt (2005) states that social capital refers to the advantage created by a
person’s location in a structure of relationships. Thus, the connections, trust, support and
dependence resulting from the diverse exchanges among people may form an asset to the
organization.
Putnam (2000) delineated two basic forms of social capital: bonding and bridging.
Bonding social capital describes benefits from dense relationships, which may comprise
reciprocity, solidarity, social and psychological support, reliable labor for local entrepreneurs
or other close benefits. Bridging social capital consists of more sparse relationships, with
benefits derived from distant acquaintances and connections, like linkage to external assets
and information diffusion. Bridging social capital is linked to what network researchers call
“weak ties”, by referring to individuals that are more likely to move in different circles of
connections and thus have access to useful information. Access to individuals outside one’s

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close circle provides access to non-redundant information, resulting in benefits such as
employment connections, new opportunities and perspectives (GRANOVETTER, 1973,
1982).
Williams (2006) developed and validated the Internet Social Capital Scales (ISCS) – a
series of scale to measure bridging and bonding social capital in Internet contexts. Using this
scale, a positive relationship between Facebook use with the maintenance and creation of
bridging social capital was found among college students in the United States. The social and
technical tools provided by Facebook can encourage the conversion of latent ties into weak
ties, but not necessarily create the close kinds of relationships that are associated with bonding
social capital. Also, people reporting Facebook use to connect with ‘total strangers’ did not
have an impact on their social capital, probably because connecting with strangers is not the
norm on the site and users may be less receptive to these advances (ELLISON et al., 2007,
2011).
In addition to these studies, we can also find literature that includes psychological
variables to better understand the consequences of SNS utilization. Steinfield et al. (2008)
found that college students with lower self-esteem gained more from the use of Facebook,
since they may face more difficulties in approaching people in their classes or dormitories.
Therefore, Facebook might contribute to the formation of bridging social capital by mitigating
fears of rejection and facilitating communication in initial social interactions. Valenzuela et
al. (2009) found a positive relationship between the intensity of Facebook use and personal
contentment, trust and participation in civic and political activities. Burke et al. (2010) also
found that the greater use of SNS (text exchanges, non-text feedback such as the “like” button
or photo tagging) may be associated with increased social capital and lower loneliness.
The constructs of bonding and bridging social capital are equally relevant within an
organizational setting. Bonding social capital in an organization implies there is trust and a
sense of obligation that encourages reciprocity and willingness to contribute to the company.
Bridging social capital is associated with the kinds of weak ties that facilitate access to non-
redundant information, greater interest in connecting globally, and greater ability to access
expertise within the company (STEINFIELD, et al., 2009).
2.4 PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE
Another topic that is commonly discussed in the SNS literature is privacy and
disclosure. SNS removes the privacy barriers that people keep between different aspects of
their lives as it makes one’s connections visible to all the others. Disclosed information may

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be available to the entire network of friends and it can bring privacy concerns, because the
way that one user interacts with a potential mate is different from the way one interacts with
one’s niece, mother-in-law or boss, for example (DONATH; BOYD, 2004; MCCLARD;
ANDERSON, 2008).
Privacy concerns were already addressed when Facebook was still restricted to
university communities. Gross and Acquisti (2005) showed that personal data was generously
provided by students and they hardly used privacy controls. At that time, the authors were
concerned about users’ exposition, physical and cyber risks, and the possibility for third
parties to create digital dossiers of their behavior. Still about the university community,
Stutzman et al. (2011) explored students’ attitudes and behaviors and found that the more an
individual is concerned about privacy, the less likely the individual will be to increase
disclosure.
About common Facebook users, Nosko et al. (2010) collected information from Canada
and found that age was an important factor in determining disclosure behaviors, which means
that as age increases, the amount of personal information in profiles decreases. The privacy
concern can reach the stage in which users delete a friend or block someone from their profile.
SNS users have indicated reasons for deleting a friend that ranges from losing contact,
wanting privacy, and protecting one’s safety from a “crazy stalker” or a “crazy ex-girlfriend”
(SUBRAHMANYAM et al., 2008) .
In this sense, it is necessary to develop programs and interventions to caution SNS users
about the risk of personal information disclosure. SNS developers should simplify privacy
policies to help users understand the implications of their disclosures and, besides that, create
easier privacy controls or enable users to produce their own rules within the system (NOSKO
et al., 2010; STUTZMAN et al., 2011).
In the organizational context, in which employees mix connections from professional
and personal circles, there is a concern about people posting content that is offensive,
alienating, needlessly provocative, irrelevant, or otherwise out of line with the goals of the
organization (MCAFEE, 2009). In this respect, Li (2010) states that every company needs to
develop and put in place a policy for SNS to create structure, process and discipline around
openness. Organizations typically have two types of policy: social media guidelines for
employees and customer-interaction guidelines, such as community participation or comment
guidelines. The benefit of having a code of conduct and disclosure policy is the clarity on how

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the company expects employees to behave in such environments, taking into consideration
aspects of identity transparency, responsibility, confidentiality and common sense.
3 METHOD
The present paper adopts a qualitative approach since it studies a phenomenon
involving human beings and their social relations, with no interest to enumerate and measure
the events analyzed or employ statistical analysis (GODOY, 1995). Due to the lack of
previous studies about the use of SNS within the workplace, we performed an exploratory
case-based study. The case study method is considered appropriate to study emergent
practices, factors or situations (MEREDITH, 1998) and it is considered exploratory because
the preliminary investigations are intended to generate ideas and hypotheses for rigorous
empirical testing at a later stage (SCAPENS, 1990).
In the first round of interviews, we collected data from six interviews with managers of
different companies. We chose to interview people involved with the human resource
department in an attempt to extract the company’s position about the use of SNS by
employees. Participants were asked to describe their experiences and the company policy in
relation to SNS use within the workplace. These in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-
face lasting 40-60 minutes, digitally recorded and transcribed. We develop a semi-structured
questionnaire based on the literature review and the interviews were conducted in Portuguese
in December 2011. These open-ended questions were designed to allow participants to discuss
any aspects related to their personal experience, professional attitude or explanations for
employees’ behavior.
To increase the reliability of these interviews, we conducted a second round of
interviews with different people from the same companies. Lewis and Ritchie (2003) state
that reliability in qualitative studies can be achieved by internal checks on the quality of the
data and interpretations and by providing accurate information about the research process.
Thus, in August 2012 we interviewed employees from different work positions to confirm the
first analysis and add new findings. This triangulation method is a means of testing out
arguments from different angles. Being open to different ways of seeing, constructing
meanings and acknowledging divergence enables researchers to pursue interpretations further
and deepen understanding to portray a valid picture (SIMONS, 2009).
The second round of interviews was conducted via telephone or Internet calls, in
Portuguese, lasting 20-40 minutes, also digitally recorded and transcribed. These interviews
lasted less time because the questions were more specific, based on previous findings.

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According to Simons (2009), as the researcher goes from interview to interview and observes
more situations in the field, he or she can change the questions, decide if there are further
issues to investigate or refine the interpretative asides. At the end of the interview, we asked
the respondents whether they agreed with the framework proposed in this paper.
Data analysis was performed qualitatively, in which procedures adopted by the
companies were compared with the literature. Yin (2005) states that the construction of an
explanation should be the result of an iterative process in which the final result may not have
been stated from the beginning. Consequently, the interpretation of the previous theory can be
revised to reach the appropriate explanation. As requested by the interviewees, the names of
the companies have been kept anonymous. Companies A, B, C, D, E and F represent the
study population. To complement the results, we used secondary data from newspapers,
magazines and corporate websites. This information is used to enhance the proposed
framework, but the references are not described to maintain the confidentiality of the
companies.
3.1 RESEARCH CONTEXT
As previously stated, we performed twelve interviews in six companies from different
industries. We conducted case studies in two consulting firms and one in each industry, as
follows: human resource service provision, retailing, general trading company1 and pay-tv.
The companies vary in their size from 80 to 8,000 employees in Brazil and company F counts
on 10,000 outsourced employees, including call center attendants, sellers and technicians.
Company D is the only domestic corporation, while the others are multinational companies of
foreign origin. In the first round of interviews, we talked with people who had experience
with SNS and were able to define the company position about its use within the workplace. In
the second round of interviews, we talked to employees who have worked for the organization
for more than one year, so that they could confirm the policy on SNS use. Table 1 presents
some general characteristics.
1 General trading company (sogo shosha in Japanese) is a term designating a unique Japanese business entity that
trades a wide range of products. In addition to trading, they have historically acted as investment banks and
private equities. Sogo shosha may be better described as a business philosophy based on three dimensions: large
number of commodities, geographical spread and economic power (Kunio, 1982).

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Table 1 - Presentation of the companies
Company Industry Number of
employees 1st round of interview 2nd round of interview
A HR Service
Provider
World: 8,000
Brazil: 240 Managing Director Consultant (since 2006)
B Consulting World: 23,600
Brazil: 8,000
Talent & Organization
Manager
Senior Manager
(since 2000)
C Consulting World: 430,000
Brazil:17,400
Change Management
Consultant Consultant (since 2008)
D Retail Brazil: 15,000 HR Specialist Consultant Service Provider
(since 2011)
E General Trading
Company
World: 5,000
Brazil: 80 HR Specialist Business Analyst (since
2007)
F Pay-tv via
Satellite
World: 23,000
Brazil: 2,000
Social Network Site
Supervisor Intern (since 2011)
The first round of interviews at company A was conducted with the managing director,
holding the highest management position in Brazil. Company B was represented by an
experienced project manager who had already worked for the company’s HR department. The
consultant from company C served the corporation for five years and was recently hired by
company D as a HR specialist – same position of company E’s respondent. Company F is the
only one that has a specific department for SNS and we managed to interview its supervisor.
In the second round of interviews, companies A and C were represented by functional
consultants, who demonstrated how they utilize SNS in their daily work. As a senior manager,
the employee of company B was able to show how internal SNS can help her in decision
making. Since she had provided consulting services at company D for more than 15 months,
we also asked her to talk about the practices adopted by this company. We interviewed a
business analyst from company E and an intern from company F, who had been working there
for exactly one year.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
To facilitate understanding of the results, we present the outcomes in topics, reproduce
excerpts from interviews, establish the proper relationship with the literature and discuss the
consequences of each decision.
4.1 SNS USE WITHIN THE WORKPLACE
As the aim of this paper is to classify the companies according to the use made of SNS,
we present quotes from both rounds of interviews to increase the explanatory power of our
results (PRATT, 2009). At the end of each quote, we indicate whether the respondent is from
the first or second round of interviews. Besides the excerpts from interviews, Table 2 also
represents symbolically how the studied companies use SNS within the workplace. We

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decided to develop this framework to better visualize the situation of each company in respect
to access to external SNS, development of internal SNS and existence of a specific policy for
SNS use. The symbols “O” and “X” indicate the extreme cases where companies permit or do
not allow free access to external SNS, have or do not have internal SNS and have or do not
have a specific policy for SNS. The symbol “∆” represents intermediate cases.
Table 2 - SNS use within the companies
External SNS Internal SNS Specific Policy for SNS
A
In Brazil, we block employees’
access to Facebook. Our
consultants are paid by the hour, so
they have to be aware that
customers can notice on Facebook
that they are not working while
posting contents (Interviewee A1).
X
We created internal tools but these
projects failed because employees
continued using Facebook or Orkut.
Eventually, a large corporation with
50 or 60 thousand employees could
achieve success (Interviewee A1).
X
Upon being hired, we receive an
internal policy checklist about the
correct use of Internet. This
checklist contains restrictions on
SNS such as Orkut and Facebook
(Interviewee A2).
∆
B
Blocking access would make us
unable to respond to some clients’
requests. The company also uses
SNS to be in evidence (Interviewee
B2).
O
Our company encourages the use of
internal tools. We were asked to
avoid the use of external tools when
addressing issues related to work
(Interviewee B1).
O
There are global and local policies
on ethics and information security.
The training is part of employees’
evaluation (Interviewee B2).
∆
C
We have free access. I usually
consult forums where I can find
topics about work-related problems
and check what has been discussed
about it (Interviewee C2).
O
Internal SNS are used for knowledge
exchange. There are communities
divided by topics: professional,
technical, project management,
certifications, etc. It consists of
online spaces for forums, blogs and
document archiving. (Interviewee
C2).
O
Every employee must annually be
certified about the general internal
policy. We get an electronic address
to access and answer a
questionnaire to commit that we will
follow the rules (Interviewee C1).
∆
D
If you visit a website for the first
time, the address and the
employee’s name is recorded
(Interviewee D2).
X
We have informational portals
without interaction among users,
just passive reading of information
(Interviewee D2).
X
There is an internal policy available
in the intranet banning the use of
Internet during working hours
(Interviewee D1).
∆
E
Internet use should be strictly
professional. However, we know
that employees are accessing SNS
during working hours. The company
is aware of this situation, but so far
has not taken any harsher action
(Interviewee E1).
O
The internal SNS is already
working. In the system, you can fill
out a profile, upload pictures, join
discussion forums, download books
and take online courses
(Interviewee E2).
O
The day I was hired, I signed an
agreement saying that Internet use
is only for business purposes,
excluding personal use (Interviewee
E2).
∆
F
The financial department, for
example, doesn’t need to access
SNS. Someone that checks his/her
Facebook many times along the day
is losing productive time
(Interviewee F1).
∆
I usually receive information
broadcast through email
(Interviewee F2).
X
I received internal training on the
use of SNS, which mentioned
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I
have access to much confidential
information, so I have to be aware
of the risks of using SNS
(Interviewee F2).
O

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Regarding external SNS, company A denies access within the company, but affirms that
they cannot control the access while the consultants are allocated in customers’ premises. This
situation is in accordance with the company position that ‘SNS use is not forbidden but it is
not stimulated’. Companies B and C permit free access to SNS, without restrictions to any
website. In fact, people from the second round of interviews stressed the importance of having
access to SNS to access information and achieve better results in their work. Company D
completely denies access to Internet and even scans professional e-mails, as can be seen in the
first round of interviews:
According to the company’s policy, Internet should be used only on work-related
activities, which means that any blog, personal e-mail or Social Network Site can be
accessed through the company’s Internet network.
Although the IT Policy of company E states that employees are not allowed to access
private e-mails or SNS during working time, there is no control in the network and everyone
in practice has free access to websites. Company F permits access depending on job role and
department. Thus, marketing and communication departments have free access while IT and
finance departments have restrictions, for example. According to its supervisor, departments
that demand focus to perform their work cannot be distracted during working time (see Table
2).
This situation was previously reported by Boyd & Ellison (2008) and Skeels & Grudin
(2009), who affirmed that some companies consider the use of SNS as a waste of productive
time and block access to such websites. In the first round of interviews, the person from
company A stated that posts on SNS can be considered as evidence of wasted time, a source
of bad performance or justification not to approve overtime. The people from companies A
and D in the second round of interviews mentioned another reason to restrict access to SNS.
According to them, such websites usually contain files of images, audios and videos – which
bring the need for investments in technological infrastructure, since they consume network
bandwidth.
In the literature review, we demonstrated how internal SNS can bring advantages for
organizations, but companies A, D and F do not intend to implement an internal SNS at the
moment. According to company A’s director, these internal tools are more efficient in bigger
companies, where the number of employees would attract the interest of the workforce (see
Table 2). This is in accordance with Lin & Lu (2011), who affirmed that the number of
connections and perceived complementarity reinforce SNS usefulness. In the second round of
interviews, the respondent from company D cited the existence of internal portals to disclose

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100 Yokoyama, Sekiguchi
official information, which is not considered as a SNS (see table 2). Company F also has no
plans for internal SNS, although it does have a project to be implemented by the outsourced
company related to customer service.
Companies B and C are already using several internal tools regarding interaction
between employees. The exchange of knowledge within a safe environment is a source of
competitive advantage for these companies, as explained by company C’s consultant:
We have many internal tools with SNS characteristics. We have tools for instant
message exchange, knowledge management, discussion forum and Social Network
Sites to interact with coworkers worldwide.
In the second round of interviews, the senior manager of company B confirmed the
importance of such tools to exchange knowledge, increase visibility and compose working
teams. The consultant of company C addressed its importance in global projects, as it involves
people from different countries and time zones. According to her, it is important to keep all
the information up-to-date within the system so that new members from any part of the world
can become part of the team and have access to the content that has been generated so far and
quickly contribute to the project.
According to the responses in the first round of interviews, company E was starting to
implement a knowledge management tool with SNS characteristics. Eight months later,
during the second round of interviews, the business analyst confirmed that this tool was
already implemented. She explained that besides the discussion forums, it was possible to
download books and take online courses (see Table 2). Sherif et al. (2006) showed how these
internal systems can play an important role in the accumulation of social capital by creating
dense and highly connected networks, whose members trust each other and feel obliged to
carry out the responsibilities conferred on them by the network with which they are
associated.
Questioned about a specific policy for SNS, the respondents from companies A, B, C, D
and E affirmed that SNS use is encompassed on their internal policy on IT, ethics or
confidentiality. In the second round of interviews, the people from companies A and E
explained that upon hiring, employees receive an internal policy checklist about the correct
use of the Internet, which includes restrictions on SNS use. In turn, companies B and C give
periodic training about the internal policy as part of the employees’ individual appraisal. In
addition to questions addressing the use of SNS, these policies involve issues of sharing
confidential data, use of the company’s and customers’ name, as well as downloading of
software and digital files (videos, music). Company F is the only one to have a specific policy

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for SNS, which involves preservation of the company’s image, information confidentiality,
building security and personal risks, as can be seen from the SNS supervisor’s words:
We have just implemented the policy on SNS with the objective to educate
employees on how to use SNS properly. It involves the preservation of the
company’s and shareholders' image, personal risks, gossiping and information
confidentiality. The development of this policy involved question of human
resources, law, ethics, information security, access to the building, etc.
The intern of company F has no access to external SNS, but he confirmed that he was
trained. According to him, it is important that employees know how to behave in such
environments, because anyone can have access to SNS through smartphones or even after
work when they get home.
About SNS use in the future, the respondents believe that access will be allowed
gradually, as people learn how to behave on SNS. Company D, which has no access to
websites, also believes that this situation will change gradually, because managers or
departments will increasingly need to access such information to perform their work. DiMicco
et al. (2008) predicted that the next generation of employees will use SNS as their dominant
communication means and companies need to bridge generational gaps and boundaries to
support this method of communication between employees. Besides that, employees are
increasingly purchasing smartphones with Internet access, which allows them to use SNS
without control of the company.
4.2 REASONS FOR USING SNS
In addition to developing a framework, this study seeks to explain how companies use
SNS to achieve their strategic corporate objectives. Accordingly, Table 3 presents excerpts
from the first and second rounds of interviews to explain the companies’ position about the
reasons for using SNS, increase of social capital and concerns about privacy and disclosure.
Table 3 - Considerations about the use of SNS within the companies
Reasons for using SNS Social Capital Privacy & Disclosure
A
I found through the pictures posted
on Facebook that one of my
employees had traveled to New York
to study English. This person was
about to be fired, but because of the
picture I decided to transfer her to
another department (Interviewee
A1).
I've added a coworker from Manila
on Facebook and I could see his
pictures, posts, friends (Interviewee
A2).
Although we do not have a policy
about the correct use of SNS,
common sense ends up modeling the
use of such websites (Interviewee
A2).
B
Networking is extremely important
in a consulting firm. When starting
a new project, you access SNS to
know the customer; the segment; the
people that you will contact
(Interviewee B2).
Some people add contacts on
Facebook as soon as they discover
the colleague’s name (Interviewee
B1).
SNS can also cause problems,
because people may disclose
confidential information or have
atypical attitudes that may discredit
them (Interviewee B2).
C Liking the company’s page on I had an experience with a coworker I care about pictures and posts on

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102 Yokoyama, Sekiguchi
Facebook allows us to have access
to new information. Employees can
comment and discuss about the
company through SNS (Interviewee
C2).
who works in Rio de Janeiro. I used
to make comments on her posts
because we were from the same
area. When I went to Rio de Janeiro
for a project, this girl invited me for
lunch (Interviewee C1).
Facebook. You end up mixing
people who are very close with
those you relate professionally
(Interviewee C2).
D
SNS are blocked for two reasons:
concern about time spent on these
websites; and investments in
equipment to provide Internet
access (Interviewee D2).
Even not allowing access to SNS
during working hours, companies
like their employees to become part
of a network. Nowadays, everyone
has access to SNS from home or
smartphones (Interviewee D2).
Nowadays, I read more than I write
and I think twice before publishing
something (Interviewee D1).
E
SNS allow us to have fast access to
information and overcome
geographical barriers (Interviewee
E1).
My coworkers are on my Facebook.
It is an opportunity to know the
person better and discover common
interests. (Interviewee E2).
For privacy reasons, I prefer not to
connect with people who I have not
met personally (Interviewee E2).
F
Some departments need access to
SNS to perform their work, for
example, to keep track of what
consumers are saying about the
company (Interviewee F2).
SNS are great to learn more about
people, their life, interests
(Interviewee F2).
We don't want people to stop
writing; we just want them to be
careful about what to write.
(Interviewee F1).
Managers believe that employees are using external SNS during working time for
personal reasons, especially for entertainment and to complement offline relationships. This is
one the reasons why company D completely restricts access to SNS during working hours. In
this sense, Subrahmanyam et al. (2008) and Lin & Lu (2011) also showed that the primary use
of SNS was related to people from offline lives, besides enjoyment. In this situation, we
noticed that companies B, C and F stimulate the personal use of external SNS by employees,
probably to encourage them to promote the corporate brand or to disclose products, services
and news. The supervisor of company F showed how the personal use of SNS is stimulated
within the corporation:
The use of SNS is stimulated and even the vice-president has accounts in many
websites. He is a SNS enthusiast, considers himself a ‘twitterer’, and has a blog
about soccer. He actively uses Twitter and Facebook and has discovered some SNS
that have not even arrived in Brazil.
Respondents from some companies mentioned career opportunity as one of the reasons
to use SNS, including strategic management of connections and self-promotion on LinkedIn,
which is in accordance with the study of DiMicco et al. (2008). The consultant of company C
uses open discussion forums to find what has been discussed by people from other companies
about problems of the system. Besides that, the studied companies are using external SNS for
recruitment selection and disclosure of official information. Company B developed an
automatic online tool that analyzes the consultants’ network on LinkedIn and indicates which
connection has the skills to be part of workforce. Although the search for human resources
through SNS is not an official procedure, companies reported that it is common to check the

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candidate’s profile to search for professional or personal information. Company E reported a
case where a candidate was disqualified because of the content of his posts, as we can see
below, according to the HR specialist:
We do not use SNS as a decisive factor in hiring, but we take a look on the
candidate’s profile to know a little more about the person. There was a recent case in
which a department manager noted on the candidate's profile that he was
complaining about work and this was one of the factors not to hire him.
The use of SNS for marketing campaigns or recruitment and selection has been
addressed in recent studies. As a new phenomenon, Brazilian managers consider online
marketing as a low investment activity with significant benefits (BARCELLOS, 2011), while
human resources managers consider SNS as a complement to other recruitment methods that
facilitates and accelerates the process (GOMES, 2011). Company A seems to utilize
information from external SNS to know more about its workforce, by predicting employees'
dissatisfaction, complaints or needs. Its director uses information that is published on SNS to
help him on managerial decisions, as can be seen below:
The constant updating of a CV on LinkedIn can be a signal that an employee is
dissatisfied with the company and looking for another job. However, if an employee
is improving his qualifications and updating his LinkedIn profile, this can help him
or her in a promotion decision.
Although this initiative may involve concerns about privacy, the utilization of
information published on SNS is in accordance with the findings of DiMicco et al. (2008),
which showed that SNS can provide a good source of up-to-date, relevant and dynamic
information to be used to understand the workforce.
4.3 SNS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL
As shown in Table 3, companies reported that some employees managed to be
connected just because of SNS functionalities, which predicts bridging social capital. These
functionalities includes forums for discussion and online communities, where employees can
discuss the resolution of a problem related to work or recognize people with common interests
like videogames, sports or handicrafts, for example. Additionally, coworkers located in
different offices can overcome geographical barriers and become friends due to the first
contact provided by SNS (ELLISON et al., 2007; STEINFIELD et al., 2008; ELLISON et al.,
2011).
Within the limits of the company, Skeels & Grudin (2009) reported tensions arising
from crossing hierarchy, but company F thinks that SNS can provide proximity between
employees from different positions. The manager stressed that in the past only a few people
could interact with the vice-president, while nowadays anyone who has an account can

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104 Yokoyama, Sekiguchi
discuss any matter of common interest, even soccer. Thus, SNS can reduce the distance
between bosses and subordinates and facilitate the flow of information:
Facebook really helped to shorten distances. The whole basis of analysts and
trainees who could not have a meeting with our vice-president can now discuss
soccer or a movie, for example. Now employees can talk freely with that person who
would otherwise be on a pedestal, in an ivory tower.
Although some companies in the sample do not use SNS to reach bonding social capital,
it seems to be an important tool to complement the bond formed among coworkers. Managers
affirmed that coworkers usually become close friends due to daily living and use SNS to
complement this relationship by sharing pictures, comments and opinions – regardless of
access during working hours. Managers cited the benefits that are inherent from this closer
relationship, like proximity between coworkers, integration and feeling of belonging
(STEINFIELD et al., 2009). Company A believes that SNS are important to the formation of
bonding social capital and presents its advantages:
The company takes advantage of the use of SNS because employees create a bond
that surpasses the work environment. It is common to see employees traveling
together over the weekend and publishing photos or updating status on SNS. There
is a synergy between coworkers that stimulates a feeling of belonging to the group.
In the second round of interviews, employees from companies A, D and E confirmed
that they use external SNS to know their colleagues better (table 3). According to them, it is
an opportunity to find out personal information and common interests that may bring
proximity among them. On the other hand, the increase of social capital can also bring
disadvantages, such as overexposure, privacy issues, possibility of knowing bad things about
friends and risk of selecting incorrect information. As predicted by Coleman (1988), a given
form of social capital that is valuable in facilitating certain actions may be useless or even
harmful for others.
4.4 PRIVACY & DISCLOSURE
We could observe concerns about privacy and disclosure many times during the
interviews with managers, alerting about the challenge to handling personal and professional
life through SNS. This problem was presented by Gross & Acquisti (2005) and McClard &
Anderson (2008), according to whom people usually share and interact differently according
to the circle of connections. The business analyst from company E refused a request of
friendship on Facebook because she wanted to keep a barrier between the information
disclosed to personal and professional friends.
In the organizational context, this situation becomes more complicated as friendship on
SNS involves clients, suppliers and even competitors. Managers want their employees to

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evaluate the consequences of posting inappropriate content, especially with those involving
the company’s name. The consultant from company D found herself in a situation where she
had already worked for two competitor firms and become friends with people from both
corporations. She explained that in this situation, you have to be aware of what to post,
because you can accidentally disclose some confidential information. Besides this, she avoids
publications (pictures, comments or complaints) involving the companies’ names to prevent
online discussions among the connection.
Company A experienced an embarrassing situation in which the director received a call
from a customer reporting inappropriate behavior on SNS by a consultant:
I had to ask my consultant to remove the content from his Facebook because
everyone was making fun of him. Unfortunately, we still live in a world that respect
is gained not only by knowledge, but by how you live. There is no way to
disassociate both. Everyone has the right to lead life the way they want to, but from
the moment that you use a social tool involving people from work, you need to
submit yourself to certain conditions.
In the second round of interviews, the consultant confirmed that employees are
gradually shaping their behavior on SNS as people go through these kinds of situations. As an
alternative to controlling the information that is shared, some companies have suggested that
employees manage their lists of contacts to control who can have access to such information
or even have two different profiles. However, at the same time, they do not want to censor
their employees, as we can see from the company F supervisor in Table 3.
The specialist from company D reported her personal experience about how to behave
on SNS regarding privacy and disclosure. Nosko et al. (2010) found that age was an important
factor in determining disclosure behavior and we noticed that the specialist decreased the
amount of information as she grew hierarchically, as if she realized the risks and
consequences that each post could bring. Also, she showed some concerns about what people
write about her, exactly what Tong et al. (2008) call novelty on SNS, that such systems
contain information provided not only by the creator, but by the creator’s friends:
I used to be more active in SNS but as I started to grow hierarchically, I stopped
using them because I'm mixing family, friends and people I've worked with or I’m
still working with. I also worry about what people post about me because it is my
image that is there.
Company F has created a policy to avoid situations such as putting a coworker in an
embarrassing situation by posting inappropriate content or photos from the office that may
accidentally show confidential documents or the placement of security cameras. The creation
of a specific policy for SNS is in accordance with the Li (2010), who states that every

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106 Yokoyama, Sekiguchi
company needs to develop and put in place a policy for SNS to create structure, process and
discipline around openness.
5 CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK AND IMPLICATIONS
Our objective here is to classify Brazilian companies by relating SNS use in the
workplace with the corporate strategic objective. To meet such objective, we analyzed six
companies from different industries according to the main theoretical approaches. Next, we
present some aspects that can be highlighted as conclusions.
Taking into consideration how each company utilizes external SNS, develops internal
SNS and adopts specific policy for its use, we propose a framework that classifies the studied
companies into three groups, in accordance with their management purpose. Figure 1 shows
where the companies were classified, after which we discuss how the variables can influence
the achievement of corporate strategic objectives.
Administrative
Control
Figure 1 - Classification of companies according to corporate strategic objective
Companies B, C and E were classified in the first group, where the creation of
knowledge is considered as a core competence. In these companies, external and internal SNS
are important to the creation and sharing of intellectual capital, in which they can benefit from
the knowledge and social capital that are raised through these tools (NAHAPIET;
GHOSHAL, 1998; SHERIF et al., 2006). Companies B and C allow free access to any
website and have developed many internal tools to enhance interaction between employees.
Company E also permits free access to any website – although Internet use for personal
matters is officially prohibited. This company was developing an internal tool for knowledge
management during the first round of interviews and had already implemented it in August
2012.
These companies are using SNS because of the functional advantages, like the ease of
communication, the ease to find contacts and access to information generated by discussion.
External SNS Internal SNS Specific Policy
for SNS
B O O ∆
Knowledge
Creation
C O O ∆
E O O ∆
F ∆ X O Corporate
Branding
A X X ∆
D X X ∆

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Thus, employees can gain access to experts, discuss the resolution of a problem, or even find
people with the same interest independently of the place of work, department, position or
organization. The use of internal and external SNS enables the creation, maintenance and
strengthening of weak ties among colleagues (SKEELS; GRUDIN, 2009 and we could
observe the formation of bridging social capital by the transposition of geographical and
hierarchical barriers. SNS can also complement the formation of offline bonding social capital
when used as a tool to interact with close friends from the same company. Despite the benefits
from the use of SNS, we could observe employees with some privacy concerns trying to keep
a barrier between personal and professional contacts. A specific policy may help them to
protect personal integrity, preserve confidential information and maintain the company’s
reputation (MCAFEE, 2009).
In the second round of interviews, the respondents from companies B, C and E agreed
with the proposed classification. The consultant of company C observed that they also use
open SNS to promote the brand to consumers. According to her, company C disseminates
their work with customers, society, research agencies and public institutions through external
SNS. Although company E has endeavored to manage internal knowledge, the analyst
affirmed that few employees were using the internal SNS in Brazil. According to her, the low
number of employees may explain the lack of interest among coworkers in the country (LIN;
LU, 2011), but she believes that the system is better used in the company’s headquarters.
Online reports and articles in magazines demonstrate other benefits that companies from
this group achieve by using SNS. For companies B and C, the integration among consultants
around the world stimulates innovation and reduces costs for technical support. Speed of
sharing and volume of collaboration are also treated as differentials.
Company F was classified in the Corporate Branding group for having a specific
department for SNS to improve customer relationship and optimize marketing campaigns.
This department has eight employees and counts on consulting firms that search for relevant
comments and trends on the Internet. This initiative was shown by Barcellos (2011), where
companies were increasingly interacting with their customers through regular monitoring of
SNS. Company F is more interested in enriching the corporate image with customers than
developing an internal tool to enhance knowledge creation. In this sense, the access to
external SNS is allowed just in the departments directly related to customer relationship.
Also, the creation of a specific policy for SNS is aligned with the corporate objective, as they
first educate their employees on how to behave on SNS and then start to interact with

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customers. Such policy instructs employees about the personal and corporate benefits arising
from social networks and also the associated risks, like inappropriate content, personal safety,
building security, data confidentiality or legal penalties (LI, 2010).
Company F stimulates the use of SNS to cause an impact on marketing campaigns. The
presence of the vice-president on SNS functions as an incentive for all employees to follow
the example and become active in disclosing the company’s name. Interaction between the
workforce and their connections may promote discussions about products, services or news
and put the company’s brand in evidence. This online interaction increases bridging social
capital within the company, as it generates proximity between executives and common
employees. Company F also creates corporate profiles on SNS to reach consumers by
answering complaints or listening to their opinion to develop new services. Concerns about
privacy and disclosure are considered in the specific SNS policy.
Articles published by magazines and newspapers demonstrate the benefits achieved by
company F after starting to interact with consumers. The speed of communication and the
ability to provide accurate and reliable information through SNS enabled the company to
establish a constant and continuous relationship and a consequent approximation with clients.
Companies A and D were classified in the Administrative Control group, in which
controlling employees’ behavior seems to be more important than benefits arising from SNS
use. Company D presents the extreme case, with complete restriction on Internet. However,
this tight control has brought problems, as even the HR specialist reported difficulties to
access online material to set up training content, or search for new human resources. Despite
the restriction to SNS during working hours, the managing director of company A uses
external SNS to connect with employees and utilizes posted information to help him in
management decisions, which demonstrates the controlling nature of the company.
During the field research, we found that information posted on SNS can influence
management decisions. Company A uses SNS to follow employees’ behavior, since their
posts may be seen as evidence of time waste or the cause of poor performance. At the same
time, companies can benefit when employees use SNS because they can construct new
connections or complement offline relationships. SNS can help coworkers to find out personal
information through profiles, comments and opinions, increasing the opportunity to bring
them together and reinforce their social capital. Concerns on privacy were also found in these
companies and policy for SNS would be useful to educate employees on how to behave with

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work-related connections, as they can interact with those people after working hours or
through smartphones.
This classification was also confirmed during the second round of interviews. Company
A is more reactive and tries to control employees’ behavior instead of educating them
proactively. Company D justified its controlling nature due to confidentiality of information,
in which it is important to protect data from competitors and suppliers. We did not find
secondary data reporting the use of SNS by companies A and D. For being a retailer, we
expected company D to have greater proximity with consumers through SNS, but the official
website does not mention any SNS – all contacts are made by phone or email. This lack of
interaction and absence in the news may be evidence of the low utilization of SNS by both
companies, supporting their controlling nature.
Table 4 presents the proposed categories, their main characteristics and quotes to
illustrate our points (PRATT, 2009). Freitas & Bandeira-de-Mello (2012) state that case
variation is important for analyzing the studied phenomenon, as it increases the explanatory
power of the results. Thus, we included excerpts from interviews to demonstrate the
classification proposed by our research for each company.
Table 4 - Proposed classification and proof quotes
Classification Main
Characteristics Quotes
Knowledge Value the social These tools allow access to information on people worldwide, which
Creation and intellectual facilitates the exchange of knowledge with anyone in the world. You can
capital generated easily talk with a partner or a customer from other cities or countries
through online (Interviewee B1).
discussion. SNS can be used for knowledge management. In our company, we have
discussion forums where we can attach documents, ask questions about
certain subjects, reach people with expertise, exchange documents
(Interviewee C1).
In global projects, all the documentation is posted in online communities.
There is stimulus for new discoveries to be posted there. If someone has to
leave the project, or new members are included, they are able to access
and follow all the content that has been generated so far (Interviewee C2).
Corporate
Branding
Strengthen the
corporate image
with customers
I work with a consulting firm that shows us network trending - what
people are saying, commenting, complaining (Interviewee F1).
Some departments need access to SNS to monitor what consumers are
saying about the company. I've become more aware about my posts’
content after I started working in this company (Interviewee F2).
Administrative Concerns about The constant updating of a CV on LinkedIn can be a signal that an
Control information employee is dissatisfied with the company and looking for another job.
confidentiality, However, if an employee is improving his qualifications and updating his
productivity and LinkedIn profile, this can help him or her in a promotion decision
procrastination (Interviewee A1).
This tight control is related to competition, information of products,
suppliers, prices - this type of business requires the information to be kept
confidential (Interviewee D2).

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110 Yokoyama, Sekiguchi
Beyond the classification, we highlight other general conclusions. First, the
interviewees reported that employees are also using external SNS for entertainment reasons,
but it is important to note that these activities can be considered as a break from work or a
time for relaxation. Internal SNS are mainly used to exchange knowledge and increase
visibility through the connection with strategic people and disclosure of news, questions and
professional-related experiences. External SNS are important to reach expertise from people
outside the company. Most companies reported the use of internal and external SNS for
selection and recruitment through the consultation of candidates’ profiles or to search for new
talent.
As discussed above, the formation of bridging and bonding social capital can be an
organization asset, resulting from the interaction among coworkers and people outside the
organization. Thus, some respondents reported how the creation of connected networks may
help employees to reach out to experts and solve problems and also increase trust and
responsibility. At the same time, the increase of social capital can allow employees to select
incorrect information or learn bad things about each other.
Concerns about privacy and overexposure were reported several times during the
interviews, which can be a reflection of the sociability and active participation of Brazilian
users on SNS. In the organizational context, the network of connections extends beyond
people from family and personal friends, reaching coworkers, bosses, customers, suppliers
and even competitors. Therefore, we could observe some employees behaving inappropriately
in light of the risks associated with the misuse of the tool. The appropriate use of SNS can
include the management of contacts in groups by controlling who can have access to certain
content; the creation of different profiles for each circle of contacts; or simply discretion
regarding the content of publications. Based on the interviews, we noted that Brazilian
employees still are not aware about the risks and potentialities of SNS. Although the use of
SNS is prohibited in some organizations, having a policy on its use would be useful for every
company, since it educates employees on how to properly behave in such environments.
6 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
In this study, some difficulties may have resulted in limitations that should be
mentioned. First, the case study method has some limitations inherent to its nature. The use of
personal interviews as an information source has the bias of the interviewee and the
researcher. This bias includes that managers may not disclose some information so as not to
compromise the company’s interest or the investigator may not understand the answers well,

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The Use of Social Network Sites in the Workplace:
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111
which can cause distortion in the analysis. To counterbalance this limitation, we performed a
second round of interviews to confirm the working classification and add new findings. The
use of different sources of information can help to improve the clarity and precision of a
research finding (LEWIS; RITCHIE, 2003).
This exploratory study has developed a framework to classify companies according to
their SNS use in the workplace. According to Donmoyer (1990), case study research can be
used to expand and enrich the repertoire of constructions available to practitioners and others.
Thus, the results presented in this study can be used as hypotheses to be tested in further
studies (SCAPENS, 1990; LEWIS; RITCHIE, 2003). The conduction of a quantitative study
with a representative sample could reach the correct degree of generalization.
Finally, the present study brings empirical contribution to the literature due to the lack
of previous research about the utilization of SNS in the organizational context, especially
those involving Brazilian companies.
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