Enterprise Social Networks: A Business Development Analysis

This report examines Enterprise Social Networks (ESN) and their growing significance in the business world. It highlights how ESNs facilitate knowledge sharing, streamline communication, and enhance collaboration among employees, replacing traditional methods like email chains and in-person meetings. The report discusses the benefits of ESNs, such as improved internal communication and access to corporate resources, while also addressing challenges like maintaining the right balance in social interactions and establishing effective monitoring systems. It explores the differences between public social media and enterprise social networks, emphasizing the internal and private nature of the latter. The report concludes by suggesting that ESNs can achieve an ideal balance through the integration of success metrics and centralized monitoring techniques, offering a strategic approach to business communication and knowledge management. The assignment includes references to relevant research and reports to support its claims.

Running head: SOCIAL NETWORK OF ENTERPRISE
SOCIAL NETWORK OF ENTERPRISE
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Author Note

1SOCIAL NETWORK OF ENTERPRISE
Sharing knowledge in the workplace is one of the fundamentals of the 'learning
organization', which is a key factor of sustainability in the corporate world. In many
countries, Enterprise Social Networks (that is the social version of new intranets) constitute a
reality and are at the forefront of this effort to share, collaborate and build on employee
knowledge, discussion threads (instead of mail chains) and virtual teams (instead of endless
on-ground meetings that lead to minimum results). Even common apps, like Viber Groups or
Slack, could do the trick amongst teams that wish to stay connected.
The population of the world has witnessed a major outrage for social media and in the
state of changing the conception of 'being social'. Social media have changed the world by
offering a common platform of expressing thoughts, news and have become a source of
interaction. A source that can help spread awareness for a social cause or ignite aggression
through disagreements. The application of social media was slowly being witnessed in
different areas and platforms, which have also diversified the stems into more 'serious
business' (Deloitte.com 2020). The meaning of 'social' has completely changed in the 21st
century with the integration of technological applications or platforms in every aspect of life.
With the increasing relevance and popularity of social media, the introduction of Enterprise
Social Networks (ESN) is very evident.
With the increasing dominance of socializing through technological applications,
business interactions are facilitated with the integration of ESN. Internal communication
through ESN has become an integral part of the business communication network as the
convenience of a faster, more effective and relevant medium of sharing agendas, conducting
meetings and discussing plans (Weber and Shi 2017). However, one of the most challenging
aspects of maintaining social interactions in the internal communication of a business is to
ensure the right balance. Although, the integration of technological and digital media over a

2SOCIAL NETWORK OF ENTERPRISE
common platform of interaction has reflected challenges but is largely based upon benefits
and engaging the right people in the functional activities without creating complexities of
forming a physical base of sharing information and knowledge.
Social media and Enterprise Social Networks are similar but are different in terms of
its reach and transparency. Social networks of an enterprise are integrated amongst a small
community of employees or internal stakeholder groups, which does not exceed the reach of
external members (Deloitte.com 2020).
A social network in enterprises is the strategic change, not technology that allows the
execution of streamlined communication, which in return reduces the presence of inbox
clutters through email threads and constitute privacy of discussion within the concise
network. The application of ESN can be witnessed in constructing a platform, which is
significant for accessing corporate documents such as resources and news of industry
(Deloitte.com 2020). Due to the nature of creating a common centralized platform, the social
network of an enterprise can address the emerging issues of a fresher or any employee
connected to a thread (Wang and Dayal 2018). Companies can simulate a virtual buddy
system along with virtual teams, which can accompany a new member of the team through
the distance of a single text.
The most difficult task of the process or infrastructure of the social network in the
enterprise can be the availability of a monitoring and metric system that can measure the
efficiency and positive contribution of the portals (Deloitte.com 2020). This challenge and
concerning area can be addressed by the help of establishing the social network constrained
to the daily work functionalities as it will also help with the informal interaction but will
respond to the concerns and daily short-term agendas of the day. ESN can accomplish the
ideal balance with the integration of a success metrics and centralizing monitoring technique.

3SOCIAL NETWORK OF ENTERPRISE
References:
Wang, A.H. and Dayal, U., 2018. RANKING DOCUMENTS IN ONLINE ENTERPRISE
SOCIAL NETWORK. Data Analytics and Psychometrics: Informing Assessment Practices,
p.195.
Weber, M.S. and Shi, W., 2017. Enterprise social media. The international encyclopedia of
organizational communication, pp.1-9.
Deloitte.com 2020. Www2.deloitte.com. [Online] Available at:
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/xe/Documents/About-Deloitte/
mepovdocuments/mepov18/like-it-or-not-here-I-am_mepov18.pdf