Analyzing HP's Social Media Policy for Effective Team Management

This report analyzes Hewlett-Packard's (HP) social media policy and its role in managing people and teams within the organization. It highlights the purpose of the policy, its depiction of social media use, and how it acknowledges employee functions. The report identifies challenges faced by HP in creating authentic connections with its audience and developing a robust social media marketing strategy. It explores the policy strategies selected to address these challenges, emphasizing the importance of brand monitoring tools and active engagement on social media channels. The review of HP's social media guidelines focuses on establishing identity, transparency, and avoiding the disclosure of confidential information. Furthermore, the report provides recommendations for new companies in writing their first social media policy, including seeking employee input, covering all bases, focusing on the big picture, and encouraging active social media participation.

RUNNING HEAD: Managing people and teams 0
Managing people and teams

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The initiation of the social media has transformed the way companies communicate with the
world. The companies have now powerful and unmediated platforms which broadcasts the
information to the chosen group. The social media engagement is a virtual certainty. This
report comprises the social media policy of HP (Hewlett-Packard) which has significant role
in managing people and teams.
Clear purpose underpinning for the social media policy
It is significant for the organizations to keep track what their members are tweeting and
posting regarding workplace. HP is one of the leading IT organizations worldwide. The
company has been always interested in taking on blogging policies by allowing its members
to post content online through a blog entrenched in the website. The HP’s blogging code of
conduct comprises the healthy and honest dissertation with the readers. The company even
reserves the right to modify any ambiguous content portrayed in the blog posts. HP reserves
the right to delete the posts violating to code of conduct (Mergel, 2016).
Image of social media depicted from the overall policy
The image of the social media depicts the following:
Network security: The social media policy of HP comprises control on downloading software
in order to avoid viruses and malware. The technical security features like firewalls are
managed by the IT department.
Accepted behaviour and use of: The use of internet and e-mails is allowed along with the use
of the smart phones and hand held devices. It enables employees to review and update
policies regularly to cover the innovative and progressing ways for accessing social media
(Noe, et al. 2017). The social networking sites enable employees to repeatedly check privacy
settings on the social networking profiles.
The concepts of social media and employee functions acknowledged
The social media and technology has role in helping customers around the world to make IT
efficient, productive and secure. The employees can make and support professional
communications. It can even strengthen the professional relationships with the people outside
the company. It even enables employees to strengthen personal relationships with the
colleagues. The colleagues can use social media to interact with each other and enhance

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relationships. The employees can even share and increase engagement at work and home
(Opgenhaffen & d’Haenens, 2015).
The social media challenges identified
The social media has become a key channel to interact with the customers. So, the company
focuses on the interplay between social media and community management. The technology
is driving changes in the way business is conducted. Although the social presence, helps
people to make sense of the trends and demonstrate how changes can benefit (Serrat, 2017).
The machine addresses the emerging data challenges. HP faces problem in creating authentic
connection with the audience. Connecting people through the social media is the challenge
faced by HP. This effort is made by the company in connecting audiences on the individual
and personal level. HP also faces challenge in creating a social media marketing strategy. A
special plan is required to the company in order to accomplish.
The policy strategies selected to address the challenges
The challenge faced in creating authentic connection can be solved by HP through the low
cost brand monitoring tools like buffer, mention, reply, tweet back and response to every
single user on Twitter. The challenge faced in forming social media strategy can be addressed
by creating a solid marketing strategy (Ott & Theunissen, 2015). It is possible by being active
on the social media channels. HP can even make use of the videos, advertising budget, image
creation or partnering with the influencers.
The company focuses on the global content management and social media to contribute
heavily to the success of the business. The machine addresses the emerging big data
challenges.
Review of the social media guidelines
The social media of HP discloses the connection with the employees, agency and more. It
requires all the employees to engage in the social media in order to follow the policy. It
establishes identity along with the transparency (Ford, Piccolo & Ford, 2017). The social
media guidelines do not disclose the confidential information of the business which is not in
the public domain. The social media guidelines enable employees to focus on the areas which
demonstrate their familiarity with the current trends and developments of the industry. On the
other side, Dell encourages employees to be champions on the behalf of company. The social

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media policy of Dell protects the information by not let sharing the confidential information
(Stohl, et al. 2017). It also guides users to engage in the social media conversations properly.
A new company is recommended to write its first social media policy. The recommendations
are:
The company is recommended to seek input. The policy should be created by the
participation of the employees. It makes sure to cover all the bases.
The company should focus on the big picture. The social media changes over the time
comprising networks and the way they are being used (Johnson, 2017).
Do not discourage use: The language and content of the policy should be designed in such a
way that it encourages employees to be active on social and champion the brand.

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References
Ford, R. C., Piccolo, R. F., & Ford, L. R. (2017). Strategies for building effective virtual
teams: Trust is key. Business Horizons, 60(1), 25-34.
Johnson, A. (2017). Managing Virtual Teams. Research Technology Management, 60(1), 63.
Mergel, I. (2016). Social media institutionalization in the US federal
government. Government Information Quarterly, 33(1), 142-148.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Opgenhaffen, M., & d’Haenens, L. (2015). Managing Social Media Use: Whither Social
Media Guidelines in News Organizations?. International Journal on Media
Management, 17(4), 201-216.
Ott, L., & Theunissen, P. (2015). Reputations at risk: Engagement during social media
crises. Public Relations Review, 41(1), 97-102.
Serrat, O. (2017). Social network analysis. In Knowledge solutions (pp. 39-43). Springer,
Singapore.
Stohl, C., Etter, M., Banghart, S., & Woo, D. (2017). Social media policies: Implications for
contemporary notions of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business
Ethics, 142(3), 413-436.