Opportunities and threats presented by social media in project management

Abstract

The application of new technologies is rapidly increasing, not only in private but also in professional spheres, including project management. However, the use of social media (SM) may be both beneficial and dangerous. Therefore, the goal of the article is to investigate in which areas it is possible to use social media in project management and what the opportunities and threats surrounding it are. In order to reach the goal of the article and obtain answers to the research questions, the methods of diagnostic survey and questionnaire technique were used. The research was carried out on a sample of 108 respondents involved in the project's implementation. To complement the obtained data, additional qualitative research using unstructured interviews was conducted. The presented research indicates that managers who work in an Agile or Hybrid way are more likely to use SM than managers who work in a traditional way. A significant dependency between the use of SM and the way the project team works was confirmed, but no age differences were found. Moreover, the results of the study show that social media usually supports project managers and team members in such areas as communication, cooperation, engagement, knowledge management, work productivity, promotion of the project and employee development. Threats concerning the use of social media in project management are noted in relation to the security of the project and loss of sensitive project data. Analysis of the study and interviews resulted in a broad set of principles of SM usage within projects. Future research could provide further confirmation of these findings by using larger samples.

Analysis of factors affecting project communications with a hybrid DEMATEL-ISM approach (A case study in Iran)

“… Abbreviation Criteria Brief description Reference C1 Number of stakeholders Number of stakeholders (internal stakeholders and external stakeholders): People involved in the project, such as project team members, managers as internal stakeholders and customers and supplier as external stakeholderss ( Costa and Menichini, 2013 ). ( Pheng, 2018 ), ( Aaltonen, 2011 ), ( Yang et al., 2014 ), ( Welch and Jackson, 2007 ), ( Lohikoski et al., 2005 ), ( van den Hooff and de Ridder, 2004 ), ( Golabchi, 2012 ), ( Čulo and Skendrovic, 2010 ), ( Hysa and Spalek, 2019 ), and experts C2 Organizational size Organizational size is given as the number of employees at any defined geographical location. Experts C3 Culture Value norms and beliefs (PMBOK, 6th version, 2017) ( Buckley et al., 2009 ), ( Sluyts et al., 2011 ), ( Mesly, 2015 ); ( Wang et al., 2016 ), ( Zwikael, 2009 ).…”

“…( Rubenstein-Montano et al., 2001 ), ( Ankrah et al., 2009 ), ( Zakaria, 2017 ) ( Meyer, 2015 ), ( Cardon, 2008 ), ( Kittler et al., 2011 ), ( Warner-Søderholm, 2013 ), ( Manoj Ray and Samuel, 2016 ), ( Hofstede, 1984 ), ( Roudias, 2015 ), ( Goettsch, 2014 ), ( Lückmann and Färber, 2016 ). experts C4 Communication Variety Formal and informal communications ( Hysa and Spalek, 2019 ), ( Kandlousi et al., 2010 ), ( Kraut et al., 1990 ), ( Litterst and Eyo, 1982 ), ( Pullin, 2010 ), ( Pheng, 2018 ). ( Bond-Barnard et al., 2013 ), ( Reed and Knight, 2010 ), ( Daim et al., 2012 ) C5 Organizational structure Task allocation, coordination, and supervision are directed toward the achievement of organizational aims.…”

“…Managing project stakeholders is an important part of project management. Aligning the goals, interests, and expectations of stakeholders is directly attributed to the success of the project ( Aaltonen, 2011 ) Creating and maintaining relationships between project team members and different stakeholders through effective communication is one of the requirements of successful project management ( Hysa and Spalek, 2019 ). The objective of project stakeholder management is to enhance the understanding of the project management team from various stakeholders and their ability in engaging stakeholders in order to maintain their support and aligning their goals with the goals of the project ( Yang et al., 2014 ).…”

“…Communication skills are one of the most important skills required for project success. High quality communication occurs when project team members have enough time to communicate with each other and to exchange information formally or informally ( Hysa and Spalek, 2019 ). The main difference between formal and informal communications is that, unlike informal communication, formal communication occurs in a controlled environment ( Kandlousi et al., 2010 ).…”

“…This is especially important when project members are experts in different fields and in different countries. Social media can boost communications through reducing meeting duration, both online and offline environments are an integral part of project management ( Hysa and Spalek, 2019 ). Social media plays a crucial role in project activities.…”