I am proud to release the results of the 2nd annual New Symbiosis of Professional Networks research study by The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR); a benchmark on the impact of social media on enterprise decision-making.
The study is a result of collaboration between me and Vanessa DiMauro as part of our fellowship with SNCR. My colleague at SAP and Senior Fellow at SNCR, Peter Auditore, also contributed to the analysis.
In the first study we focused on professionals’ use of social media—and it all comes back to the strength of the relationship. Human relationships and peer-to-peer decision-making are inherently interrelated. Professional networks facilitate vast interactions, connections, and networks of people by enabling collaboration anywhere and at any time.
Communities of practice, professional networks, social media, email, and SMS are among the tools that enable multi-channel access for individuals (employees, customers, partners, and suppliers).
In this second study, we further examined the role of social media on decision-making among enterprise users and explored the dynamics of trust as well as the value of engagement and collaboration to support decision making and innovation across company operations for internal and external purposes.
Specifically, we sought to explore the following questions:
- Is social media regarded as a trustworthy source of information for professionals?
- What do enterprise decision makers value most when interacting with peers through social media and social networks?
- How do enterprise decision makers use social media to gather information, advice and support peer collaboration; and how do they compare to traditional off-line networking and knowledge share?
- What tools and sources of social media are relied upon by professionals to make decisions?
- Will social media change the business and practice of enterprise-level operations (internal and external)?
- How do business leaders use social media for customer engagement/support; innovation of products and service; employee engagement; strategy development; sales and marketing?
- What has changed since 2009 in terms of social media usage and trust among professional decision-makers?
The study was supported by quantitative data gathered via online survey of 114 professionals to understand their perceptions and experiences with social media in support of their decision-making.
Key demographics of the research:
- Close to two in ten (18%) respondents identified themselves as the CEO of their organization, with close to half identifying themselves as a “Director” (20%) or “Manager” (24%).
- Company size ranged from less than 100 to over 50,000 full-time employees.
- Age was well distributed with the greatest proportion in the 36-45 range.
- 10 countries were represented, with 76% of respondents living in the US.
- All respondents were either the decision makers or influenced the decision maker.
Below are key findings of the research. A presentation of the detailed findings can be found here.
Four key findings from the research include:
