| Technology has always played an integral role in the ways in which people communicate with one another. Over the years technology has evolved, allowing communication and collaboration to be easier and faster. With the upsurge of dynamic Websites and other multimedia technology as well as the expansion of the Internet into other countries, it is no surprise that companies are reconsidering how they leverage these tools to support their business needs.This study takes an in-depth look at how learning technologies, as well as end-users, have evolved over time. More specifically, this study examines the history of how social media technologies came to be, the advantages and challenges of social media technology, best practices for integrating social media technologies with corporate learning and development programs, and implications for use in the field of organizational development (OD).The qualitative data used to support this research study was gathered from interviews conducted with 14 individuals, all of whom held varying job roles within different companies. The interview questions were predominately open-ended in nature. Once gathered, the data was then analyzed, and several key themes were extracted and summarized. Where applicable, quantitative data was stated to support a given theme. As each theme was presented, participants' previous experiences and insights were highlighted in an effort to provide the reader with real-world examples of social media implementation.This study concluded by summarizing how the key themes and technology limitations uncovered in the research supported similar concepts uncovered in the literature review. Conclusions were made about the findings, and implications for practice were organized into five areas of best practice. Recommendations for future research on social media and Enterprise 2.0 technologies were made with suggested areas of focus. The research study concluded by hypothesizing the possible uses of this technology in the field of OD as well as suggested how social media may be used as part of an OD intervention. |
